U.S. Open Recap
By Dan Daly
VegasInsider.com
Just when I thought the USGA couldn’t possibly be any dumber, they go and do something like Sunday and TOTALLY prove me wrong. In the history of golf sports, I have never seen a ruling that was handled more poorly than the USGA handled the DJ ruling on Sunday.
First and foremost their OWN rule (34-2) states that “If a referee has been appointed by the committee, his decision is final.” Well, the walking referee within the group ruled it was not a penalty. Along with the player himself and his playing partner. But yet they still overturned it? Ummm, ok?
Oh, and no big deal but we aren’t going to make a final decision until after the round it over so that no one has a frickin clue who is actually leading the golf tournament. Seems like a really logical decision to me. I mean why anyone playing or watching would need to know what the “score” is during the actual round seems like a pretty irrelevant thing to me?
I know, let’s send Jeff Hall, the managing director of rules for the USGA, to do an interview on FOX so he can clarify everything for the people watching. Only what we’ve done is so stupid that he can’t come up with a rational explanation so he will just speak complete gibberish and confuse everyone even more.
Mr. Hall, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone watching on TV is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
Ok, so he’s an idiot, let’s ask Mike Davis, the Executive Director of the USGA, maybe he can clear it up?
Mike Davis, "People are going to be upset however we rule. Bottom line, we have to follow the rules no matter what." Really Mike? The entire golf community, including PGA Tour players themselves were tweeting how stupid it would be if you ruled against DJ. Find me one person on planet earth that will be upset if you didn’t give DJ a penalty. Just one. Let me know how that search goes?
Basically the USGA cemented their place as the most poorly run organization in the country. The USGA is supposed to grow that game of golf. What they did on Sunday was the exact opposite. As a diehard golf fan I was completely turned off by what they did and how they handled it. I can’t even fathom how much irreversible damage they did to the casual golf fan tuning in to watch the final round of the US Open, their flagship event. If I was on the fence about golf and tuned into that sh!t show on Sunday I would want nothing to do with it going forward; watching it or playing it. That was a complete embarrassment to the game of golf.
After the Masters this year Jordan Spieth alluded to the fact that there might not have ever been a more uncomfortable post round ceremony in the history of golf than the one he had to endure with Danny Willett in Butler Cabin. And I completely agreed with him at the time. Well, that was true for all of 60 days, because Dustin Johnson receiving his US Open trophy from the USGA after what they did to him on Sunday had to trump that in spades. I can only imagine how their conversation went immediately following his round.
“Hey Dustin, congratulations on your win, but after further review and consideration we have decided you basically lied and did cause the ball to move so we are giving you a one stroke penalty.”
“Really? That’s great. You people are a complete joke and you can all go &%$# yourselves. Now give me my trophy.”
With all that said, I couldn’t be happier for DJ. What’s not to love about the guy?!
Honestly though, I didn’t think the guy stood a chance when he walked off the 12th tee box (or to start the tournament for that matter). After everything he has been through to this point, for the USGA to throw that BS at him in the middle of the final round seemed like just another in a very long list of crazy ways DJ was going to lose a Major. But the guy finally put all his past demons to rest and stepped up when he had to down the stretch to win his first major. Most notably, his drive and second shot into 18 to close it out with a birdie was absolute nails.
I’ve always thought that based on his past history in order for DJ to finally win his first major he had to have help. Someone else needed to basically pull a DJ. And he got it from Shane Lowery on Sunday. The truth of the matter is, if DJ could putt even half way decent he probably would have won that tournament by 15 shots instead of 4 (I refuse to acknowledge the penalty). But that’s been the case before and he didn’t win. DJ won the US Open but Shane Lowry was the first person to lose a US Open with a 4+ shot lead in almost 20 years.
Now the question becomes, with the monkey off his back and his first major finally behind, how many majors can DJ win going forward. My guess…quite a few.
Some other thoughts on the tournament:
Rory is officially dead to me. I thought it was ridiculous when everyone was so certain the guy that was going to blow past Tiger and Jack at the end of the 2014 season. Yet I drank the Rory kool-aid this year and have paid dearly for it.
Apparently no matter how many times he proves otherwise, the words Jim Furyk…gritty…grinder…and any other word you want to insert here will never go away. The guy makes birdie on 17 well ahead of the leaders to get in position to post a number on 18 and what does he do? FORE RIGHT…Bogey…thanks for coming out. If the guy gets within a whiff of the lead on a Sunday afternoon you can use an egg timer to predict his meltdown.
On that note, Sergio and Westwood did what Sergio and Westwood do when they are in contention of a major. Although even for Westwood his Sunday round was special. It’s really hard for me to continue to root for Westwood, the guy just sets you up for heartbreak time and time again.
Turns out Spieth is human after all. The guy finished outside the top four for the first time in six majors.
Another solid showing by Rickie Fowler. At what point can we just accept the fact that he is a talented golfers that has gotten way more credit for being good than he deserves.
I thought FOX did an outstanding job this week. The improvement from last year to this year was incredible. And they couldn’t have handled the penalty ruling any better. Despite being “partners” with the USGA they held nothing back. They could have handled it with kid gloves but they basically called out the USGA for farce that it was, and good for them.
Finally, is anyone else nervous the world is coming to an end with DJ winning a major on the same day that Cleveland comes back from 3-1 to win an NBA Title against Golden State? I know I am!