US Open digest: Oakmont's ‘superfast' greens putting the stimpmeter to the test
Edward Stimpson, a former Harvard golf team captain and a good amateur player who numbered the Massachusetts state championship among his wins, was a spectator at the US Open at Oakmont in 1935 where he saw Gene Sarazen putt off a green and, as an observer, felt an unfairness in it all.
Consequently, Stimpson developed a device made of wood that became known as the stimpmeter, an angled track which released the ball at a known velocity so that the distance it rolled on the green could be measured.
The United States Golf Association (USGA) redesigned the device in 1976 – when it was briefly known as a speed stick before reverting to being known as a stimpmeter – and to this day the device, simple in its methodology, provides information on the speed of greens.
READ MORE
Incidentally, a USGA survey in the 1970s estimated the average speed of greens on United States courses at 6.5. Nowadays, 8 is considered slow, 10 medium and 12 fast.
Here at Oakmont, the greens will be running closer to 15. Which would fall into the category, perhaps, of superfast.
No self-doubting for Justin Thomas
Although Scottie Scheffler might be a country mile ahead of everyone on the world rankings, Justin Thomas has made it a goal to claim the top spot again. Even this year.
Thomas, still looking out for number one, remarked: 'I'm sure some people will laugh, but if I can even catch him this year. Win however many tournaments the rest of the year, and maybe Scottie doesn't play or something,' said Thomas, whose return to form has seen him move from 19th at the start of the year to fifth.
'It's still on the forefront of my mind, and it's something that I'm working toward. I obviously can't do anything about what he's doing, and he doesn't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down or wanting to. [I'll] just try to go win some tournaments, and hopefully get close sooner rather than later,' said Thomas.
Replica trophy for the winner – but real money
The last man standing at Oakmont on Sunday evening – or Monday if the dire weather featuring thunderstorms hits over the weekend – will walk away with a collection of material gains.
Although the US Open trophy itself will remain in the USGA museum in New Jersey, the champion will be presented with a full-sized replica for his 12 months as champion and then receive a smaller replica for his trophy cabinet or kitchen island or wherever.
[
Oakmont designers wound the clock back 100 years to give iconic course a new feel for US Open
Opens in new window
]
The winner will also get a gold medal – which features the iconic image of Jack Nicklaus's swing, presented to the champion since 1985 – along with a wheelbarrow of greenbacks. Bryson de Chambeau won $4.3 million last year. This year's purse has yet to be announced.
Playing privileges beyond the material wealth will include a 10-year exemption into the US Open and five-year exemptions to the other three Majors.
Jason Day of Australia on a practice round before the US Open at Oakmont Country Club on Thursday. Photograph:Clothes maketh the golfer
As a golfing clotheshorse, Jason Day is clearly intent on breaking away from the traditional argyle checks and suchlike.
Day – who has a sponsorship deal with
Malbon
, a relatively new golf clothing company founded in 2017 – may be Australian but he coolly sported shorts akin to the United States flag in his practice round at Oakmont, which made him very much one of a kind.
The clothing company has been making bold statements with its sense of style – but it has not found favour with everyone. At last year's Masters, Day was asked to remove the oversized sweater he sported in the tournament.
Quote
'I don't think people turn the TV on to watch some of the guys just hit like a 200-yard shot on the green, you know what I mean? I think they turn on the US Open to see a guy shooting 8-over and suffer. That's part of the enjoyment of playing in the US Open for viewers.'
– Xander Schauffele
.
