2004 US Open aka The Massacre at Shinnecock

The course dried up today and did in the field at the 2004 US Open. Ratief Goosen showed great patience to finish 4 under and win his 2nd. Open. Props to The Goose.

Average score today was 78.7 higest final day at the Open since 1972 final at Peeble Beach.
No one under par - first time since 1963 final at The Country Club in Brookline Mass. (I used to caddy there).
28 rounds of 80 or higher out of 66 players, there have only been 16 total in all finals since 1995.
91 Birdies and 461 Bogies (not to mention others).
Only 3 under par rounds all weekend.

wil.

thanks Wil

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) Phil Mickelson lumbered to the 17th tee with that goofy grin and a one-stroke lead in the U.S. Open.

The New Yawkers were going bonkers, thoroughly convinced that Lefty the Southern Californian turned one of their own was going to win another major championship.

Then, without warning, the old Phil returned at Shinnecock Hills on Sunday. The shaky putter. Two excruciating misses. An opportunity lost.

Instead of Mickelson, it was Retief Goosen who hoisted the trophy on the 18th green as Open champion. The masses cheered politely, but their heart wasn't in it.

Their man was Phil.

The runner-up.

''I really thought it was going to be my day,'' Mickelson said.

Goosen shot a 1-over 71 for a two-stroke victory, his second Open title in four years secured with a performance that would have made Houdini proud.

The South African kept getting into trouble in the high grass, in the sand but escaped time and time again with his putter. On 12 of the 18 greens, the Goose walked away after using it only once.

''I had people yelling at me on just about every hole. 'Retief's in the bunker' and 'Retief's in the rough,''' Mickelson said. ''Then I would look up at the scoreboard and see he was making pars. I don't know if that was good information or not.''

It was.

Mickelson's putter had worked fine all week until he got to 17.

After flying a shot out of the bunker a little too far, he missed a tricky downhill putt from 5 feet to save par. Then he yanked a 4-footer coming back, finally tapping in for double bogey.

One hole back, Goosen had finished off another one-putt birdie, then walked over to 17 to watch Mickelson self-destruct.

''He was putting for par when I was on the tee,'' Goosen said. ''And I saw him miss that.''

Goosen teed off with a two-stroke lead instead of a one-shot deficit, also putting his shot in the sand. Unlike Mickelson, he managed to get up-and-down for par, securing a special place in golf history.

One major can be a fluke. Two is the sign of greatness.

wil.

When are the USGA going to learn that just because one of the world's top golfers shoots a 64 to win the tourney it does NOT mean the course was too easy?

This is justifiably now the third major after the Open and US Masters, with the USPGA catching the US Open from what was well back in 4th spot.

The common thread which makes the Open and Masters superior is the way the courses are set up. You have some sort of chance in the semi-rough but naturally it will be a bit tough to stop the ball quickly.

The Open is the best because the R&A do not go in for tricking up the British Courses much. If the wind does not blow then very low scores are shot, but that is links golf.

This sort of logic is lost on the idiots in charge of the US open, who seem to find bogeys more exciting than birdies.