New National Post Column: Oakmont Went Too Far
By Robert Thompson
According to some reports, members at Oakmont complained to USGA officials that the course was set up too easy for the U.S. Open this past weekend. Right.
I tackle the issue in my latest National Post On Golf column.
Here’s a taste:
Angel Cabrera may have taken the U.S. Open, but it appears the golf course won the battle for penal, ponderous golf.
Yes, many have heralded Oakmont Country Club, site of last week’s second major, as perhaps the greatest example of difficult golf in the world. It is hard to say with any certainty how many times NBC announcers Johnny Miller and Dan Hicks called holes at Oakmont “extremely challenging,” “diabolical,” or “the most difficult in the world.”
Certainly, Oakmont’s conditioning, with its lengthy lush rough and firm sloping greens, made it an extraordinarily difficult golf course. But did the extreme nature of it result in a great tournament? Was Cabrera the best golfer this past week, or was he the only one lucky enough to avoid a misstep that would have led to disaster?
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