By the Numbers: 96
Adam Scott will extend his sequence of playing in consecutive Major championships to 96 at the US Open, a run that stretches back to the 2001 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes. In that time, Scott has made the cut in 72 of the 95 Majors he has played in, his only win coming in the 2013 Masters.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Irish Times
Leona Maguire leads three-strong Irish contingent at AIG Women's Open
Leona Maguire brings some very strong form into the AIG Women's Open at Royal Porthcawl, as the 30-year-old Cavan golfer heads a three-strong Irish contingent in the season's final Major, with Kildare's Lauren Walsh and Dubliner Anna Foster also seeking one of the sport's top prizes. The R&A has increased the prize money for the event to a record €8.46 million ($9.75 million), more than doubling the purse since 2019 when the R&A and title sponsors AIG began their partnership of the championship. This is the 49th year of the championship which has yet to produce an Irish winner, although Maguire – competing in the event for a ninth time – was leading amateur in 2016 and contended strongly at Muirfield in 2022 before ultimately finishing fourth behind South Africa's Ashleigh Buhai. Maguire's form has seen an upturn of late, with top-10s in both the KPMG Women's PGA and the Amundi Evian Championship, and she again has veteran caddie Phil 'Wobbly' Morbey on her bag after a strong start to their new partnership at last week's Scottish Open. READ MORE Walsh, currently 15th on the LET order of merit, missed the cut at St Andrews last year but has five top-10s so far this season, while LET rookie Foster, who has veteran caddie Brian Byrne on her bag, earned her place in the field with an impressive performance in final qualifying at the nearby Pyle & Kenfig earlier this week. The spotlight, though, is very much on emerging star Lottie Woad , who won the KPMG Irish Open as an amateur earlier this month and won the ISPS Handa Scottish Open on her professional debut last week. Lottie Woad after winning the 2025 Women's Scottish Open at the Dundonald Links, Irvine. Photograph: Steve Welsh/PA Nelly Korda , the world number one, isn't used to being overshadowed. Neither is Lydia Ko , the Olympic gold medallist. Yet, they are on this occasion, with Woad's name on everyone's lips. Even Korda's, it would seem: 'Absolutely amazing,' said the American of Woad's impact. 'I was very impressed with her composure, her process. I think, when it comes to her shot routine, especially under pressure and in the heat of the moment. 'Sometimes people seem to fidget and kind of doubt themselves, but she stuck to it, she stuck to her process every single time, and I think one of the main things that I noticed is how mature she is for her age and how comfortable she was in the heat of the moment.' For her part, Ko remarked of Woad: 'I don't know a lot about her game personally, but the little that I've seen, she seems super impressive and has that kind of cool, calm, collected demeanour, and that's, I think, pretty important as a player. She's kind of come out with a bang, and I'm sure she's going to keep continuing to play well.' Woad had Dermot Byrne on her bag in Scotland but will have her coach Luke Bone on duty this week on the Welsh coast. Of being installed as championship favourite in just her second appearance as a professional, Woad said: 'I don't know how they do it, but I feel like I'm playing well, so I guess I was going to be one of the favourites. Obviously, everyone's so good, so I feel like anyone can win really.' Ireland's Lauren Walsh and Anna Foster during a practice round ahead of the AIG Women's Open at Royal Porthcawl. Photograph:Lowdown Purse: €8.46 million (€1.26 million to the winner) Where: Porthcawl, Mid Glamorgan, Wales. The course: Royal Porthcawl – par 72, 6,748 yards – is a classic links originally designed by Ramsay Hunter which opened for play in 1898 and was then modified by legendary course architect Harry Colt. In more recent years, Martin Ebert – the R&A's go-to man for upgrades – made changes so it will provide a tough championship examination. The par-4 16th – played from an elevated tee to a heavily bunkered fairway – effectively starts a difficult run for home. The field: For what is the fifth and final Major of the LPGA Tour season, the AIG Women's Open has attracted a stellar entry headed by world number one Nelly Korda, with Lydia Ko defending the title. So far this season three of the four Majors have been won by first-time champions: Mao Saigo (The Chevron), Mai Stark (the US Women's Open) and Grace Kim (the Evian), with only Minjee Lee's success in the KPMG Women's PGA – her third Major win – going to a multiple champion. Quote-Unquote: 'We've kind of spoken of the game plan and learned from what he was challenged with [at Royal Portrush]. It's kind of stay out of those pot fairway bunkers and just play as safe as possible, really try to hit as many fairways, that's kind of the goal for this week.' – Royal Porthcawl home hope Darcey Harry on having her boyfriend, DP World Tour player Jacob Skov Olesen, on her bag this week having featured at The Open at Royal Portrush. Irish in the field: It's a further indication of the ongoing evolution of Irish women professionals that there are three players competing in the Major. Lauren Walsh is in a group with Dongeun Lee and Anna Huang (teeing off at 6.41am); Leona Maguire is grouped with Andrea Lee and Amy Yang (7.58am), and Anna Foster is in a three-ball with Amelia Garvey and Emma Spitz (3.11pm). Weather eye: There is a chance of heavy rain Thursday morning with wind gusts of up to 25mph, meaning tricky conditions for the early starters. Strong winds are likely to continue on Friday with gusts of 25-30mph, although conditions should be dry. Sunshine expected throughout the weekend, with some scattered showers possible on Sunday. Betting: Lottie Woad's blitzkrieg start to her professional career in winning the Scottish Open, having already won the KPMG Women's Irish Open as an amateur earlier this month, has seen the English golfer installed as 6-1 favourite ahead of world number one Nelly Korda and Jeeno Thitikul who are both rated 9-1 shots. Better value, though, can be found further down the market with Lydia Ko at 33-1. Leona Maguire has shown good form of late and is also an each-way look at 55-1. In terms of long shots, Amelia Garvey is available at 200-1 plus and is worth a look. On TV: Live on Sky Sports Golf from 12pm.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
