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What a tournament, what a statement. Here's the @RotoWire Monday morning golf thread, wrapping up the U.S. Open.
This week: DeChambeau, Wolff, Tiger, Phil, Xander, Rory, Oosthuizen, DJ, Hovland, Westwood, Zach, Glover, Zalatoris, Kanaya, more.
1/X
This week: DeChambeau, Wolff, Tiger, Phil, Xander, Rory, Oosthuizen, DJ, Hovland, Westwood, Zach, Glover, Zalatoris, Kanaya, more.
1/X
Remember when they announced you could leave the flagstick in while putting? Bryson DeChambeau was the first guy to say he would do it. Of course he was. After all, he was the weird guy who arrived on the scene with every club the same length. Oh, and he wore that funny hat.
2/X
2/X
Clearly, DeChambeau has figured out modern golf and golf technology in relation to what the human body is capable of doing before everybody else has.
He transformed his body and his swing. All the planning and hard work finally paid off – as he absolutely believed it would.
3/X
He transformed his body and his swing. All the planning and hard work finally paid off – as he absolutely believed it would.
3/X
DeChambeau put on remarkable display of brute force to not only beat the best golfers in the world into submission but indomitable Winged Foot as well. He captured the U.S. Open by 6 strokes to win his first major title, one that perhaps signals a turning point in the sport.
4/X
4/X
Oh, we all knew that distance was king for some time now, but never to the degree that DeChambeau proved with his 5.5-degree driver taking mighty lash after mighty lash, agronomy be damned.
5/X
5/X
The storyline entering the week was big, bad Winged Foot. The golfers would have to respect the course or suffer the consequences. DeChambeau was having none of it, proclaiming he would attack the thatches of six-inch rough as if they were the wide-open fairways of Kapalua.
6/X
6/X
(But ... but .. if you don’t have to get the ball in the fairway at the U.S. Open, where do you?)
(Good question.)
7/X
(Good question.)
7/X
The members of Winged Foot may have gotten their pride dinged by DeChambeau taming their beast to the tune of 6-under. They should not forget that, while over par was not the winning score as they surely had hoped, 142 of the 144 in the field fell victim to their course.
8/X
8/X
We should not lose sight that while DeChambeau hits the ball farther and with more ferocity than the golf world thought possible, he’s also an elite putter. He ranked 3rd in the field in SG Putting in the final round. Doesn’t seem fair to have such power *and* touch, does it?
9/X
9/X
Of all the top golfers, of all the longest hitters, DeChambeau is the best putter. He ranked 10th on Tour in SG Putting last season. And, yes, more weirdness, his putter has more loft than his driver.
10/X
10/X
Despite the machine-like display the past four days, DeChambeau is human. We’d seen his on-course meltdowns, his emotions, his poor finishes in majors before this year, his social media fight with Brooks Koepka. (Yeah, that was weird, too.)
11/X
11/X
But now he’s won his first major just a month after tying for 4th at the PGA, doing what seemed beyond what was humanly possible.
Don’t worry, Winged Foot, you’re still a behemoth. Not everyone can do what DeChambeau can do.
Though now they all have the blueprint.
12/X
Don’t worry, Winged Foot, you’re still a behemoth. Not everyone can do what DeChambeau can do.
Though now they all have the blueprint.
12/X
Matthew Wolff
Imagine being 21 and playing in a major. Now imagine almost winning. Twice. A month after tying DeChambeau for 4th at the PGA, Wolff battled him till the back nine on Sunday in finishing 2nd. He has a lot of DeChambeau in him, playing attack-all-the-time golf.
13/X
Imagine being 21 and playing in a major. Now imagine almost winning. Twice. A month after tying DeChambeau for 4th at the PGA, Wolff battled him till the back nine on Sunday in finishing 2nd. He has a lot of DeChambeau in him, playing attack-all-the-time golf.
13/X
This was just DeChambeau's day. But Wolff's time is coming. As we've seen since the restart, he has turned a corner in his career. He’s now ranked 18th in the world. The goal is always to be ranked less than your age. But it's so much harder when you're only 21.
