You are viewing: June 2009

Onsite Wednesday at the U.S. Open

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Wednesday was the final practice day at Bethpage before the competition really begins on Thursday. And apparently that’s not all that begins on Thursday. Word is rain will be the story this entire week and the course is already completely saturated from a very wet month in the northeast. It’s already pouring here Thursday morning and the wind is whistling, but it was gorgeous on Wednesday so we headed out to take in the action!

What strikes you after you spend some time on the Black course at Bethpage is just how tough of a walk it is. The routing is pretty good with most tees and greens close together, but the elevation changes are what wear you down. It seems like every hole has an elevated tee and green but you’re not only walking up and down all day, most of the time you’re walking on the side of a hill. One upside to all the rain the course has received is everything is very lush and green. One downside, of course, is that includes the rough. It’s not the height that strikes you (it’s probably about 3-4 inches deep) but just how thick it is. From the tee you may think you have some room to land your ball off the fairway before the fescue comes in to play but when the rough swallows your golf ball, you’ll quickly realize how vital it is to be in the fairway.

The players seemed pretty relaxed although it wasn’t very busy in the afternoon as most headed out early to get some rest. Rain or not, this is the U.S. Open and it demands near perfection in every aspect of the game. Get ready for an exciting, grueling week of championship golf.

We want to know, have you ever played Bethpage Black? If so, what was your experience? What do you remember the most and what was your most memorable hole? Click on COMMENT and let us know!

Gay Leads the Way!

Brian Gay (Classics golf shoes, StaSof glove) earned his second win in his last five events and third of his career Sunday, dominating just as he did at the Verizon Heritage in April, to win the St. Jude Classic by five shots. He completed a wire-to-wire victory to earn the final berth into this week’s U.S. Open at Bethpage.

Gay led by only a stroke after each of the first three rounds, then shot a third straight 4-under 66 to pull away. He birdied three of the first six holes to take all the suspense out of the final round, and birdied the 18th hole to finish at 18-under 262. He needed only 100 putts to become only the fourth wire-to-wire winner in the tournament’s 52-year history.

Six players finished in the top five and ties and five of them trusted FootJoy golf shoes, including Gay, David Toms (T2), Bryce Molder (T2), John Senden (T4) and Paul Goydos (T4).

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Would You Sleep in Your Car to Play Bethpage Black?

Photo: Barton Silverman, The New York Times

We read this article in the New York Times about the unique process that allows amateur golfers to play the same course the pros will play. While the rules can be somewhat confusing, ultimately, the best way for you to secure a tee time on the Black course is to spend a night, maybe more, in your car to snag one of the walk-up tee times. You don’t have to “know someone,” you don’t have to empty your bank account…you just have to be dedicated and maybe a little lucky.

U.S. Open Preview Interviews

We spoke with Ian Poulter, David Toms and Ben Crane this week about how they prepare for a U.S. Open and what they think of graduated rough as part of the course set-up. Three fairly different answers, one common theme…this will be the most difficult test of golf they face all year.

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Happy Father’s Day from FootJoy

With Father’s Day coming up on Sunday, we thought it was timely to “repost” this video from last year. We asked several of our Tour players last year what life lessons they learned from their father through the game of golf. Click on the image below to hear their
responses. View Video.: