Assessing the US Open
Bryson DeChambeau may not be a popular champion but he is a worthy one. He was the only player to beat par.
The critics call for a different ball and more testing lay outs to restrict his heavy hitting.
True he missed 23 out of 56 fairways but if the powers that be tighten things up, knowing Bryson, which I don’t, he will still work out a way to beat the system.
My beef with Bryson and others is not their power hitting but slow play, the curse of modern golf.
On the first day I was watching Tony Finau in the featured group.
He asked for relief and was given a drop. He had two attempts before being satisfied with the lie. After that he marched up to the green and back to work out his play. The whole process must have taken 10 minutes.
The authorities tried to quicken things up but the golfers simply ignored them. Bryson DeChambeau was/is one of the worst offenders.
Hopefully the broadcasters and sponsors will takes a tougher line. As for the 380 yard drives there are still plenty of top golfers with graceful swings who do not make that yardage. One such who finished in the top five is Louis Ousthuizen. His short game is work of art.
My pick Patrick Reed collapsed on the back nine on Saturday and never recovered.
Happily the reliable Webb Simpson finished 8th to make my each way punt but Reed finished just outside the top 10 each way belt at 11th.
There is now only one Major left, the Masters in November.
