Round 4 - You Can't Win Them All Unless You Win The First Two

Highlights from Round 4 Sunday at Chambers Bay.

The final round of the US Open and another scorcher was on the cards. With each day it had been getting warmer and warmer and the trend continued into Sunday.

I started the day on the par 4 5th hole behind the tee to see Luke Donald's tidy swing once more, before walking down to the right side of the 5th green to one of the few greenside vantage points on the course outside of the bleachers. Colin Montgomerie found the nasty pot bunker in front of the green with his approach, with the pin tucked about 6 paces beyond it leaving a potentially tricky up and down, but it was no bother for Monty as he produced a confident sand save.

My last glimpse of Sergio Garcia for the week came next, with the Spaniard firing an iron shot over the top of the pin and letting the slight slope beyond take his ball back a little bit. He could not convert the oportunity though. Justin Rose was too aggressive and found himself down at the bottom of a swail over the green. He elected to putt from there but left himself too much to do to save par. The last notable action from beside the 5th green was a significant one, Rory McIlroy surprisingly finding the pot bunker with his approach from the fairway but draining a 15 footer for par to a tumultuous response from the gallery. This was a putt that would set the tone for Rory's charge later in the round.

After this I decided to move to the 2nd hole and wait for the leaders to come through, taking a nice position in the grass on the dunes close to the green.  A hole that had been playing relatively easier than most before today seemed to be causing problems with several players finding the fescue rough to the left of the fairway off the tee and then struggling to recover around the green. Henrik Stenson, Brandt Snedeker and Louis Oosthuizen were three notables to make bogey in this manner. Shane Lowry in the fourth last group played the hole nicely, finding a good angle on the fairway and steering his approach to approximately 18 feet, however Shane missed the putt and it was apparent from his reaction that he knew all too well that such chances needed to be taken in order to stay in the mix.

The gallery thickened as the last two groups arrived and Jordan Spieth became the next in the long list to miss the fairway to the left. Jordan saved his par impressively just as a 'Mobile Device Task Force' member weaved through the crowds to reprimand offenders. Throughout all four days I personally did not see one spectator do something to put off a player by using a mobile device. As long as it is done on silent and not when a player is hitting then I see no problem with the use of cameraphones. I took many discrete pictures myself as I will soon demonstrate! The final pairing of Jason Day and Dustin Johnson played two solid irons onto the green but both settled for pars.

As I moved across the gravel path up to the dunes overlooking the third green to see Day and Dustin play two glorious tee shots on the par 3, news was coming through on the radio of McIlroy's back nine charge. I decided to wait by the 16th tee, which was more accessible to spectators as it had been moved forward to lure players into going for the green. By the time Rory reached the 16th tee however he had faltered with a bogey on the 15th and the charge was subsiding, nonetheless it was still good to see him in action one last time as he ripped a 3-wood towards the green.

My plan after this was to head back up the hill towards the 13th green / 14th tee to wait for the leaders come through and then watch the conclusion on the big screen near the exit. I managed to catch Jason Day holing his birdie putt on the 5th en route. I was not expecting to secure a place in the 13th grandstand given the crowd congestion at the lower parts of the course, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was a spot available. I also wanted to see the leaders tee off on the intimidating 14th but I could not turn down the grandstand.

Shane Lowry stood in the middle of the 13th fairway at -1 just four shots back. His iron shot took an aggressive line towards the front right pin but turned out just marginally on the short side and caught the mini valley of sin to roll back off the green and leave a very difficult up-and-down. He elected to play a percentage chip shot that was never going to be short (therefore eliminating the risk of coming back down the same steep slope), finishing 15 feet past the hole. The putt looked good but agonisingly hung on the edge and the pain was visible in Lowry's exasperated reaction. He knew that making bogey from the fairway was a blow to his chances, but he still had 5 holes left and marched up the sandy hill to the 14th tee, throwing his golf ball to a kid on the way.

Louis Oosthuizen's late charge was ignited by holing a long birdie putt after a solid and safe approach to the middle of the green. He followed this in even more dramatic fashion within binocular view down the hill on the 14th by holing a pitch for birdie, having missed the fairway off the tee and being forced to hack out well short of the green in two. It was the first back-nine-on-Sunday US Open roar I had witnessed and it was a very loud one.

