What a ho-hum US Open. Not much excitement out on the links at Pinehurst. There was much more competition between the golfers and the golf course than amongst the players themselves. Pinehurst is a tough course. The competition was not so tough, or very entertaining for that matter.
What could have made it better? Well, we all know the answer to that one, don’t we? If the Tiger had been there, things would have been different. He might not have won the match, but it would not have been boring.
Now they are calling Martin Kaymer the next Tiger Woods. A bit early for that judgment, don’t you think? Just because the guy hurt his back, don’t count him out just yet. Go on and admit it golf fans, we all miss Tiger Woods.
Everybody seems to like Martin Kaymer. He is very good and, at 29 years old, he is getting better all the time. He took the US Open by 8 strokes, from start to finish, Kaymer was in the lead. Ho-Hum. Great golfing Martin, but not a lot of fun to watch. No drama, no tight fixes, not even any real competition.
Phil Michelson fans were all fired up to watch him lead the field at Pinehurst. After all, he has been runner-up at there about six times now. But Phil’s putting game was off key for the Open and he finished in a tie for 28th place, he never even broke par.
Rory McIlroy was also highly favored to make a good showing at Pinehurst after his recent success in Europe. McIlroy won the US Open back in 2011 but has gone almost two years now without a win in the USA. Rory shot a 68 on Friday and his many fans perked up for an exciting finish, but is was not to be. He too failed to break par over the weekend.
Golf’s new number one in the world, Adam Scott, had a pretty good match with a 69 on Sunday that brought him up to a tie for ninth place. The 2013 Masters winner now has 4 top 15 finishes in the majors this year.
One of the best and most poignant stories to come out of the 2014 US Open was two time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton. His emotional run up to a tie for second place on the final day of the Open brought the biggest cheers from the mostly North Carolina crowd.
Still in all, wouldn’t it have been a much better US Open if the Tiger had played?
