The US Open has been dogged by controversial events over the years, none more so than when the USGA lost control of the golf course at Shinnecock Hills, twice!
Tournament officials had to resort to watering the greens during play during the final round in 2004 as Retief Goosen defied the conditions to capture his second US Open crown.
But learning from mistakes was not on the USGA’s agenda when the championship returned to the Long Island venue 14 years later, with similar carnage ensuing during a tempestuous third round.
The organising committee, led by executive director Mike Davis, failed to take into account the strength of the wind when they decided on certain pin placements for the Saturday action.
Players were furious at seeing good shots get punished on the back nine, with the pins on the 13th and 15th holes coming in for particular criticism.
The 13th green was the scene of one of the most notorious incidents in US Open history, when Phil Mickelson overhit a putt and then ran after his ball as it began to make it’s way off the green.
The left-hander rapped his ball back towards the flag while it was still moving, incurring a two-stroke penalty although many observers felt he should have been disqualified.
“My anger and frustration got the best of me,” admitted Mickelson a few days later. “I’m embarrassed and disappointed by my actions. It was clearly not my finest moment and I’m sorry.”
The Mickelson madness at 13 was a fair summation of the third afternoon, although most of the problems occurred on the 15th green, particularly for the later starters.
“US Opens are supposed to be tough, but there’s a fine line,” said Ian Poulter after he carded a 76. “Obviously they want to make the course hard, but just about on the edge.
“From a playability standpoint, when it gets to that edge and starts to fall over the edge, then pars feel like birdies and bogeys feel like pars. It’s brutal.
“Some putts were impossible, some pins were impossible in terms of leaving yourself a reasonable 25-foot uphill putt. There were no uphill 25-foot putts because they’re too close to the edge.”
Ian Poulter was furious with the choice of pin placements Rickie Fowler felt the set-up was ‘unfair’ on the later startersPoulter’s Ryder Cup team-mates Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose were also highly critical of the pin placements after a day in which Tony Finau and Daniel Berger started 11 shots behind and ended in a tie for the lead.
“I’d say it’s a little bit over the line,” said Stenson after a 74. “It’s small margins to start with, but in the afternoon when the greens get baked and with some of those pin positions, it’s like glass around the hole.
“But I don’t think they’re interested in listening to my remarks or anyone else’s remarks because then we would have seen different pin positions and set-ups over the years.”
Rose added: “I feel like it was on the line, and I think some of the pin placements were over the line. Pin placements relative to speed and firmness on a couple of occasions, the edge was reached.”
Rickie Fowler was firmly in contention at the halfway stage only to tumble down the leaderboard after shooting a third-round 84, and he felt the set-up was ‘unfair’ on the later starters.
“It would just be nice if I didn’t wish I made the cut at six over,” he said. “When it’s that big an advantage to play in the morning versus the afternoon, I think it takes away from the work that the guys have done the first two days.”
Such was the furore from the players, pundits and fans, Davis was forced to admit that the USGA had misjudged the set-up for the third round, although he stopped short of issuing a formal apology.
“We want the US Open to be a tough, complete test, but it was a tale of two golf courses today,” he told a hastily arranged press conference on Saturday evening.
“We would admit that well-executed shots were not only not rewarded, but were punished in some cases. It was a very tough test, and it was really too tough this afternoon.”
The Saturday shenanigans at Shinnecock Hills overshadowed a superb victory for Brooks Koepka, who held off an inspired late charge from Tommy Fleetwood to secure back-to-back US Open wins.
“I think it is a shame that the main focus hasn’t been Brooks Koepka winning back-to-back titles, from what I’ve seen or heard,” said Jordan Spieth the following week.
“It has been on the golf course, players complaining, what Phil did, so you never really want that because it is such a difficult thing to win a major. You always want it to be about the person who won.”
Oakmont has provided a similarly fierce test on the opening two days of the 2025 US Open.
Mickelson’s latest attempt at the career grand slam ended prematurely as he missed the cut on Friday.
It could be the American’s last ever US Open – with his exemptions running out this year.
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