PINEHURST, NORTH CAROLINA | For decades now, Pinehurst Resort has called itself “the home of American golf,” leaning into its desire to be affiliated with the home of golf, St. Andrews, Scotland. There has always been a natural kinship, as the Village of Pinehurst is a golf-minded place much like the Auld Grey Toon, but even Pinehurst president Tom Pashley conceded that the branding was more “aspirational.”
Now it’s reality, as last week’s U.S. Open illustrated.
“We were always called the ‘St. Andrews of American golf,’ and there was some meat to that,” Pashley said. “But I think now, when you say ‘St. Andrews of American golf,’ you know that we’re going to host the U.S. Open every five or six years, we have a presence of our national governing body here and you have Donald Ross’ masterpiece. So, you stack that up against the R&A and Open Championship every five years having it at Old Tom Morris’ Old Course right there. I think it’s just added credibility to that phrase that sometimes felt more like a tagline.”
Other than St. Andrews, there is not a more charming place on earth that plays host to a major sporting event. From the chapel carillon ringing out hymns every half hour to the pubs and restaurants and inns and shops that offer a welcoming vibe to anyone who walked across the road to partake in it (as well as a delightful concert on the Village Green on tournament’s eve), Pinehurst oozes golf and character down every crooked lane.
Pinehurst No. 2 played a starring role at the U.S. Open, but even it got outshone by two of the biggest stars in golf battling it out for the trophy.
BIRDIE: Bryson DeChambeau. There probably isn’t a more dynamic player in golf at the moment. His form might not be as easily appealing as swings from guys such as Rory McIlroy and Ludvig Åberg, but his flare is off the charts and may be the only thing about LIV Golf that has won over the audience.
BOGEY: Rory McIlroy. For the sixth consecutive year, he has finished in the top 10 without winning the U.S. Open, including back-to-back runners-up, but near misses are not what the four-time major champion is chasing in what has grown to a full 10-year drought. This one may calcify the scar tissue into permanence, as he peeled out of Pinehurst without comment. He desperately needs to change the narrative, but the most brutal commentary might be the monologue going on between his ears.
TRIPLE: Ludvig Åberg and Tony Finau. This is unfair judgment considering how beautifully each gentleman played most of the way, but they both got devastatingly Donald Rossed on the 13th hole on Saturday with a borderline unfair front right corner pin, which their short games couldn’t handle. It was a real pity.
NO BIRDIES: Scottie Scheffler. The world No. 1 posted his first career birdie-free round in a major on Friday (and his second on Sunday) and had to sweat out (no pun intended on the scorching-hot day) making the cut on the number at 5-over – avoiding the ignominy of joining Greg Norman (1997), Tiger Woods (2006), Luke Donald (2012) and Dustin Johnson (2017) as the only No. 1 players to miss the cut in the U.S. Open. Given truth serum, Scheffler might say indelicate things about Pinehurst.
BIRDIE: Sergio García. Full credit to the 44-year-old Spaniard for getting in as a qualifying alternate and extending his streak of consecutive U.S. Opens played to 25. Then he went and fired his first career U.S. Open bogey-free round (69), ultimately finishing tied for 12th and missing an exemption into Oakmont by one shot. “I’ve had the pleasure of playing this championship 25 years in a row, so not a lot of people get to do that, so I’m very, very happy to be here, and that’s why I keep trying to qualify and make it here,” he said. Now tell that to Talor Gooch.
ACE: Francesco Molinari. How many times does an announcer say “he needs to hole this shot to …” whatever? Molinari needed to match Sepp Straka’s morning feat with a hole-in-one from 194 yards on the ninth, his 18th of the day, for a walk-off made cut on the number. His 7-iron hit in the perfect spot just over the bunker and rolled 52 feet into the cup. “That’s what I was trying to do,” Molinari said. “It was the last chance to have a chance to play the weekend. … It looked on a great line the whole way, but what are the chances, really? I don’t even know what to say. Just incredible.”
BOGEY: Viktor Hovland. After praising the challenge that Donald Ross’ masterpiece presents, the man who contended to the last putt at the PGA bombed out by going 5-over in his first five holes at Pinehurst en route to a first-round 78. He couldn’t quite dig his way out with a Friday 68. Let’s write this one off as a bad day and hope he fares better at the Open next month.
BIRDIE: David Puig. The 22-year-old Spaniard who plays for LIV has been tirelessly chasing Official World Golf Ranking points anywhere he can get them, winning a couple of times in Asia. He qualified his way into the U.S. Open for the second straight year. By making the cut, he jumped past countryman Jorge Campillo in the OWGR at the final deadline and snagged a spot with Jon Rahm on Spain’s Olympic team in Paris.
