US Open 2009

PhilipMarlowe

Here's an excerpt from an email from my brother who played Bethpage at the weekend.., the jammy b*****d!

I survived BethPage Black. Had my highest score ever!! That place is a BEAST!!! 6700 yards is ok if you are playing well and the course is benign - but me and BPB were neither!!!!

I'll enjoy the Open on TV - I had a lot of shots so at least the consolation is I know the course - I must have hit a shot from damn near everywhere!!! I did hit a half dozen fairways. Then the fun starts - and the greens are like lightning when you reach them!!!

Really looking forward to this tournament... can Harringtons head be in a right place to challenge in a major after the iffy results lately?
Anyone (besides TW) looking like a candidate?

Trampas

Harrington's head is miles off winning US Open.

I think his problems are in his head than game.

He is turning into the next Faldo.

No surprises he is not appearing in Wentworth as he hardly ever appears there. Doesn't suit his game is what he says

dnjoyce

Hoping to play Bethpage next week myself but not confirmed yet - would be pretty sweet, despite the shocking condition my game is in at the minute!!

stevire

Trampas wrote: »

Harrington's head is miles off winning US Open.

I think his problems are in his head than game.

He is turning into the next Faldo.

No surprises he is not appearing in Wentworth as he hardly ever appears there. Doesn't suit his game is what he says

Don't think any form of golf is his game this year!! Had a strong second round in the Irish Open though, may be the kickstart he needed...

soundsham

should put the clubs under the stairs:D for a week

PhilipMarlowe

http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/golf/2009/0525/1224247394667.html

Irish fail in US Open qualifying bid
The four Irish golfers involved in today’s US Open qualifier at Walton Heath failed in their bid to earn one of the 11 berths for the event at Bethpage Black in New York next month.

The quartet were stymied by poor opening efforts in the 36-hole qualifier and although they all improved their scores over the afternoon round it was not enough.

Gareth Maybin and Paul McGinley fell three shots outside of a seven-strong group that played off for the final five spots after they both finished on two-under-par.

Maybin added a three-under 69 on the tougher Old Course after opening 73, while McGinley’s 68 in the afternoon on the New Course wasn’t enough to make up for an opening 74.

Gary Murphy and Michael Hoey both finished on one-over-par after 36 holes.

Swede Peter Hanson provided the story of the day over the Surrey track, securing his place with a spectacular play-off hole-in-one tonight — after making a late change about which club to hit.

Hanson was left battling with Scot Stephen Gallacher and England’s Richard Bland for the last spot up for grabs.

The 17th hole on the Old Course measures 206 yards and Hanson said: “I was pumped up so switched from a five iron to a six and knew I had to hit it really well to land it on the front of the green. It was just a perfect shot.”

The seventh ace of his career came just two weeks after his sixth during the 3 Irish Open at Baltray.

Italian Francesco Molinari, France’s Jean-Francois Lucquin and Hanson’s fellow countryman Johan Edfors went through with birdie threes on the first hole of sudden death.

Molinari thought his chance of playing at Bethpage Black next month might have gone when he was disqualified in Ireland after taking the first round lead.

He was hoping to climb into the world’s top 50 and earn a spot that way, but was thrown out for signing for a wrong score on a card marked incorrectly by playing partner Hanson.

First place in the qualifier was shared by England’s Simon Khan and Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin on nine under.

Simon Dyson was third one behind and said of the challenge that now awaits him: “I just hope it’s not as hard as Pinehurst was four years ago.

“That was too hard, the most difficult course I’ve ever played. You were hitting four-irons into greens that were designed for wedges.

“You could be stood in the middle of a fairway with like a six iron in your hands thinking ‘How do I hit this on the green?’

“I didn’t play that great to be fair, but I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Dyson shot 79, 78 to miss the cut by nine shots.

With Colin Montgomerie among those to withdraw before the start today, only four Ryder Cup stars were in the field, but while McGinley, David Howell and Niclas Fasth missed out recent Spanish Open winner Thomas Levet made it through on seven under.

Joint fifth, meanwhile, were South African Andrew McLardy and another Tour rookie David Horsey, the 24-year-old Englishman who led the BMW PGA Championship after the opening round last Thursday.