Spieth and Grace were up next and Grace found the exact same spot as Lowry but chose to putt up the steep slope rather than chip. It paid off when he made what was a very important par to keep him in a tie for the lead. Jordan had played a quality shot to about 20 feet and laboured over the birdie read with caddie Michael Greller. The putt tracked ominously and looked certain to drop but somehow missed on the low side to loud groans in the grandstand, including my own!

In the final group Jason Day had begun to fade but Dustin Johnson was the main challenger to Grace and Spieth and his two blows found Oosthuizen territory on the green 25 feet away. Just as he was preparing to putt, a plastic bottle dropped on the wooden grandstand floor beside me. I don't know if it was loud enough to put off Dustin and it was a still a few seconds before his stroke, but he left his effort well short and missed the next one for a three putt bogey. The Open radio commentators had been highlighting Dustin's exceptional tee-to-green play but he was falling short on the tricky greens. 

Excited by these events I abandoned my plan to watch the conclusion on the big screen and walked back down the hill one last time to see if I could find any sort of decent spot around the 18th. I did alright in the end, finding an area behind the green / grandstand near where the players walk to the scoring hut. I arrived there just in time to see Lowry make a costly bogey on a hole he was probably hoping to have a chance to birdie. He seemed subdued as he walked off but I suspect that he will use the experience to secure a big win very soon.

The radio informed everyone of the drama unfolding along the railroad tracks by 15, 16 and 17. When Spieth walked up the par 5 18th fairway to play his second shot, having just done his best to throw away the tournament by making double bogey on the 17th, I couldn't see the green but was close enough to hear the grandstand ERUPT when his heroic effort landed on the green and tracked to 15 feet away for eagle. An incredible response under pressure by the 21 year old prodigy on a 600 yard golf hole! The putt did not drop but the tap in birdie meant that Dustin Johnson needed a birdie to force a Monday playoff. SPIETHMODE! 

What happened next was both brilliant and cruel to say the least. Dustin also produced two sensational shots to reach the green, the second swing of which I could just make out with the binoculars through a gap in heads in front of me, and his ball also funnelled to makeable distance. When he missed the putt to win the tournament and his first major, the first Monday playoff since Woods and Mediate in 2008 looked all set, however Dustin had already three-putted three times on the back nine and under this much pressure and on such undulating greens this knee-jerker was no certainty. His first putt had just veered sharply to one side as it died, which may have affected his read on the way back, either that or it was just a bad stroke, but it was a harrowing way to lose the US Open.

A few minutes after Dustin walked off the green with his baby, 'Heir Jordan' marched back out to collect the trophy and I was right there to cheer him on as he came past.

So after a memorable week at Chambers Bay, the course stood up and the best player in the field won in a finale fitting of the surroundings.  The course set up received some criticism but what's knew for a US Open, most of it seemed to be unfounded in any case. With all the chatter about the greens it turns out players made more putts per GIR than the previous two US Opens.

 

Don't be surprised if more major events return to Chambers Bay in the near future.  If it does return I would like to see some measures taken to make it more spectator friendly.  I got as much out of it as I could but it was hard work.

As Jordan said in his victory speech: "you can't win them all unless you win the first two" - the SpiethSlam is alive!!

Round 3 - Greller On The Trail And No Smoke Without Fire

Highlights from Round 3 Saturday at Chambers Bay.

I arrived at the course a little later than the previous two days with the intention of staying a while on the upper walkway along the top of the course from where you can see the action on the 4th, 7th, 8th, 9th & 13th greens and the 5th & 14th tees, albeit still requiring binoculars to get a close up view.

The first sight of the day was Sergio Garcia teeing off on the 5th, one of my favourite shots on the course from when I played it, and it was a belter from Sergio although slightly left. I also caught his second shot with the binoculars and it was a good one to 15 feet.

I was then distracted or rather subjected to Gary Player's nonsensical and almost vitriolic criticism of the golf course setup on the Open radio. The spectator experience should have been better but the course is just fine. There is nothing at Chambers Bay that is as cruel as the 9th at Augusta so I think players should just get on with it and Player should keep it zipped.

I moved along the pathway towards the 8th green / 9th tee in time to see a delightful up and down by Monty for a birdie on the par 5 8th. Monty then found the green on the par 3 9th but some 35 feet away with a nasty ridge and swing to negotiate. Problem for Monty? Absolutely not as he drained the putt right in the middle for two in a row.

Garcia's partner Morgan Hoffman nearly holed his second shot on the 8th for an albatross while Sergio himself, having been forced to lay up, produced an ingenious pitch using the slope at the back of the green to set up a birdie. It was noticeable also that Sergio has been getting some warm support from the galleries, something must have been amiss! He found Monty territory on the 9th green and made a solid two putt par.

