The question remains: ”Did the United States Golf Association outsmart itself in setting up Medinah for the U.S. Open?”
The USGA was careful not to make Medinah Country Club`s No. 3 course too difficult for the U.S. Open. But rain early in the week, in conjunction with the USGA efforts, might have made the course too easy. The two previous Opens at Medinah had indicated par (72) would be a great score. Instead, it was an average score for most of the week.
No. 3 can play at 7,300 yards, which it often does for members. The USGA had the rough cut because at 7,195 yards, the course was the longest in Open history.
The last round and the playoff gave the world a better indication of what type of course Medinah No. 3 is. Sunday`s rounds averaged 73.962, with just 14 players under par. The playoff, with both champion Hale Irwin and Mike Donald shooting 2-over 74s, gave Medinah some of its dignity back.
Many Medinah members were upset with the way the course played early in the week and blamed the USGA. But if it hadn`t rained on the festivities, players would have been complaining about how hard the course was. No. 3 showed it was a great course. If you give the best players in the world perfect conditions, they are going to shoot low scores.
– Robert Gamez has had a lot of great rounds in his rookie year on the PGA Tour while winning two tournaments. The 21-year-old Las Vegas golfer, who was the college player of the year at Arizona, didn`t have to think very long to come up with the best round he ever played. It wasn`t the 65 in the opening round at the Tucson Open or the closing round 66 at the Nestle Invitational, punctated by an eagle from the fairway on the 72nd hole that beat Greg Norman. Gamez won both those tournaments, but his greatest round came in a tournament he didn`t win. He still ranks his a course-record 64 at Cog Hill in the 1989 U.S. Public Links as No. 1.
”By far, that`s the best I ever played in my life,” he said during the U.S. Open. ”That golf course is one of the hardest I`ve ever played, public or private. That round, I don`t know if I`ll ever repeat it.”
Gamez beat the old record, held by Homero Blancas, by four shots. He had nine birdies, eight of them consecutively, and one bogey for the lowest score in tournament history. His 30 on the back nine tied a Publinks record. He won medalist honors thanks to that round but lost the next day in match play.
While in the Chicago area, Gamez played Butler National and Medinah. The course he played last week did not resemble the one be played a year ago.
”It`s playing a lot shorter than when I played here last year,” he said. ”I was hitting 3- and 2-irons into Par 4s.”
– Larry Nelson is one of a number of pros wondering whether to play in the British Open. Nelson has been a British Open regular for years but is concerned about housing next month at St. Andrews.
”They can`t give me a confirmation on my hotel,” said Nelson. ”I`ve been asking since January and they can`t give it to me. All I want is a room with a bath. If we treated their players like that. . . .”
– Mike Donald wasn`t sure the USGA had a procedure for determining the honors in Monday`s U.S. Open playoff once it went to the 19th hole. Irwin teed off first because he earned it on the 18th hole.
”I asked P.J. Boatwright and he just gave me a quick answer,” said Donald, who thought he and Irwin should have drawn lots. ”We had a disagreement at the Masters and I didn`t want to get into an argument (with Boatwright). I just decided to go play golf.”
