US Open Golf Championships 2022 Preview
The world of golf is currently experiencing controversies swirling around it and at such a juncture, we are entering the third major golf tournament of the year. Yes, It's officially US Open Golf week. The 122nd edition of the major will have an extra element of needling, and an undercurrent of drama, with the golfers who jumped shipped to Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf, making their return to golf alongside their former PGA Tour competitors. For sure, there’s a purse of $12.5 million, but then it is a major and being held at one of the most historic sites and venerable courses - one that has seen players tee off since the end of the 19th century, so there’s plenty to play for. The US Open returns to the Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts for the fourth time, with the last time being in 1988 following 1913 and 1963. It is one of the oldest country clubs in the United States and holds an important place in golf history, as it is one of the 5 charter clubs that founded the United States Golf Association. Spaniard Jon Rahm will be entering the event as the defending champ, after his maiden major victory at Torrey Pines in San Diego, California last year with a 6 under par score made possible by a final-round charge. But, we are on a new course and the challenge is anew. Let’s glide through the course as a lead-up. The Country Club measures 7,264 yards with a par of 70 over the 18 holes. 3 of the first 4 holes (Polo Field, Pond, Newton) are par 4s that play at least 490 yards. Hole 2 - Cottage is a short 215-yard par 3. Then there’s a 310-yard par 4 on hole number 5 - Bakers. Six is a 192-yard par 3 called Plateau. The next holes — Corner (375 yards), Quarry (557 yards), and Primrose 9 (427 yards) are par 4, 5, and 4 respectively. Apart from Quarry, hole 15 - Primrose 8 (619 yards) is also a par 5. Hole 11 Redan (131 yards) is the shortest on the course. The final two holes - Elbow and Home are reasonably distanced par 4s that are both doglegs to the left. Gil Hanse, the chief Architect who oversaw the 2009 restorations confirms that the course went out of its way to maintain the look i.e it has to be weather-beaten and old aesthetic with plenty of rock outcropping. The goal was to get the course back to what originally looked like as over time the character of the course has changed. When it came to restoration, the idea was to trust the plans of the architects who designed it decades ago and not try to updo them. Consequently, as expected, the Brookline is going to present a real test to the golfers. If they are not precise, they will get punished. The greens are the quickest around and also short. The target areas are tightly packed in with perilous roughs and hazards that will sink a good round of golf in a jiffy. The course is not long but it being out-of-the-box will be a prerequisite for making a mark across the 4 days of the championships. The pool of potential winners at the US Open is deep and wide. The twists and turns over the 4 rounds are certain to be abundant as 156 competitors vie for the championship of which 15 entrants are amateurs. Rory McIlroy, who came through with a thrilling victory last Sunday at the Canadian Open championship, is among the favorites. Close on the heels should be others like Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland, Jordan Spieth, Shane Lowry, Will Zalatoris, Bryson DeChambeau, Hideki Matsuyama, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Tony Finau and more. Who will be holding aloft the US Open trophy into the Boston suburban sky on Sunday? We at Blue Tees are fascinated to find out! And to celebrate Father’s Day & the US Open weekend, might we suggest a thoughtful gift from our collection? You can never go wrong with our critically acclaimed and universally well-rated rangefinders, which come with an iron-clad money-back guarantee. Just try our flagship Series 3 Max rangefinder and you’ll know what other golfers are raving about.
