SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — With nearly four hours left to play in Saturday’s third round of the 118th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Zach Johnson signed for a 72 and then respectfully told Sky Sports that the U.S. Golf Association had lost the course. “When you have a championship that comes down to either luck or a fortuitous bounce or sheer luck, that's not right and we are there already,” the two-time major champion said. “It’s unfortunate that our nation’s tournament is already shot at a venue that they lost 14 years ago.”
That Johnson, a humble family man of faith who turns the other cheek, was moved to criticize the USGA says volumes. But he had seen enough and remembered what happened in 2004 when the U.S. Open was last played at Shinnecock. Despite conditions on the dry side, the USGA didn’t water the course much and the final round turned into a nightmarish joke.
The green at the par-3 seventh became so unplayable, with players putting balls off the concrete green and others purposely trying to hit their tee shots into a greenside bunker, the USGA was forced to stop play at times and water the green.
Heading into this championship, especially after the errors made in 2015 at Chambers Bay and last year at Erin Hills, the USGA all but guaranteed it wouldn’t repeat its mistakes. Well, Saturday came and the elevated greens were too dry and too fast and putts were at the mercy of strong winds. “We want the U.S. Open to be tough, a complete test, but there is no doubt it was a tale of two golf courses today,” USGA chief executive Mike Davis said. “We admit that some well executed shots were not rewarded.”
Especially in the afternoon when winds reaching 20 mph changed the course entirely. The course was fair in the morning. It was unfair in the afternoon. “We just missed it because of the greens,” Davis said. “The greens were too fast for the winds we had. It was a tough test but probably too tough of a test in the afternoon.”
No one had to tell Johnson. “When you are 15 or 20 feet (from the hole) and you're trying not to three-putt, that's probably not a proper way to play in my opinion,” Johnson said. “We are going to see sheer carnage out there and it’s unfortunate.” Strong winds blowing off Long Island Sound started influencing movement on the greens that were already dangerously quick and the U.S. Open became a test of survival far more than a fair test of golf.
Unflappable world No. 1 Dustin Johnson was 4 under and four clear of the field after two rounds but was roughed up. He made his first double bogey in the tournament, three-putted for the first time and made four bogeys in his first eight holes. He steadied himself and held a share of the lead at the end of the day despite shooting 7-over-par 77 that included a three-putt at the last hole.
“I didn’t play badly at all,” Dustin Johnson said. “But with the greens this afternoon, it just became tough. There were four or five holes where I could have putted the ball off the green.” Rickie Fowler was 10 over on his round through 11 holes and ended up with an 84.
By 4 p.m. the field average had jumped three strokes in four hours and finished just north of 75. Midway through the afternoon, Phil Mickelson decided to play ping-pong on the 13th green — hitting his own putted ball that was still moving — was assessed a 2-stroke penalty and shot 81. Of the last 22 players to tee off, the best score was a 72.
Only three of the 67 players broke par. And this year marks the first time since 2007 at Oakmont that the 54-hole leader is over par. “Some of these greens, there is no grass around the holes, and the ball just keeps running away,” said defending champion Brooks Koepka, who is one of four players tied for the lead after his 72. “I don’t have anything nice to say about the green at the 15th, so I won’t say anything.”
It should be noted that Daniel Berger and Tony Finau each shot 4-under-par 66, but it also should be noted that they played a different course. Oh, they played Shinnecock, but they were done before the leaders teed off and long gone before winds whipping 15-20 mph came calling. The two, who started the day 11 shots out of the lead, finished at 3 over and will be paired in the final group in the final round. A group ahead of them, Dustin Johnson will tee off Koepka.
So now comes Sunday. “To win the U.S. Open, you need some heart, some grit,” Koepka said. And plenty of patience. And plenty of water on the greens. “This golf course will be slowed down,” Davis said. “There will be water put on the greens.”