14/X
14/X
Tiger Woods
This was only his 4th MC in 22 Opens. Tellingly, 3 of them have come in his past 4 Opens (the other was Winged Foot in 2006). Taking all things into consideration, it seems Tiger no longer can win a U.S. Open. The game is now simply too long and too powerful.
15/X
This was only his 4th MC in 22 Opens. Tellingly, 3 of them have come in his past 4 Opens (the other was Winged Foot in 2006). Taking all things into consideration, it seems Tiger no longer can win a U.S. Open. The game is now simply too long and too powerful.
15/X
Of course, his back complicates everything. But let’s say his back is fine. As he’s shown, he can win the Masters almost on memory. Open Championships can still be won with guile and imagination, so maybe he can contend there.
16/X
16/X
But candidly, if the bet was simply Tiger getting from 82 wins to 83 to pass Sam Snead, which way would you go?
In other words, can he win again?
17/X
In other words, can he win again?
17/X
Phil Mickelson
Phil's question now isn’t whether he will win an Open to complete the career grand slam – he won’t. The question is, how many more will he play in? Like Woods, this was only his fourth missed cut at an Open, and he’s made 29 starts.
18/X
Phil's question now isn’t whether he will win an Open to complete the career grand slam – he won’t. The question is, how many more will he play in? Like Woods, this was only his fourth missed cut at an Open, and he’s made 29 starts.
18/X
In normal years, you have to be inside the top-60 OWGR to qualify (among other ways). Mickelson is now 56th. Where will he be next June? Really, as crazy as this sounds, the best chance for Mickelson to play in another U.S. Open may be to win a U.S. Senior Open.
19/X
19/X
The thing is, the 2021 Senior Open takes place in July, four weeks *after* the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. So Mickelson will have to find another way to get to Open No. 30 next year (even though Torrey Pines is not exactly his favorite track).
20/X
20/X
Dustin Johnson
He was never in the conversation, never in contention, but when the dust settled, he quietly tied for sixth. Yes, it’s another major without a win. But in the last 7 Opens, DJ has finished first, second, third, fourth and now sixth. That is so really good.
21/X
He was never in the conversation, never in contention, but when the dust settled, he quietly tied for sixth. Yes, it’s another major without a win. But in the last 7 Opens, DJ has finished first, second, third, fourth and now sixth. That is so really good.
21/X
Rory McIlroy
He didn’t win, he didn’t really contend (T8). But he was on the first page of the leaderboard for much of the week and led the field in SG Off the Tee, showing the first signs that he is back. Not that he really went away.
22/X
He didn’t win, he didn’t really contend (T8). But he was on the first page of the leaderboard for much of the week and led the field in SG Off the Tee, showing the first signs that he is back. Not that he really went away.
22/X
Louis Oosthuizen
He really has had a remarkable career, especially in majors. He’s won the 2010 Open Championship. He’s finished runner-up in all four. And now he’s added a solo third. Incredibly, he’s never won on the PGA Tour (except for the Open). He's 37 yet 16th OWGR.
23/X
He really has had a remarkable career, especially in majors. He’s won the 2010 Open Championship. He’s finished runner-up in all four. And now he’s added a solo third. Incredibly, he’s never won on the PGA Tour (except for the Open). He's 37 yet 16th OWGR.
23/X
Xander Schauffele
It’s no longer a surprise when he is there on Sunday. Quite the opposite. He finished solo fifth, on top of a tie for 10th last month at the PGA. He now has five top-5s and seven top-10s in 13 career majors.
24/X
It’s no longer a surprise when he is there on Sunday. Quite the opposite. He finished solo fifth, on top of a tie for 10th last month at the PGA. He now has five top-5s and seven top-10s in 13 career majors.
24/X
As unfair as this may sound, if Schauffele doesn’t finish off a major soon, the new narrative will be why can’t he win a major. For sure, that would happen, and as early as next year.
25/X
25/X
Will Zalatoris
He was the best player on the Korn Ferry Tour this past season. He showed he might be a lot more than that. He tied for sixth, not only earning an invite back next June but cracking the top-100 (76th) OWGR. He also led the entire field in SG Approach.