I then made my way back along the pathway towards the 14th tee and it was on this quiet walkway that I encountered someone who would become a key figure in the 2015 US Open. I noticed a familiar face coming towards me on the path that looked very much like that of Michael Greller, Jordan Spieth's caddie. When I said "Michael" as he walked by, he turned around, so I wished him best of the luck for the weekend to which he replied with warm thanks and a thumbs up. His local knowledge of the course had already been well documented but to see him out early scoping the conditions was telling and possibly my favourite anecdote of the week.

After this I walked along to the fence behind the 14th tee, a spectacular driving hole and another one of my favourite shots on the course. Seeing McIlroy launch one from this tee was eye opening - he really doesn't hold back but he does hold his balance at the finish beautifully.

Sergio soon arrived at the 14th tee and was a little bit annoyed about a particular spectator who had been heckling him. I knew something had been missing from the gallery! He called over two policemen and pointed out the offender who was immediately hauled out and taken aside. After Sergio had smashed his drive down the hill he called over to the heckler "see you later my friend". Yet more brilliance from Garcia - always a joy to watch, though I was a little bit disappointed with his criticism of the greens during the week.

I waited for Monty and Webb Simpson to reach the 14th tee next and Monty continued to play smartly by taking the safer route to the right rather than take on the huge waste bunker carry. Simpson went for it, as McIlroy and Garcia had done, and just made it to the lower section of the fairway.

After this I walked back along the high trail again to see Mickelson play the 8th and 9th. Phil lost his drive half way up the steep slope to the left of the 8th fairway and hacked it back across into fescue on the right. He ultimately found himself needing to get up and down from 40 yards for par and made light work of it by playing an exquisite pitch to a few feet.

As the tee times of the leaders approached I decided to make my way down the hill towards the 18th grandstand and found a spot on the very left edge that gave me a good view of both fairway and green, which was ideal given the hole was playing as a par 5 again after Friday's much maligned par 4 experiment.  The first action I saw was McIlroy catching a punishing slope that swallowed his ball to the front of the green when playing out of a greenside bunker, costing him a bogey.

I saw good birdies from Zach Johnson, Billy Horschel and Justin Rose but also saw numerous players failing to convert birdie chances on the tricky green after good approaches, including Luke Donald. Mickelson went for the green in two but like McIlroy found trouble with the sand and slopes and in the end had to play a very good 5th shot to make bogey. In the mean time a huge dramatic cloud of black smoke had appeared in the distance to the north of the course coming from a fire at a nearby Tacoma marina. Alas, as the marina had gone up in flames so had Phil's chances of winning a career grand slam for another year after a disappointing third round.

The advantage of having a US Open radio earpiece and binoculars on such a wide open course meant that from high on the 18th grandstand I could follow happenings from a distance on a number of holes; 1, 7, 8 and 9 in particular. It was with these tools that I was able to keep up with the leaders, Dustin Johnson's troubles on the 8th catching my attention most of all.

Lee Westwood arrived on the scene and played the hole well tee to green to set up a birdie chance, however he would go on to make bogey, the second time I had witnessed him three putt during the week. The theme of players using the slopes on the 18th green well with their approaches yet failing to read the green and convert birdies continued with Molinari and Scotty.

I remained on 18 all the way until the leaders came back around and was most impressed by team Spieth and Greller's negotiation of the hole even though Jordan settled for par. Dustin also could only make a par. Jason Day had struggled on the front nine as he battled his vertigo condition but by the time he reached the 18th he was -3 for the back nine and another birdie finished off what was an impressive -2 round of 68 given his circumstances. The atmosphere was strangely subdued on this far edge of the grandstand with many empty seats, such that it did not really feel like Saturday at a US Open, but it was enjoyable all the same.

Round 2 - Dizzy Heights And A Train Called Jordan

Highlights from Round 2 Friday at Chambers Bay.

I'm back at Chambers Bay early with a friend in tow and planning for a less physical day if possible with more sitting in grandstands than moving around. On the way from the top of the course down to the lower-lying holes we stop at the 4th green to see Luke Donald make par. He and JB Holmes hit good tee shots down the dramatic 5th but Luke short-sides himself with his approach and finds the pot bunker, while JB goes for the safe side of the pin. Walking across the 5th spectator crossing allows you to appreciate the undulations in the fairway.

