The Travelers Championship
Well, that was a tough one to watch. In my opinion that was one of the worst U.S. Opens for many reasons, but before we get to the bad let's touch on the good of this year's champion Wyndham Clark. Going into the round I'm sure Clark thought he needed to shoot a couple under par for the day to win. Turns out all he needed to do was shoot even par which ultimately bested Rory McIlroy by one. For Clark, it was a rather up and down day carded four birdies and four bogeys for the day. Despite the rollercoaster round he really held it together when it mattered, especially on the 8th and 9th holes. Those two up-downs for bogey and par were the difference makers and a major reason why he won. What was especially surprising to me was how calm, cool, and collected he was for never being in this moment before. Prior to his U.S. Open victory, Clark’s best finish in a major was t-75. It’s safe to say Clark not only handled the moment but he conquered it and is now a major champion.
As incredible as his win was, many would have called this past week’s U.S. Open a big failure. Don’t get me wrong tournaments have problems and mistakes will be made that are inevitable, however, some of these mistakes could have easily been avoided. The biggest mistake in my opinion was the lack of fans. This year many fans were robbed of the opportunity to witness a U.S. Open because many of the tickets had been taken up by members or used for corporate boxes. The numbers were staggering, for General Admission tickets there were less than 10,000 available and most if not all of the LACC members received 10 tickets each. The ever larger issue was the total number of tickets available, to begin with. In total, there were less than 30,000 tickets. It’s hard to imagine a major championship with such a small number of fans, and many noticed how quiet it was all week. Another common complaint was the golf course. Throughout history the U.S. The Open was hosted at a tough golf course, with narrow fairways, long rough, and high scores. This year LACC was picked apart starting in round one when Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele broke the record for the lowest 18 hole score in the U.S. Open each carding 62’s. What’s crazier is they were just 30 mins apart from one another. They were not the only ones who went low, after the first round more than 20 players were under par, and just when you think it couldn’t get any worse it did. As if the fan experience wasn’t bad enough there was not a grandstand on the 18th green which is essentially a necessity. To no surprise at all LACC’s members petitioned for no grandstand on the 18th so their view from the clubhouse patron was unobstructed. There is really not much to say about this one, it’s just ridiculous and par for the course for LACC and this year’s U.S. Open. Hopefully, next year’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst can write the wrongs.
This week however the PGAT heads to a very popular venue and event. This week the PGAT heads to TPC River Highlands for the Travelers Championship. This year the Travelers is also a designated elevated event which carries many benefits including larger purses and strong fields. More specifically this event almost always draws large, electric crowds that give the players the exciting atmosphere they thrive on. With a stacked field I'm sure the fans will bring this noise. A few key players are teeing it up this week, Wyndham Clark and Rory McIlroy are the highlights of those players. Although, I'd expect Clark and Rory to have very average weeks at best. Another player who has lost his footing as of late Justin Thomas. JT will be teeing it up this week alongside close friend Max Homa. It should be interesting to see how JT bounces back after last week’s miss cut and his second round 81. Despite the toughness of the field, this week’s winner will be a first time winner. More specifically Eric Cole. Cole has had a strong season thus far and has knocked on the door a few times this year. Thus far he has seven top 25’s, three top 10;s and one second place. He’s confident, and definitely trending in the right direction. Look for Cole to make a run at the winner’s circle this week. (Mike)