Oakmont final day thoughts?
 

My thoughts on US Open final day:

1. Well done Angel. His speed of play and the way he choosing his shots and executes quickly is a lesson to us all. I have seen him play a few times and to see him hitting the ball with a driver is truly a joy to behold. Great to see one of the good guys in golf win.
2. It was nice to see Tiger looking genuinely happy for Angel.
3. Course was fantastic; set up by USGA was superb. Lots of the greens were borderline but they managed to keep it playable. Just!
4. Most entertaining major in many years.
5. Short Par 4s with lots of trouble seem to be the answer to the ever increasing distance the top players hit the ball.
6. The no trees idea worked. I must say I was dubious when I heard this.
7. The 300yard par 3 worked. I suppose its equivalent to a 250yard hole with hickory clubs which was the original design
8. Tiger blading a pitch and then following it up with a fluffed one was truly astonishing. (Not the mention the shot that put him over the back in the first place)
9. Young guns: Casey, Rose and Baddely fail to step up again. Perhaps Dougherty is one to watch in the future.
10. Tiger seemed to be fighting his swing all day. Strange considering how well he hit the ball on Saturday. On Sunday his signature “squat” move seemed to be getting more and more pronounced as the day went on.

Sunday's round was fun to watch....interesting to watch pros at that level struggle and see how they react to those struggles...Angel was really pacing up a storm at the end. How does Badds shoot an 80 ....was the stack and tilt unreliable under the pressure or was it is putter that did him in ...they didn't show much of his play. Why doesn't Tiger dominate like he use to ...why can't he come from behind like Jack did...maybe it's a bit of him coming back to the pack and the pack advancing up to his level. Not that sound mechanics is not important..but so much of golf is played in between the ears.

I think this time his chipping, pitching and bunker play were not up to his usual high standards.

e.g. The skull/flub combo on 3 is something we have never seen Tiger do before

Couldn't agree more. I was shocked after #3, and equally as suprised after his bunker shot on 17. After 17's tee shot, I thought the only thing Tiger had to worry about was not bogying 18.

Bunker Shot in 17
 

I think in his defense on the bunker shot on 17 there was a stone under the ball which took all the spin away

I don't get it. If the best players in the world are averaging 77 or whatever on a golf course . . . something is afoul. What's the big deal about them making a birdie. The USGA is selfabsorbed. Tweeking these old courses to "protect" them and par is like putting a mustashe on the mona lisa. It's not golf. The guys at the Masters are doing the same thing. Bobby Jones wouldn't recognize his golf course.

Is this course that much different than it was in the past? They said the 300 yard par 3 was about 250 yards back in 1920something. How many guys back then could hit that green w/ hickory clubs and the golf ball of that day? I bet it was significantly less than the number of players who could reach the current par three using less than driver. It sounded to me like the changes at Oakmont have made that course more like it was in the past...of course, I have no idea what it was like in the past, so I have to take their word for it :-P

From what I have read I don't think the USGA had to do much to Oakmont other than cut the rough and slow down the greens!!!

Competitive golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch course...the space between your ears.--Bobby Jones.

It was interesting to see the best of the best severely tested and observe how the reacted under such pressure. Final day got everyone. Tiger and Furyk skulled shots from the short grass...wow! Three musketeers: Casey, Rose, Baddeley had good showings up to Sunday, I thought. Anthony Kim continued to impress me with his final round 67. Stephen Ames "plays" golf and is fun to watch---ditto David Toms. I still feel Furyk made a strategic error on 17th even after hearing his explanation.

Surprise of the Open: Remove two holes where he completely lost his composure (9th on Saturday, 1st on Sunday) and your 2007 US Open champion is.....

Bubba Watson!

I was very pleased to see Angel win he seems a very nice guy who's not a natural winner. I've watched many pros play and haven't seen a better striker of a golf ball yet. It's good to see he's not going to be an unforfilled talent.

It was also fun watching a player display his emotions in a major. The difference between his demeanor and Tiger's and Furyk's stoic game faces reminded me of the Ryder Cup.