Seve Ballesteros recently quipped that the US Open was the worst of Golf’s Majors.
And you know what? I think he may be right.
The USGA’s obesession with par has had the effect of making the course and the USGA the primary story. The players are incidental.
“It is very sad to see real champions finishing plus-20, and I don’t think that is the spirit of the game,” Seve said “I have never been in any favour of the U.S. Open in any way, and I think it is the worst of the majors,” he added. “The golf courses are good, but it is the way they set up the courses.”
While I do take a certain perverse satisfaction from watching the best players struggle, in the end I don’t think its good to watch. I can forsee a time when US Open television ratings (and thus revenues) are eclipsed by the Players. (Note that I said television revenues. The Players will never eclipse the US Open in importance simply because of the history behind the Open.)
Discover more from GolfBlogger Golf Blog
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I actually have that same perverse satisfaction of watching the pros go through that tough test. I like that much more than watching someone shoot -28 in Palm Springs.
But I’m sure I’m in the minority of viewers in that respect.
The USGA have got to come round to the same conclusion as the rest of us – that there IS a difference between a winner who played more good shots than everyone else, and a winner who made fewer mistakes than everyone else.
And if they don’t want to put on a spectacle, maybe they should hold the tournament behind closed doors?