En route towards the grandstand at the par 3 17th we pass Shane Lowry playing the 2nd hole. He plays a decent approach but not as close as he would like and it seems clear from his demeanour that he is demanding big things of himself this week.

We then find a great position on the 17th grandstand behind the green with the added bonus of being in perfect position to see the players up close as they walk off the green. Darren Clarke rolls by but looks to be frustrated with his game overall, despite making a very good sand save.

Enter Heir Jordan...Mr Spieth along with Rose and Day. Spieth fires straight at the flag and drains the putt for a birdie, with the roar from the crowd loud enough to drown out the sound of the freight train rumbling by. Spieth is going like a train himself and strides off the green before us to a standing ovation. It certainly is great to witness Jordan make a birdie at the US Open.

In the next group Tiger Woods fires at the flag but cannot control the spin and the ball ends up about 35 feet past. Rickie also continues to struggle and misses the green. We have a nice view right behind Tiger's long birdie putt and it is a good effort for a two putt par. As Tiger walks off the green he is one of the few to look up and properly acknowledge the crowd. I know he gets a better ovation than most around the course but still it was an impressive touch in the context of most players ignoring us and walking on with heads down.

We stay on the 17th to see Poulter the postman deliver a birdie with his typical Ryder Cup style positive stroke before taking a break at the 'Chambers Grill' concession zone, which is not too extortionate it must be said.

We stay at the low part of the course for the next few hours, finding an excellent spot at the very top of the grandstand behind the 16th green. Between watching approaches, play on the green and waving at the trains passing by there is plenty to keep us going. The sky has also turned blue which means that it was easier to track long shots in the air.  I can even see players teeing off on the 12th with binoculars in the distance...about as close as you can get to seeing tee shots on that hole!

In the last few months the name of Kevin Kisner has featured prominently on the PGA Tour and he brings this form to 16 with a nice birdie. Lee Westwood then comes through to produce a very good two putt par from distance after a loose approach shot.

Another name featuring high on leaderboards this season has been that of Irishman Shane Lowry and he is the next attraction for us on 16. Having found the massive fairway bunker when trying to position himself on the right off the tee he proceeds to play a sublime long bunker shot to a few feet, but unfortunately cannot convert the opportunity.

While waiting for Phil Mickelson's group I listen on the Open radio to Jason Day's episode with vertigo as he walks down from the high point of the course on the 9th. Chambers Bay features significant elevation changes and it is not difficult to understand how a course like this could trigger the condition in someone who is prone to it.

Just before Mickelson, Ben Martin arrives to 16 as tournament leader and makes a solid par. Lefty then graces us with a superb approach shot from the fescue rough wide left of the fairway. His tee shot is one of the few we have seen to miss the fairway but his second shot was typical Phil - knowing that he cannot control it out of the rough he uses the contours to manoeuvre the ball to 8 feet and gets us on our feet in the grandstand! Players have struggled to read this green however all day and sadly Phil and Bones misread the putt. Still, it is a great pleasure to witness the genius of Philly Mick.

We had planned to catch a glimpse of McIlroy on the 13th on the way out but by the time we have gradually negotiated the 200 ft incline from top to bottom in the heat it is enough to finish us off for the day.

Round 1 - A Lone Tree Standing And A Whole Woods Falling

Viewing highlights from Round 1 Thursday at Chambers Bay.

The first shots I saw played at the 2015 US Open were those of the early groups starting on the Ballybunion-esque 10th hole. After an awkward walk around the back of the humongous sand dunes by the 10th green and 11th tee, and realisation that access routes for spectators had been made quite difficult at this event, I took a seat in the grandstand, since there was nowhere else around the green open to spectators.  The highlights on the 10th were excellent birdies by Kuchar and Scott and an outrageous par save by Dustin. DJ had pushed his tee shot into the fescue right of the fairway, chunked his second into more fescue around the green, hacked his third on to the green and knocked in the putt for an easy par. I also saw two excellent sand saves by Levy and Weissberger. The players were generally struggling with the pace of the green and McDowell in particular made a mess of it with a three putt double bogey. Both Garcia and McIlroy hit two superb shots into the green, Garcia closest, but both failed to convert their chances in what appeared as misreads.

I then made my way back across towards the 7th, with the aim of seeing Mickelson's group tee off on this very tough par four. I quickly became perplexed by the fact that it was not possible to get anywhere near the tee, despite some nice little dunes right behind the tee that would have made for a good vantage point. I wasn't the only one slightly disappointed by this, as Amy Mickelson walked past seemingly unsure of where to go next - I later heard that she had voiced some annoyance about restrictions on following groups around the course.

