US OPEN: The 2nd Battle of Brookline?

When I think of Boston, I picture cheesy procedural cop shows and Good Will Hunting (and Marky Mark). Your mind doesn’t jump to sporting excellence. But have you heard of a little team called the Boston Celtics? Or how about the New England Patriots? You can see what I’m getting at. Boston is a sporting Mecca and Brookline’s Country Club is an integral part of that landscape. This strip of New England real estate was one of the five founding member clubs of the USGA. And this year it plays host to the 122nd edition of the US Open. But I think we can all agree this year’s test does buck the trend of recent US Open venues.

In James Bond terms- and I love thinking in James Bond terms- this course is more akin to Daniel Craig than Pierce Brosnan (it’s a rugged, wild beast that skirts on niceties). At a modest yardage of 7,264 yards, this old-school course deviates from the monsters that have preceded it.

I’m sure you would agree that watching DeChambeau bully a course into submission can become a bit tedious. Truly penal rough should put a premium on accuracy this year. But it’s the devilishly small greens that pique my curiosity. Players will need to need to stay safe off the tee and have their irons locked-in. Oh, how could I forget? This course hosted the now infamous 1999 Ryder Cup (affectionately known as the Battle of Brookline). I’m sure you can recall Justin Leonard and his American teammates celebrating like buffoons. That incident changed the fabric of golf, ushering in the modern age of frat-boy boorishness. Boston is notorious for raucous support and players will need a thick skin if they hope to thrive in this atmosphere.

Speaking from a South African perspective, I think we all secretly hope that Louis Oosthuizen doesn’t get our collective hopes up again. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I have the emotional strength to absorb another late Louis meltdown. I don’t know how to feel about Scottie Scheffler, do you? There’s something robotic and aloof about the laconic Jersey native. In any event, you would be a fool to bet against his metronomic swing. Jon Rahm is back to defend his maiden Major Championship (though he has lost the commanding aura that helped him to victory last year). Have you noticed how irate the Spaniard gets over the most trivial disturbance? It’s not healthy. Justin Thomas was the veritable ‘last man standing’ at Southern Hills, surviving schizophrenic conditions to claim his second Major. Rory McIlroy probably wont feel too confident ahead of this trip to Boston. This comparatively shorter layout will require plenty of deadeye wedge play. And that is one club that McIlroy has unfortunately misplaced of late.

There are far too many narratives at play this year to squash into one small blurb. Can Will Zalatoris make his seemingly inevitable Major Championship breakthrough? Can Major specialist Brooks Koepka make a meaningful run at his 5th Major? And perhaps most importantly: how are the poor stewards going to manage if Tiger competes this year. The usual Tigermania will be amplified fivefold by these ‘enthusiastic’ Bostonians. And you wouldn’t want to miss a moment of it.