Emma Fleming looking to join illustrious list of winners of AIG Women's Amateur
The pathway from the amateur ranks to the professional circuits has become something of a conveyor belt in recent years, evidenced by the fact that six of the last eight winners of the AIG Women's Amateur Championship – which gets under way at Ardee Golf Club in Co Louth today – have since moved on to the paid ranks. Olivia Mehaffey (2016), Sara Byrne (2018, 2023), Annabel Wilson (2019), Anna Foster (2021) and Canice Screene (2024) all have playing privileges on either the LET or Epson Tour, or both, or on the development LET Access circuit. That move from the amateur to professional has been aided by Golf Ireland's structuring of late and among those competing in Ardee – where 36 holes strokeplay qualifying will be see the leading 16 players in the women's and also the girls' championships move on to the matchplay phase on Thursday and Friday. One of the favourites for the women's title is Irish international Emma Fleming from Elm Park who recently made the cut in the KPMG Irish Open at Carton House and earlier this year won the prestige Victorian Women's Amateur Championship in Australia, which will earn her an invite – as an amateur – to play in a professional tour event down under late this year. READ MORE Fleming is a business and economics student at UCD and any move into the professional ranks is on hold for the time being: 'I'll definitely finish my degree. I'm probably leaning towards the academic route now. My family are very academically based, and I want to have at least a backup.' For this week, though, the priority for Fleming will be to add her name to a historic trophy. Victor Dubuisson makes generous gesture on Alps Tour Ever the enigma, former Ryder Cup player Victor Dubuisson – who retired from the DP World Tour in 2023 – refused to accept the winner's cheque after winning the Biarritz Cup on the Alps Tour, where he was playing on a sponsor's exemption. Victor Dubuisson of France. Photograph: Warren Little/Getty The principal beneficiary of Dubuisson's gesture was Spanish runner-up Jorge Maicas who instead claimed the €7,600 top prize on the development tour, while Galway's Ronan Mullarney – who finished third – got the €5,400 second prize. Mullarney is currently sixth on the Alps Tour order of merit. Dubuisson (35) was a two-time winner of the Turkish Airlines Open on the DP World Tour (2013 and 2015) and played Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in 2014. He called his decision not to take the prizemoney 'a gesture of personal principle.' Word of Mouth 'It's the thing that gets me up in the morning. Whether it's a good day, bad day, it's the thing that drives me on' – Matt Wallace after his third-place finish in the 3M Open on the PGA Tour on how his bid to make the Europe Ryder Cup team acts as his main incentive. Wallace is currently 11th on the European standings. The six leading players qualify automatically (with Rory McIlroy already qualified in top spot), with captain Luke Donald then selecting six picks to complete the 12-man team for Bethpage. By the Numbers: 1-3-1 Lottie Woad of England poses with the trophy following victory of the ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open. Photograph: Kate McShane/Getty That's the formline of Lottie Woad in her last three outings: the 21-year-old won the KPMG Irish Open (as an amateur), finished third in the Evian Championship (as an amateur) and won the ISPS Handa Scottish Open (in her professional debut). On this day: July 29th, 2001 David Gossett holds the trophy after winning the 2001 John Deere Classic. Photograph: Scott Halleran/Allsport When David Gossett won the John Deere Classic, it was – everyone believed – the start of great things. It wasn't to be for the one-time child prodigy, who'd won the 1999 US Amateur and starred for Texas Tech in the collegiate golf circuit had moved onto the then on turning professional. Gossett's only win on the PGA Tour came in the John Deere Classic where, playing on a sponsor's exemption, a closing 65 for 265 at TPC Deere Run gave him a one-stroke winning margin over Briny Baird which gave him a full card exemption through to the end of 2003. His winner's cheque was to prove a career best of $504,000. 'Starting the week, I felt good about my golf game and got myself in good position, then to sleep two nights with the lead and [just] go out and play good golf, play solid,' said the 22-year-old who became the seventh first-time winner on the PGA Tour that season and would even break into the world's top 100. However, that would prove to be his only tour success and Gossett eventually changed career when he became a real estate agent in Nashville. Social Swing Congratulations @LottieWoad so pleased for you and team Woad .. Absolute ⭐ Enjoy the drive to Wales!! 