SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Even at Shinnecock Hills, one of America's toughest courses preparing to host golf's toughest test, one has to wonder what Arnold Palmer might say about winning a U.S. Open.
It was in 1960 at Cherry Hills when Palmer was seven shots behind going into the final round. Before heading to the first tee, where the King famously drove the first green, he turned to Bob Drum of the Pittsburgh Press and said: “What if I shoot 65? Doesn't
280 always win the Open?”
Palmer shot 65, finished at 280 and won the U.S. Open.
The standard has improved mightily in the six decades since then. Players have never been better equipped through all facets of technology. They are bigger and stronger. Yes, these guys are good.
Good enough to break par, even at a U.S. Open.
That's what annoyed Tom Kite when he played the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. Kite made it through a 36-hole qualifier at age 54 and then made the cut. But he shot 84 in the final round, a day when no one broke par and the average score was 78.7.
“We've got the best players in the world, and if they can't shoot under par, it's got to be out of control,” Kite said that day. “Any golf course should give up a 65, 66 or 67 every day. If it doesn't give up that kind of score, it's over the edge.”
Retief Goosen found a way. Someone always does. Goosen shot 4-under 276 to win by two over Phil Mickelson, who remains the only player to finish under par at Shinnecock without winning.
Kite, however, raised an interesting point considering the standard of play, which is even greater now than it was 22 years ago.
If players back in Palmer's prime felt 280 was good enough to win the U.S. Open, should it not be lower now? Scores have been coming down as long as golf has been played, part of the evolution of golf and other sports.
That’s not to say 280 doesn’t always win the U.S. Open. Brooks Koepka won at 281 when it was last held at Shinnecock Hills in 2018, which was more a product of how the course was set up on a Saturday that got out of control. Mickelson featured that year, too, swatting a moving golf ball on the 13th green in a bizarre protest.
Given the stern test the U.S. Open should be, and considering the standard of the modern golfer, what kind of score should win barring unforeseen or overly harsh conditions?
“Generally, I would say for a very hard golf course 5 to 10 under is a really good test of golf at the hardest level,” Adam Scott said Tuesday. “I would think with the standard today the best player out there is going to beat par.”
That doesn't mean there isn't a premium on par. That's true at most U.S. Opens, depending on the wind and sometimes the rain. Rory McIlroy holds the scoring record of 268 on a rain-softened Congressional course in 2011.
“Generally speaking, they absolutely should break par,” said two-time U.S. Open champion Curtis Strange, putting the score of a proper test somewhere between 5- and 7-under par. “If it's a fair, tough test, it should be under par.”
Andy North, another two-time U.S. Open champion, said a 275 or 276 “and I'd be really happy.”
Geoff Ogilvy won his U.S. Open in 2006 at Winged Foot — another New York beast — and is the last player to win an Open without breaking par in any round. He finished at 5-over 285 and won when Mickelson made double bogey.
Doesn't — pick a number — always win the U.S. Open?
“Separating the field is a good test,” Ogilvy countered. “I wouldn't look at score relative to par. But it has to be stout."
Aronimink was a stout test for the PGA Championship last month with its contoured greens and tough pin positions. But it lacked separation until the final day when Aaron Rai shot 65 and won by three shots.
“Pebble Beach in 2000 was perfect,” Ogilvy said. “Because it found the best player in history playing the best he ever played.”
That was Tiger Woods winning at 12-under 272 — tying the scoring record at the time — and winning by 15 shots because no one else broke par. No one else was close in the game back then.
The players are sure to be tested at Shinnecock, and it's a big test for the USGA, too. The last two times at Shinnecock are remembered as much for what went wrong than who got it right.
The seventh green had to be doused with water between groups in 2004 or they would have had to stop play. That was the day no one broke par and 28 players didn't break 80.
The pin positions combined with baked greens and strong wind led to the debacle in 2018 on Saturday. Tony Finau and Daniel Berger started 11 shots behind and wound up tied for the lead. The only three players who broke par finished before the leaders teed off.
The USGA is being cautious this week, keeping Shinnecock and its exposed greens as hydrated as possible to account for strong wind anticipated later in the week. It's a challenge to get it right, especially after the last two times.
“I think it’s hard to set a golf course up fairly and par would be the winning score today — maybe there are a few courses that can happen at,” Scott said.
Shinnecock comes to mind.
“Here the wind is the biggest factor. It’s a bit more like an Open Championship, so I think that’s to the USGA’s advantage,” he said. “Because they can have the wind determine a score, and it’s not really on them and their setup."
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On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season. AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