26/X
He was the best player on the Korn Ferry Tour this past season. He showed he might be a lot more than that. He tied for sixth, not only earning an invite back next June but cracking the top-100 (76th) OWGR. He also led the entire field in SG Approach.
26/X
He still doesn’t have many playing privileges on the PGA Tour, but he’s clearly shown he belongs. (He also is one of the few guys who doesn’t have his own Wikipedia page. What's up with that?) Another KF player, Taylor Pendrith, also cracked the top-25 (T23).
27/X
27/X
Zach Johnson
This was the final year of his U.S. Open eligibility for winning the 2015 Open Championship. That was the only way he qualified this year. Really, the only way he was going to qualify next year was via an improbable top-10 – and he got it! He tied for eighth.
28/X
This was the final year of his U.S. Open eligibility for winning the 2015 Open Championship. That was the only way he qualified this year. Really, the only way he was going to qualify next year was via an improbable top-10 – and he got it! He tied for eighth.
28/X
So he's already earned an invite to Torrey Pines next June. Johnson is far from the player he once was. But time and again he’s been able to elevate in majors. He did it this time by leading the field in SG Putting, gaining more than 10 strokes. He's back to 135th OWGR.
29/X
29/X
Viktor Hovland
Two Oklahoma St. Cowboys in the top-15 and neither was named Rickie Fowler. What are the odds? Actually, pretty good -- for now and the foreseeable future.
30/X
Two Oklahoma St. Cowboys in the top-15 and neither was named Rickie Fowler. What are the odds? Actually, pretty good -- for now and the foreseeable future.
30/X
Hovland understandably might be No. 3 among the Class of ’19 behind Wolff and Collin Morikawa right now. But he tied for 13th, and that was after botching the finish with two doubles. What about Fowler? He made the cut but was last in the field in SG Putting.
31/X
31/X
Lee Westwood
He’s 47 and this was his 83rd major. He will probably break Jay Haas’ all-time record for 87 majors without a win. But he's still playing at a high level – he tied for 13th and is ranked 41st OWGR. He led the field in SG Around the Green in the final round.
32/X
He’s 47 and this was his 83rd major. He will probably break Jay Haas’ all-time record for 87 majors without a win. But he's still playing at a high level – he tied for 13th and is ranked 41st OWGR. He led the field in SG Around the Green in the final round.
32/X
Imagine great chipping at nearly 50yo? Winning a U.S. Open is out of Westwood's reach, but there would be bigger surprises than him winning an Open Championship, where he tied for fourth last year, or even a Masters, where he’s been runner-up twice, most recently in 2016.
33/X
33/X
Lucas Glover
You’d be hard-pressed to find a wackier U.S. Open history than Glover’s. Of course he won one, however improbably, at the Bethpage Black in 2009. How improbable? He was ranked in the 70s at the time, and Woods, Mickelson, etc., were all in their primes.
34/X
You’d be hard-pressed to find a wackier U.S. Open history than Glover’s. Of course he won one, however improbably, at the Bethpage Black in 2009. How improbable? He was ranked in the 70s at the time, and Woods, Mickelson, etc., were all in their primes.
34/X
Glover had played in 13 other Opens before this year and had made only 2 – TWO – cuts. He had missed 8 in a row coming in – and also was playing terrible coming in. So naturally, he was on the first page of the leaderboard for a chunk of Sunday until ending T17.
35/X
35/X
Takumi Kanaya
The world’s top-ranked amateur missed the cut by one stroke – after bogeying two of his final three holes on Friday. Kanaya has already qualified for the two Opens *next* year, but only if he remains an amateur. He’s already 22, so that seems like a big ask.
36/X
The world’s top-ranked amateur missed the cut by one stroke – after bogeying two of his final three holes on Friday. Kanaya has already qualified for the two Opens *next* year, but only if he remains an amateur. He’s already 22, so that seems like a big ask.
36/X
Kanaya has already shown he can compete with the pros. He’s already ranked inside the top-250 OWGR, almost unheard of for an amateur. He made the cut at the '19 Masters and was T3 in last year’s Australian Open, finishing ahead of, among others, Paul Casey and Marc Leishman.
37/X
37/X
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38/38
38/38