🍾 – Justin Rose History! Amazing day at Lahinch Golf Club as member Jonathan Keane wins the South of Ireland 🏆! There were fantastic crowds out for what was a terrific match Vs Dundalk's Caolan Rafferty, coming down to the final putt Big thank you to — Lahinch Golf Club (@LahinchGolfClub) History! Amazing day at Lahinch Golf Club as member Jonathan Keane wins the South of Ireland 🏆! There were fantastic crowds out for what was a terrific match Vs Dundalk's Caolan Rafferty, coming down to the final putt. Big thank you to @PierseMotors for their continued support – Lahinch Golf Club quite rightly hailing Keane's win. Some man @Padraig_h 🏆 ☘️ – Shane Lowry salutes Pádraig Harrington's ISPS Handa Senior Open success. The Senior Open success at Sunningdale followed his US Senior Open win at Colorado Springs for back-to-back majors on the Champions Tour. In the Bag Lottie Woad - ISPS Handa Scottish Open Driver: Titleist TSR3 (9 degrees) 3-wood: Titleist GT2 (15 degrees) Hybrids: Titleist TSR2 (18 and 21 degrees) Irons: Titleist T150 (5-PW) Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (50, 54 and 58 degrees) Putter: Odyssey Rossie Ball: Titleist 2025 Pro V1 Know the Rules Q In a match whilst waiting to play on a Par 3, a player gets their caddie to lift the towel covering the opponent's clubs to see which club their opponent is going to use. What is the ruling? A The player loses the hole, with the action of lifting the towel to see the club used critical. Such a situation is covered by Rules 10.2a and 10.3c: A player must not touch another player's equipment to learn information that would be advice if given by or asked of the other player. A player is also responsible for their caddie's actions.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
Final Major of season the perfect stage for Lottie Woad to confirm her arrival as golf's new superstar
Just one major remains this season, with that honour falling to the AIG Women's Open at Royal Porthcawl in Wales. It will bookend a year in which one player completed the career Grand Slam – none other than Rory McIlroy . It has also been a season that saw Scottie Scheffler claim two of the men's championships, taking home the Wanamaker Trophy as PGA champion and the Claret Jug for his success in the Open at Portrush . That's the men's side of things, with the world's one and two the dominant figures. The women's season has primarily been a story of breakthroughs, with Mao Saigo (Chevron Championship), Maja Stark (US Open) and Grace Kim (Evian Championship) all winning their first majors. Minjee Lee's success in the KPMG Women's PGA – her third major win – was the only one that went to a multiple champion. There is a strong sense of anticipation about what awaits on the Welsh coast this week. Lottie Woad's seismic arrival on to the women's professional circuit has the feel of a superstar emerging before our eyes. As the long-time world amateur number one, Woad (21) – winner of the Augusta National women's amateur championship last year and a star turn in Britain and Ireland's Curtis Cup win – had been flagged as one to watch. READ MORE However, the English star's win in the KPMG Irish Women's Open at Carton House kicked off the sort of hot form line that only someone like Nelly Korda has managed in recent years on the LPGA Tour. Woad followed that Irish Open win with a third-placed finish in the Evian – a major. That form saw her earn a full LPGA Tour card through the elite pathway route. She brought that momentum to Dundonald Links, where she won the KPMG Scottish Open on her professional debut. Woad is already in the top 25 on the Rolex world rankings. Her swift impact on the professional game has added a new dimension to women's golf. It must be close to certain that Anna Nordqvist will pencil her in for next year's Solheim Cup in the Netherlands. Woad has acquired veteran caddie Dermot Byrne, who previously caddied for Shane Lowry and Leona Maguire . The partnership has been very successful so far and there is a further Irish connection as Novellus, a Dublin finance institution, is one of her main sponsors. Lottie Woad with her caddie Dermot Byrne during the final round of the Women's Scottish Open at Dundonald Links Golf Course last weekend. Photograph:Of her seamless transition from an amateur to tour life, Woad remarked: 'I think just getting experience is great. I played a lot of majors and pro events before [winning in Scotland]. So it wasn't all new, really. I think the more experiences you give yourself, the better.' While she is the new poster girl for women's professional golf and clearly has an exciting journey ahead, there are others who will be looking to find a major breakthrough at Royal Porthcawl. Among them will be three Irish players. Leona Maguire has hit decent form of late, with top-10s in each of the last two majors. She has fond memories of this part of Wales having won her Amateur Championship title at nearby Pyle & Kenfig in 2017. The two other Irish players in the field for the season's final major are Lauren Walsh, who earned her place off the LET current season order of merit, and rookie Anna Foster, who earned her place in the field through final qualifying at Pyle & Kenfig. On the PGA Tour, this week's Wyndham Championship is the final event of the regular season before the leading 60 players move on to the FedEx Cup playoffs (Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are among those guaranteed to progress). However, Séamus Power will need to deliver something special at Wyndham as he is currently 130th in the rankings. That leaves him in a fight to retain full playing privileges, which go the top 100 in the rankings. With no event on the DP World Tour this week, the focus is on the Scottish Challenge at Roxburghe on the HotelPlanner Tour where Max Kennedy, Liam Nolan, Daniel Mulligan, Alex Maguire, Mark Power, Dermot McElroy and Jonathan Caldwell are in the field.
