LICC

I played at a local course yesterday. It has a long par-3 with a drop-off into a wooded area just short and right of the green. It has OB markers at that area, and the sign (picture attached) by the tee box. Do the USGA Rules allow this? Can a course have a local rule changing an OB shot from a stroke-and-distance or two-stroke drop penalty, to a one-stroke drop penalty?

I thought the course and venue were very good, not great. I'm certainly not disappointed. More of the course issues I had were with the setup. 18 was just way too wide off the tee. The US Open shouldn't allow such a wayward drive like Clark's on the last hole to have no adverse result. I also thought they could have placed a few more pins in more gettable positions. Players had to pretty much get lucky to get close to a pin on their approaches, especially on the back nine. And the lack of crowds was noticeable. But the course showed very nicely on television and there were lots of interesting hole designs that were fun to watch the pros play.

It looks like they are going with easier pin placements on a few holes today (8 and 15 at least). I hope they compensate on other holes.

I’ve become a much bigger Rory fan because of his standing up and putting things on his shoulders during the LIV attacks. Much respect for his leadership. I like Rickie too so can’t go wrong if either win but would prefer Rory, and hope it would lead to a few more majors for him.

Agreed. It’s played tough but fair in rounds two and three. I think they lengthened some of the holes and placed the pins better. It does look like a great course.

Yes, that is what the US Open is supposed to be. Maybe not exactly that extreme, but it is supposed to be the sternest test of the best players. That is its history and legacy. This isn't supposed to be a regular event. Bodenhamer was interviewed last night and asked why, after seeing the soft conditions before play started, they didn't adjust and use the farther back tees and tougher pin positions, and he had no good answer. They just got caught flat-footed. And he did say that the US Open being the sternest test in golf is part of its "DNA" and "heart and soul."

Two players shot scores that have never been shot in any US Open in history. The US Open is supposed to be one of the most challenging tests in golf. Not 40-yard wide fairways and easy pin locations. This was a normal PGA Tour event shootout. The Memorial and the PGA Championship played more like a US Open than what we saw yesterday. I want to see a US Open, not a tour event dart throw. The USGA didn't learn from Erin Hills- new venue, wide fairways, no adjustments to maintain the scoring challenge. All credit to Rickie and Xander and the other low scores for taking advantage, but this wasn't a US Open challenge. I hope the USGA makes adjustments for the next three rounds.

The USGA should be embarrassed. I don’t know what they are thinking using this course set up like this making it so easy it is a joke.

You do realize this deal makes it likely that LIV is gone within two years?

They are merging commercial operations. So it looks like television negotiations, sponsor negotiations, media rights, etc. will be handled at the parent company.

I can only guess that Monahan and Dunne were getting pressure from sponsors who were unwilling to up their payments anymore, and losing sponsor money from non-designated events. They saw this along with the increases in purses as unsustainable long-term, and PIF basically said they don't care if they lose $5 billion they were going to keep attacking the Tour and poaching players. As well as pushing costly litigation. Monahan and Dunne may have seen this merger as survival and the only best option. Point to the players who took the LIV money as providing the leverage to put the Tour in this position.

Immorality equivocation. Ugh ...

You can still watch the majors ...

The top players won't want to play that often. Maybe some type of exhibition-style events during an offseason will use something like a LIV format, but don't expect to see a LIV season again next year.

I don't see how these LIV tournaments continue in their current formats. The merged entity won't want star players playing regularly in different tours.

Monahan is a hypocrite. He sold his own top players out. It will be interesting to see what gets changed as far as tour schedules, events, etc.

I'm guessing after this year, there won't be any more LIV tournaments.

To your point, Phil just keeps stepping in it, knocking Bones now. I used to like Phil but the real person is coming out and showing how big of a jerk he is. https://www.sportskeeda.com/golf/news-1mil-player-phil-mickelson-claims-overpaid-ex-caddie-jim-bones-mackay-14-earnings

It is amazing how Sheffler was by far the best in the field in ball striking and the worst in putting. He needs to figure out his putter fast.

Wow, lots of false equivalencies here to justify rationalizing the egregiousness of the sportswashing. Also this thread is going off track into politics again. Claude is way off. Did NBC take millions from the Chinese government for broadcasting the Olympics? Did Tiger work for the Chinese government? Those are really unintelligent comparisons.

LIV sources confirmed to the Hot Mic that the league would not be reporting viewership data from its U.S. broadcasts moving forward but declined to explain why. In LIV’s most recent ratings report in late March, the league showed audience numbers slumping by 24 percent week-over-week, from 537,000 average viewers in its season-opening broadcast in Mexico to 409,000 in its second event in Tucson, Ariz. LIV has conducted four events since Tucson, including a pair in Australia and Singapore that were shown on tape delay in the United States. LIV has not released data on any of those four events. The decision marks a significant departure from the strategy outlined just months ago by the league’s chief media officer, Will Staeger. Days after LIV signed its agreement with the CW in January, Staeger told GOLF.com the league would “certainly” provide publicly available viewership information, adding public data was “critical to all of our plans.”

Looks like a great venue and the PGA has been excellent the last few years. That said, I still don’t understand why this is still a major.

Great finish and fun tournament. I understand the sponsor wanting the tournament moved to its location, but isn’t there a better course than this in the Houston area?

Golf Digest: However, according to The Times, the DP World Tour's authority to fine and suspend its players for competing on the LIV Golf circuit without permission will be upheld, with the official ruling coming later this week. An official decision would be a major loss to LIV Golf on a number of fronts. Because suspensions can be handed down for every event LIV Golf event that a DP World Tour member plays in without permission, those with ties to the tour—like Poulter, Westwood and Reed—will likely resign in order to avoid further monetary penalties. Moreover, LIV members can be prohibited from competing in DP World Tour events, which can be problematic should LIV not ultimately be rewarded Official World Golf Ranking accreditation. LIV golfers had been able to earn OWGR points while playing in DP World Tour events as the case was still being decided. The ruling also likely ends the chances of LIV Golf players competing in the Ryder Cup.

For me, its tough to choose between the Masters and the US Open as the best. The Masters has the majesty, and they just do everything right with the tournament to every detail. The US Open has had some screw-ups, but I love most of the courses and getting to see them every few years, on top of the great challenge. The Open is right up there as a close 3rd. The PGA is great but a distant 4th as it mostly feels like a glorified Tour event. It barely justifies being a major.