This theme continued as I waited by the 6th tee to watch Stenson and Molinari tee off and noticed Sky Sports analyst and coach Denis Pugh trying to follow his man Molinari. I approached Denis to have a quick word and he too was struggling to follow the group and find decent vantage points. He came across as a nice bloke and was genuinely interested to hear about what I had seen so far in the morning. We wished each other all the best and if I see him around again I will say hello!

After this I followed the combined age c. 150 group of Montgomerie, Jiminez and Furyk on the 6th. It was noticeable how low Monty's ball flight was while still finding fairway and then green. A class act.

The next anecdote involves Mickelson. I was just behind the ropes on the 10th green to watch him three putt from the back of the green, having aimed too fair right on the slope with his first putt. Despite this bogey Phil was all smiles and acknowledging the crowd as he walked past me a few minutes later at the 11th crossing.

Unsure of where to go next I found myself overlooking the 16th green by Puget Sound to watch Kaymer play a sublime long putt and McIlroy make his birdie after a huge drive.

I advanced along the way and found myself on a dune by the second green in time for Garcia's group. Sergio had pulled his tee shot way left, which was a bad mistake on this short par 4, and some careless putting then cost him a bogey. Dustin and Scott hit nice approaches but only Scotty managed to make birdie. I stayed in position for McIlroy to come along and play a knock-down approach but did not get it close enough and settled for par.

I then had a plan to get up to the 5th tee to see these two groups play their tee shots from behind what is a spectacular downhill par 4, one of my favourite shots on the course. En route up the 5th I encountered McDowell walking close to the ropes and decided to give him some Irish support. Gmac kept his head down and gave no acknowledgment.

When I reached the area of the 4th green / 5th tee high up in the Gods there was more evidence of the anti-spectator theme. It is impossible to get anywhere near the 5th tee and see one of the best tee shots up close and personal. In order to get any kind of view you have to go far up on to the road at the top of the property but that is about 40 yards away from the tee and a mission even from the 4th green.  You can see the 5th tee from by the 4th green but only a limited view through a narrow gap and still about 40 yards away. By this point I was becoming slightly disillusioned but nonetheless managed to see what I could of Garcia, Johnson and then McIlroy on the 4th green and 5th tee. Dustin's birdie, making a mockery of a 500+ yard uphill par 4, gave him the lead. Rory also hit a great approach but missed the putt and was in no mood to acknowledge the crowd as he walked to the 5th tee.

After the lunchtime lull in play (the bad side of a staggered 1st/10th tee schedule), I took a seat in the grandstand behind the 14th green. Despite this being the longest par 4 in major championship history it was playing relatively easy due to the forward tee enabling tee shots to bound down the steep hill to reach the flat-ish part of the fairway and allow players to go at the flag with their approaches. Highlights included Luke Donald producing a classy up and down with his putter and birdies from Casey and Kisner. Westwood hit two solid shots in there but three-putted from about 20 feet, pointing at the green confusedly as he walked off.

After my countryman Shane Lowry had come through to par the 14th, I moved to follow him down the par 3 15th only to realise that the 15th tee was inaccessible to spectators. THE BEST SHOT ON THE GOLF COURSE INACCESSIBLE TO SPECTATORS. I managed to see his ball land a few feet away from the pin and saw him knock in for birdie but it was hard work to get a view. I wasn't too optimistic about getting a view from behind the 16th to see him tee off there and I was right because AGAIN this is a tee you cannot get around. Unless you breach the ropes and climb up on 'Lone Fir' tree then you are struggling.

I decided to finish the day by getting a spot on the 15th grandstand in time for marquee groups involving Spieth and then Woods. This turned out good and bad. The bad side of it was the position of the grandstand short of the green on the left side facing straight out into nowhere, meaning that in order to see what's happening on the green everyone has to look to the left and inevitably stand up or have someone's sunburnt head block your view. I could see plenty of unused space around the green that could have provided good vantage points but instead we were herded onto this badly positioned grandstand.

Despite this...there were scenes...

The wind had picked up and the players were beginning to struggle to find the green.  Darren Clarke was one of the many I saw find the bunker but he made a lovely sand save. Spieth, Rose and Day came along all with good rounds going but all three missed the green short. It cost Day a double and bogeys for the other two.