US OPEN QUALIFYING

At Walton Heath (Gbr and Irl unless stated):

Qualifiers

135 Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 67 68, Simon Khan 68 67
136 Simon Dyson 66 70
137 Thomas Levet (Fra) 70 67
138 David Horsey 72 66, Andrew McLardy (Rsa) 71 67
139 Stephen Gallacher 70 69, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 72 67, Peter Hanson (Swe) 71 68, Johan Edfors (Swe) 73 66, Francesco Molinari (Ita) 71 68, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 68 71, Richard Bland 68 71

Molinari, Luquin, Edfors, Lara and Hanson qualified from play-off

The following players failed to qualify
140 Nick Dougherty 71 69, Markus Brier (Aut) 70 70, Brett Rumford (Aus) 69 71
141 Wade Ormsby (Aus) 74 67, Richie Ramsay 71 70, Alastair Forsyth 71 70, Simon Griffiths 72 69
142 Gareth Maybin 73 69, Paul McGinley 74 68, Oliver Fisher 71 71, Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 72 70
143 Chris Wood 73 70, Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 70 73, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 72 71, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 72 71, Jamie Donaldson 73 70, Phillip Archer 74 69, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 71 72, Sam Hutsby 69 74
144 Scott Strange (Aus) 71 73, Richard Finch 72 72, Miguel Rodriguez (Arg) 71 73, Fracois Delamontagne (Fra) 72 72, Paul Waring 72 72
145 Gary Murphy 74 71, Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 70 75, Gregory Havret (Fra) 74 71, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 75 70, Michael Hoey 75 70, Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 69 76, Robert Dinwiddie 74 71, Alvaro Velasco (Spa) 74 71
146 Ross McGowan 72 74
147 Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 74 73, TC Charamba (Zim) 75 72, Christian Nilsson (Swe) 69 78, Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) 75 72
148 Shiv Kapur (Ind) 72 76
149 Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spa) 71 78, Jeppe Huldahl (Den) 74 75, Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 76 73, Steve Webster 76 73
150 Alan McLean 76 74, Benn Barham 73 77
151 Marc Cayeux (Zim) 74 77, Anthony Kang (USA) 77 74, Pablo Martin (Spa) 74 77
153 Merrick Bremner (Rsa) 73 80
154 Magnus Carlsson (Swe) 78 76, David Howell 78 76
WD : Kenneth Ferrie, Tyrone Ferreira (Rsa), Rafa Echenique (Arg), Tano Goya (Arg), Alejandro Canizares (Spa), Pelle Edberg (Swe), Pablo Larrazabal (Spa), Marcel Siem (Ger), Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg)

L.O.F.T

Look at the quality field of names who went to qualify...such a difficult task in my opinion

Calverton

Trampas wrote: »

Harrington's head is miles off winning US Open.

Was this the same Harrington who was going to pull out of the open championship having played no practice rounds, before defending his title or are you talking about the one who could not hit the back door before the USPGA, just made the cut and then won the tournament?

Hobart

Calverton wrote: »

Was this the same Harrington who was going to pull out of the open championship having played no practice rounds, before defending his title or are you talking about the one who could not hit the back door before the USPGA, just made the cut and then won the tournament?

That's the same one. The same guy who is struggling this year to get his head around his swing, by his own admission . The same guy who currently is not in the top 100 for driving accuracy, GIR, putting, or scoring average. The guy who currently hits less than 2/3's of greens in regulation in the US, who misses nearly half the fairways he dirves at and who has 3 top 25's, out of 10 tournaments played in the US, without a single top 10.

He's struggling, and struggling bad. As much as I would love to see him go and win the US Open, he hasn't a chance this year. He'll be lucky to make the cut tbh.

Adiaga 2

Hard to argue with those stats Hobart. Even last year when he had a quiet start to the season and people were writing him off, he'd had four top 10s on the pga tour at this stage of the 2008 schedule. It seems since he started winning majors his overall consistency has suffered. In the four or five seasons before 2007 he'd have loads of top-5s and top-10s...but even then got stick from people for all his 2nd place finishes. I wouldn't completely write him off for the US Open though. He has a brilliant record in that event and has always said he considered it his best chance for a major(completely off the mark though he was.) And look at the form Angel Cabrera brought to the Masters..

Sammo13

US Open would the major I thought he would win first, he is such a great grafter. But this year he has been horrible, also his putting has been poor, missed alot of short ones in Quail Hollow. Still won't surprise me to see him do well.

I like Geoff Ogilvy chances this year, find it hard to back a european to win (though casey with his high ball flight could do okay).

Really looking forward to it, hope Phil plays.