With thick rough around bunkers and pin positions on slopes, Adam Scott called Oakmont ‘borderline unplayable’
There should be no sense of demeaning JJ Spaun’s US Open glory if observers question the circumstances. Spaun, not so long ago a journeyman professional, played out his dream by holing out from 65ft on the final green at Oakmont.
Spaun is a prime example of how the penny can drop for golfers at different stages. Now 34, he is in the form of his life and bound for the Ryder Cup. When he talked later of being awake at three o’clock on Sunday morning because his young daughter was vomiting, his relatability only grew. Everybody loves an underdog.
Spaun’s heroics on that 72nd green did the United States Golf Association a huge favour. It provided an upbeat tournament reference point. Until then, the US Open had been defined by chaos and carnage.
Plenty of people like their sport that way. A chunk of the golfing audience think it is magnificent that cosseted players endure one week a year where par is king. There is a counter point, one which says Argentina taking on Spain in a World Cup final where the grass was knee high and goals were wonky might be riveting for a while but would hardly determine sporting excellence. Why not make the courts smaller during the opening rounds at Wimbledon? So long as everyone played by the same rules, where is the problem? The 125th US Open came dangerously close to crazy golf territory.
