Talking conditions at 2017 US Open Pt. 1

By |  June 14, 2017 0 Comments

We’ve been busy at the U.S. Open, with not much to show for it on the blog yet. Mostly we’ve been tweeting while also stashing photos and stories in anticipation of our enewsletter that deploys tomorrow (sign up for that newsletter here.)

But while I’m at the computer and off the course here, let me post a couple soundbites from two US Open competitors who I chatted with Tuesday afternoon…No. 10 green Erin Hills

Bradley Dredge:

“Condition are excellent, the greens are some of the best I’ve seen. Not too much grain to get used to. A lot of different tees, it depends on the set-up, they could make it as difficult as they want. With it being a little bit softer, it’s very playable right now.

I saw a bit (of the rough being cut down on No. 4 and No. 14) I mean… it’s a bad drive to get into the deep rough there. It’s inevitable over the four days you’re going to be in there at some time, you’ve just got to take your meds and hopefully you can carry out without damage to your joints. Get back in play and take your medicine…

I was reading the initial plan for the course, was to make it hard and a bit more bouncy, but the weather doesn’t seem to allow that. From a European point of view… I’d like to see it a bit softer (laughs).”

Chan Kim:

“It was really soft, it was definitely playable. I think scores will go lower if it stays this way… it looked like they were shaving down some of the fescue on the sides… it might make it a bit more playable, even if it gets firm, which is nice.

The greens were actually rolling great. I think the maintenance crew did a great job out here, even with all that rain. I was actually quite surprised to get out here and see how good it was. They did a great job.

I played the front (nine) yesterday, just finished the back. The front wasn’t too tough, the back nine makes you think a lot more. It’s a very challenging course but it’s definitely getable.”

Photos: BASF

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About the Author: Seth Jones

Seth Jones, a 18-year veteran of the golf industry media, is Editor-in-Chief of Golfdom magazine and Athletic Turf. A graduate of the University of Kansas School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Jones began working for Golf Course Management in 1999 as an intern. In his professional career he has won numerous awards, including a Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) first place general feature writing award for his profile of World Golf Hall of Famer Greg Norman and a TOCA first place photography award for his work covering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In his career, Jones has accumulated an impressive list of interviews, including such names as George H.W. Bush, Samuel L. Jackson, Lance Armstrong and Charles Barkley. Jones has also done in-depth interviews with such golfing luminaries as Norman, Gary Player, Nick Price and Lorena Ochoa, to name only a few. Jones is a member of both the Golf Writers Association of America and the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association. Jones can be reached at sjones@northcoastmedia.net.


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