I had been listening on the Open radio to the derailment of Tiger Woods' round and by the time he reached 15 I think he was already +9. Rickie Fowler wasn't doing much better either and I was expecting ugly scenes down by the iconic 'Lone Fir' and the railroad tracks. However, Tiger stepped up and went straight at the flag, stopping it dead about 5 feet short. Shot of the day on 15, his first good shot of the day and cue scenes of all sorts of hooping and hollering from the gallery as you would expect. It was a great moment and worth the entrance fee alone. Shame he missed the putt though! The putt summed up his day and it was a little bit sad to see him trudge off the green still at +9. Rickie had bailed out right off the tee and ended up with a par.

That was it from day 1.

Smells Like Chambers Spirit

"All alone is all we are" - All Apologies

In the opening pages of the Chambers Bay yardage book there is a description of the spectacular surroundings of the course in which the term "visual nirvana" is used. This is quite a fitting phrase given the site of the 2015 US Open's proximity to the origins of Nirvana themselves (Messrs Cobain and Novoselic specifically).

The scenic state of Washington in the Pacific North West has been the source of the grunge scene, the setting for TV series such as Twin Peaks and Grey's Anatomy, the backdrop to Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan's antics in Sleepless In Seattle, the home of the 2014 Superbowl Champions and is a stronghold of US soccer, however this will be the first time the US Open golf has been hosted in the PNW region.

Golfing heritage here is relatively light in comparison to other corners of the US and Chambers Bay seems to have been a path less trodden by the elite, 2010 US Amateur aside. Much of the intrigue around the build-up to the event is based on the fact that many players, commentators and journalists have not seen the course and the particular stamp the USGA has applied to it for the tournament.

I am one of the fortunate ones. I have seen it. I have played it - twice. I have lived this visual nirvana and I even birdied the 11th and 15th holes in the process! I could say it was a shame that nobody was there to see it, but I'd like to think that someone was watching from above, maybe even Kurt Cobain himself (whose memorial I had visited a couple of days previously in Seattle).

The 20th of November 2012, when I played Chambers Bay twice in one day, was a day I remember vividly. The back nine in the afternoon in particular was a treat.

Having gone around with a member in the morning, I went back out in the afternoon for another 18 holes on my own, with some bad weather forecast. True enough it turned violent on the front nine as a nasty front rolled in from Puget Sound and battered the course for about a half an hour. I remember teeing off on the 7th in the middle of an epic downpour with no shelter in sight. It was a pressure situation because it is a brute of a hole and I wanted to play it well having made a mess of it in the morning. After I teed off it took me about ten minutes to get to my ball. Not because I had bombed it out of sight but because I had to crouch under my umbrella to protect both myself and my hired clubs from the howling wind and rain!

USGA officials were on site at the time overlooking some rework that was being undertaken to the 8th green and 9th tee. As I approached the temporary 8th green that was in use I noticed that the USGA officials and course staff were ploughing ahead with their duties despite the conditions. It was an interesting insight into the timescales involved in preparation for this week's US Open.

The rain continued through the turn but gradually became less biblical and was in fact beginning to subside as I teed off on the par four 11th. It stopped completely as I was about to play my second shot and I took full advantage. Needing a 3-wood to get to the green, I decided to take off a layer and proceeded to play my best shot of the day to 15 feet and made the putt.

The weather continued to improve as I strode up the 12th with renewed energy, and by the time I reached the green at the top of the hill, the sun had burst through. The picture I took when I turned around and looked back down the valley should have won a photography award.

On I went and by the time I had reached one of the high points of the course on the 14th tee, it had more or less turned into a summer's afternoon. As I surveyed the panorama below, I suddenly realised that I could not see any other golfers on the course. I had noticed a few defeated souls abandoning during some of the earlier showers, but I was still surprised to find that I had the entire place to myself on the back nine beneath skies that had turned blue and clear.

I stood on the 14th tee for what must have been ten minutes overlooking what had become my own kingdom below. Just thinking to myself "LOOK AT THIS".

I continued with this regal lord of the manor tone on to the 15th tee, lapping it up on one of the greatest par three holes ever created. It was just myself, the solitary tree behind the green 'Lone Fir', Puget Sound, a back-right pin and an 8-iron to 10 feet. Another easy birdie!