BIRDIE: Matthieu Pavon. Surely the golf gods wouldn’t deliver Michael Campbell, Martin Kaymer and Pavon in the American home of golf’s hall of champions gallery. Pavon is a gamer, and his success this season illustrates what global golfers can do when given a PGA Tour card. He can hold his head up proud at his home Olympics in Paris this summer.
BOGEY: Brooks Koepka. Declining interviews all week, the five-time major winner explained his reasoning after the first round in a brilliant text-chain interview with Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch. “Same questions every week. The lack of creativity with questions is kinda boring. I know I’m not a media favorite either so it’s not like anyone will notice. LOL.” Now we’ll never get to know if he swings more freely wearing tighty-whities or boxers in 96-degree heat.
BIRDIE: Sam Bairstow. After his calamitous opening 84, the Englishman bounced back beautifully with a second-round 67, becoming the first player in U.S. Open history to shoot 84 or higher in the first round and then break 70 in the second. A small sample size, certainly, but a notable moment of pride nonetheless.
PAR: Tiger Woods. After a lovely and emotional acceptance speech for the Bob Jones Award on Monday, Woods saw things go downhill from there. Woods, a nine-time USGA champion, hasn’t broken par in his last 13 major rounds. He doesn’t look any closer to being able to contend when he can’t get himself in competitive shape just showing up at the majors to play the hardest venues. It seems unsustainable.
BOGEY: Phil Mickelson. It’s starting to seem as if the six-time U.S. Open runner-up is never going to complete that career Grand Slam. His 9-over 79 on Thursday beat only Charlie Reiter (80) and Sam Bairstow (84). Mickelson owns several Five Guys burgers franchises in California, once blasphemously saying he preferred it over In-N-Out. Well, he was in and out in a hurry after his 15-over finish beat only … five guys.
BOGEY: Dustin Johnson. If anyone sees the former No. 1 player in the world and two-time major champion, please contact your local authorities. The 2020 Masters champ’s give-a-you-know-what tank continues to run on empty. He “checked out” early with a desultory 9-over showing. Say what you want about the OWGR not counting LIV events, but DJ’s current No. 388 ranking doesn’t seem all that wrong. Nine-figure check, please!
BIRDIE: Adam Scott. Having fallen out of the top 60 twice on deadline dates and lost on the third hole of final qualifying playoff to fellow Aussie Cam Davis, Scott replaced the late Grayson Murray in the field to extend his streak of consecutive major-championship starts to 92 (second only to Jack Nicklaus’ untouchable 146) dating to the 2001 U.S. Open. “I’m grateful I haven’t been in this position too much,” said Scott, who finished T32.
WD: Jon Rahm. His disastrously empty major season got worse when he withdrew on the eve of the championship, citing a bothersome infection on his left foot. After being a non-factor in his title defense at the Masters and missing the cut at the PGA, LIV Golf’s biggest recruit has one last chance (if healthy) to salvage the year at Royal Troon.
BOGEY: Justin Thomas. His results chart looks like an EKG. Every time you think the two-time PGA champion has corrected course, he crashes out with a performance like his non-competitive MC at Pinehurst. Thomas always seems to be searching for something these days that’s just out of reach.
BIRDIE: Tyrrell Hatton. One of golf’s more interesting characters who was lost to LIV, Hatton was in his comfort zone on a course as maddening at Pinehurst No. 2. “I guess in some ways, with it being harder, a lot of guys sort of lose their head, it sort of brings them to my level because I just lose my head every week,” Hatton said. “They can kind of experience what it’s like in my head for a week.” Hatton grumbled aplenty, but he contended until a Sunday 77 left him T26.
BOGEY: Pace of play. We know it’s hard … but hurry up! Play like Åberg.
BIRDIE: World Golf Hall of Fame. The new class, headed by its only two living inductees Pádraig Harrington and Sandra Palmer, put on a great show just up Carolina Vista from its new home at Golf House Pinehurst. The more boutique presentation than its St. Augustine predecessor is worth a visit for any golf fan.
BIRDIE: Donald Ross. Pinehurst No. 2 is his magnum opus. The man from Dornoch, Scotland – who learned the course-design craft from Old Tom Morris himself – lived out his final days in a house adjacent to Pinehurst’s third green. Having been snubbed by Bobby Jones, who favored Alister MacKenzie to design Augusta National, Ross was determined to keep tinkering with the No. 2 course to make it the No. 1 championship test in America. Consider it done.