2005 US Open Championship

Hosted at Pinehurst No.2

Report and Opinion

I have been compelled to write this article as I believe further discussion is necessary concerning the good and bad points of this tournament, course and media coverage.

The course at Pinehurst No.2 had not been used for the US Open since the great Pane Stewart won it in 1999, only to tragically lose his life four months later. A very good reason for it being chosen for this years' tournament was the unveiling of his bronze tribute statue (showing his striking pose after sinking the Championship winning birdie putt on the 18th). Another reason may have been the difficulty of the course; very tight fairways, tall rough, and the much talked about 'turtle shaped greens' that only the very best approach shots would stick to.

Players and pundits had set the scene for the opening round by deciding that the course was going to play over-par, and for most players that's what happened. While it was both enjoying and fascinating watching the difficult time the top players in the world were having navigating their way through the course, several weaknesses in the course became apparent.

Maybe it's because I have been spoilt with the beauty and spectacular designs and settings of courses on the PGA Tour and in the area I live, but the course seemed aesthetically sterile and dare I say it 'poorly designed for the modern game'. The reasons for my opinion on this aspect of the course are that there is: no water in play, no trees in play (rather strange for a course lined by trees), and unfair greens.

NBC joins forces with ESPN for coverage. Firstly I would like to distance Andy North's preview and commentary, which was excellent, some of the others, however, fell short of the mark. No enthusiasm for the game was shown by parts of the commentary team and the narrative focused on statistics and how the hole had played the day before, dull at best.

Throughout the broadcast on Saturday, one of the team decided to repeatedly let the viewers know it felt like a Sunday to him and searched for other members to back him up (gratefully they didn't). Players such as Faldo, Azinger, Baker-Finch etc have provided much colour for the previous PGA events this year.

As a high-handicapper myself I was most pleased to follow the story of Olin Browne (ready to quit the game before shooting a 59 to qualify), and the new crowd favourite Jason Gore. Unfortunately after the start of the final round (and dropping off the pace) the director failed to show them until the last green. Please note director that some of your viewers would like to keep an eye on these players and to follow their story, even though they may not be having the best of days.

On the plus side, the tournament turned out to be an exciting experience with changes wild swings on the leaderboard and the battle between Woods and Campbell down the stretch. Many memorable rounds and moments (Peter Jacobsen's hole-in-one, the long par putts, David Toms double followed by a triple bogey finish on the second day), and the best player over the week, Michael Campbell won the trophy. New stars were born and old ones continued to impress.

Posted on 21/06/05 by Benzil