In the end I half regretted spending so much time on 14 and 15 because it was getting slightly dark as I came up the 18th. The driver of the courtesy van waiting to take me back to the clubhouse above had switched his lights on. This only added to the dramatic effect of the direction of the closing hole towards a Game of Thrones-esque high wall in the background, so it feels like you are not only playing into a natural grandstand at the green, but towards a natural grandstand overlooking the entire course. For players at the US Open it will feel like all of Washington State is watching you play the 18th.

"All alone is all we are" once said Kurt Cobain.  That was true in November 2012 but not in June 2015. When I am roaming about Chambers Bay every day this week along with 35,000 other spectators watching the best players in the world, it will seem all the more crazy to have had this place to myself that afternoon.

If A Tree Falls In The Woods And Nobody Is Around....

As I was being told by a steward that I could neither stand in the dunes overlooking the 11th green nor could I wander anywhere near the 12th tee, I heard on the US Open radio that Jordan Spieth was about to make eagle (and nearly an albatross) on the 8th, but there were no spectators there to see it other than a few scattered about 50 feet above along on access road. Sure you could see it on TV but it may have looked a bit strange.

A little while later Rickie Fowler drove the green on the par four 12th to set up an eagle.  Spectators at the green would have seen his ball come on to the green but nobody was at the tee or along the fairway to witness it. 

This wasn't because golf fans at a US Open have suddenly lost interest in two of the current best players in the world, but because it is not possible to view the play in the normal way a spectator would at a tournament at this particular US Open. 

The 12th is a driveable par four, potentially a pivotal and exciting hole. Something is wrong if nobody can see what is going on anywhere on the hole other than at the green. And to get to the 12th green from the 11th requires about a kilometre walk around a hospitality area and a forest! 

The 8th is also a baffling one. Significant rework went into the hole to prepare it for the US Open. It also has a natural grandstand all along the left that would serve as a prime vantage point. Instead of shaping it such that it is suitable for spectators the USGA have closed it off and spectators cannot walk along the hole on either side.  They say the dunes are too steep and too dangerous...it should have been addressed / factored into decisions instead of the options they have chosen.

Some of the most dramatic tee shots are closed off to spectators - 5, 9, 14 and 15 for example. The USGA will argue you can get up behind the tees but the point is that fans are being kept well away from the players unnecessarily.

The golf course is exceptional, but the interests of the spectators seem to be secondary.  The R&A would not stand for it, which is why the Open Championship is arguably the best spectator event in the world. You can get up close and personal in most cases and breathe many of the shots.  This week at Chambers Bay you are struggling in places even with binoculars.

You cannot get near any of the tees in fact and you cannot get around the greens except for limited areas and small grandstands that only cover a relatively small section of the available greenside space. Many fairways cannot be walked even on one side let alone two. Negotiating the 1st/10th/18th complex is a mission. The 12th and 8th you could say are out of bounds!

It is was never going to be a straightforward course for spectators given the elevation changes, high dunes and waste areas, however there are also plenty of potentially excellent vantage points that have not been utilised. The restrictions on spectator movement are excessive and the decision to block off access to most tees is nothing short of criminal!

Somehow the USGA have managed to convert a course that was designed to host a major tournament into a major headache. I still saw some spectacular things, but I had to work very hard for it and that is far from ideal.

72 Chambers - Bringing The Ruckus

"If what you say is true the links at Chambers Bay could be dangerous. Do you think your Chambers Bay links can defeat me? On guard! I'll let you try my Chambers Bay links!" 

In the build-up to the 115th US Open at Chambers Bay, Washington State, some of the noise coming from top players about the course has been of an indifferent tone.  This strikes me as strange, particularly since some of these players are yet to play it.  Peter Uihlein seems to have enjoyed it just fine when he won the US Amateur title there in 2010.

Rory McIlroy, who lest we forget is the current world number one and a four-time major winner, has referred to Chambers Bay as an “unknown quantity” and has played down the idea of a requirement for extra preparation at this major championship venue.  Rory has won an Open Championship at Hoylake and a PGA at Kiawah Island, so he doesn't just win majors on conventional US Open type courses.  Maybe we should listen to him.  So, is he right to suggest extra preparation is not required at Chambers Bay?  

"36 Chambers" rather than 72 with that attitude Rory my friend.  This is no Hoylake or Kiawah let me assure you.

Victor Dubuisson seems to think that the course will play easy unless the wind blows.  That might apply to some links courses, maybe, but to a Robert Trent Jones II design that can play over 7,500 yards… Je ne pense pas Victor.

Ian Poulter summarised feedback about the course he had received from other players (not him - he hadn't played it) by stating that it was a "complete farce" (my own view is that the term farce can also be used to describe criticism of a course by someone who has never played that particular course) and that "oh well...someone has to win it".  Part of Poulter's issue seems to be with the fact that the 1st and 18th may alternate as par fours/fives on given days.  Is this somehow being construed as a "farce" then maybe we can include features such as double-greens (St. Andrews) and bunkers in the middle of greens (Riviera) in the same bracket?!

The most revealing anecdote from the build-up to this US Open is that of Tiger Woods, who will be, lest we all forget, the most decorated major champion in the field (he has fourteen of these things including three US Opens and three Open Championships).  Tiger spent seven hours in total playing the course in one day before the Memorial last week and has commented that familiarity with the course will be particularly important.  Tiger and his team are giving this due attention.  Don’t be surprised if Tiger fools you all and has a very good week. 

Others such as Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth have expressed more of a fascination with the course erring on the side of a positive view.  Phil has said that "the more you play it, the more you appreciate it" and that it is the closest he has seen in the US to a "British" Open links course.  Spieth's caddie Michael Greller has previously worked at Chambers Bay, which could be a very important factor as his employer aims to set up the SpiethSlam, and Jordan seems to be intrigued by the challenge that will be presented by the undulations on and around the large greens.

So, it seems that the players who are making less than positive noises about the course may have the following in common:

• They are concerned that they do not possess the level of shot-making ability required;
• They are concerned that they do not possess the ability to control the golf ball in wind;
• They are concerned that a more strategic approach may be required rather than a yardage numbers game or a matter of just keeping it out of the deep rough.

Yes.  It does seem that certain players are getting their excuses in early, and it would not surprise me if those same players ended up playing "36 Chambers" rather than 72.

Among others, Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler have not said much about Chambers Bay and are likely to be relishing the challenge, as they both did in difficult conditions recently at Sawgrass, while others floundered.  We know that putting is always a factor, but a golf course that requires strategic thinking, accurate positioning, shot-making ability and a sharp short game always distinguishes the very best.

I can therefore only see one outcome at Chambers Bay -  the best all-round golfer in the field will win.  In this regard the recent Players Championship was a compelling example.  Sergio Garcia had a bad week on the greens, but still made a playoff, and Rickie won.  Yes I know Rickie and Sergio, along with Rory, struggled in the wind at the Irish Open recently, but there was more than just wind to contend with there and it is unlikely that a stormy winter will come to University Place in half-hour cycles in the manner in which it did at Royal County Down (at least not on all four days). 

Chambers Bay will play long, but this does not necessarily mean it will play into the hands of bigger hitters.  For comparative examples in US majors, rather than Whistling Straits, think Shinnecock Hills.  In 2010 at Whistling Straits Martin Kaymer defeated Bubba in a playoff, with Dustin Johnson just missing out and Rory not far behind.  Was length a factor here?  Possibly yes.  At Shinnecock however, a different trend emerged from 1995 and 2004.  Not only did short hitter Corey Pavin win in 1995, he made the top five in 2004, which was won by Goosen.  Mickelson featured high in the leaderboard at Shinnecock on both occasions, and we know from Muirfield in 2013 that he has “cracked” links golf. 

Chambers Bay is in some ways a hybrid of the two, almost like a power-links.  Obviously players who are comfortable with links golf can’t be ruled out, but there is more to it than that.  Shot-making, invention and strategy will be critically important.  You’ve got to look at players who have won big events on golf courses where length is not necessarily everything, such as Justin Rose at Merion 2013, Graeme McDowell at Pebble Beach 2010 and recent winners of the Players such as Fowler, Kaymer, Stenson, Garcia and Kuchar. Maybe Poulter is right, that "someone has to win it", but I suspect that there will be NOTHING farcical about it.

The top ball-strikers should enjoy Chambers Bay.  A ball-striking genius who has a great putting week won’t be too far off it.  Have I mentioned Sergio Garcia?  Also, don’t dismiss an experienced campaigner such as Lee Westwood.  He is going to love it here. Bubba should love it too but only if it stays calm.

The last word goes to Peter Uihlein, winner of the 2010 US Amateur at Chambers Bay.  Sadly he has just missed out on qualification for next week, but his comments after his 2010 triumph should be noted by any player hoping to do well at Chambers Bay:

“It was one of those courses where I felt like you needed to have every shot, work the ball and have every shot around the greens.  I was working pretty hard leading up to it to throw some extra shots in my bag to be able to use... and it paid off."