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2 days ago
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U.S. Open: The story behind the Oakmont Chainsaw Massacre
OAKMONT, Pa. — On the list of 'sounds you don't want to hear after midnight,' the angry whine of chainsaws is way high on the leaderboard. So in the early 1990s, when the wife of Oakmont's club pro, up in the small hours to feed her infant child, heard the distinctive buzz of chainsaws radiating out from the course, she asked her husband what on earth could be happening. Bob Ford, Oakmont's longtime professional, attempted to dodge his wife's question, but finally came clean: the trees that had enshrouded Oakmont for decades were coming down. Advertisement The Oakmont Chainsaw Massacre divided the posh private club, as well as the many pros who had battled its sloping fairways and rippling greens. But when the tree-ectomy was complete, when the course had been stripped nearly bare of its thick tree canopy, virtually everyone who came to the historic course understood: this was the original idea all along. Designed by a steel magnate, amateur golfer and genuine hard-head by the name of Henry Fownes, Oakmont was always meant to stand alone. Fownes intended the course, which opened in 1904, to resemble the links of Scotland. In Fownes' mind, vicious rough, scorecard-devouring bunkers and grease-slick greens would provide more than sufficient challenge. No trees were needed, so he cleared them out. Advertisement But as demanding as Fownes was, his son W.C. ratcheted up the tension and pressure even higher on Oakmont's players. The course's bunkers, already fearsome, frequent, deep and positioned to induce maximum fear, were raked in deep furrows, the Allegheny River sand carved by a hundred-pound rake called the 'Devil's Backscratcher.' 'The virility and charm of the game lies in its difficulties. Keep it rugged, baffling, hard to conquer, otherwise we shall soon tire of it and cast it aside,' W.C. Fownes allegedly once said. 'Let the clumsy, the spineless and the alibi artist stand aside!' For nearly six decades, the clumsy, the spineless and the alibi artists — whatever those are — made their way around the vast links of Oakmont as best they could. But in 1962 came a decisive moment, and not just because a young, pudgy kid named Jack Nicklaus knocked off legend and local hero Arnold Palmer in a playoff. Writing of Oakmont, Herbert Warren Wind — the journalist who created the term 'Amen Corner' — called the course an 'ugly, old brute.' That national shaming enraged Oakmont's members. Fred Brand Jr., also a member of the tree-laden Augusta National, undertook a mission to begin planting pines and pin oaks all over the property. More than 3,000 trees covered Oakmont by the time that Johnny Miller won the 1973 U.S. Open with a classic final round of 63, and thousands more blanketed the property by the time the tournament returned 11 years later. By 1993, more than 3,000 trees lined Oakmont. (Fred Vuich /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Fred Vuich via Getty Images) By then, it had become clear to many of Oakmont's more historically-minded members that in adding so many trees, something ineffable had been lost. No longer was Oakmont a Scottish challenge in western Pennsylvania; now it was simply one of hundreds of tree-lined courses, more distinguished by its name than its topography. Advertisement So in the early 1990s, a group of members began an audacious, borderline reckless plan — the slow removal of trees. The idea, apparently, was the frog-in-boiling-water theory, turning up the temperature degree by degree, winnowing the course tree by tree, so slowly that no one — in theory — would notice. But you can't really hide chainsaws, even if you clean up all the debris every single morning. So once the removal came to light, after an estimated 1,000 trees had vanished, Oakmont's remove-the-trees contingent pushed hard to get its way. The pro-tree contingent included a significant percentage of Oakmont's membership, as well as luminaries like Palmer, Nicklaus, Gary Player and Lee Trevino. Today, the only trees at Oakmont are the ones lining the outer edges of the property. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) But groundskeepers and course professionals believed in restoring Oakmont to Fownes' original vision, and over the course of 20 years, untold thousands of trees all over the course eventually came down. The course is magnificent in its stark, open beauty now, and in perhaps the best testament to the Chainsaw Brigade's mission, many other old-money courses around the country, like Shinnecock, the National Golf Links and Chicago Golf Club, have pursued tree-removal initiatives of their own. Advertisement 'I always regard Oakmont as the finishing school of golf,' Bobby Jones once said. 'If you have a weakness, it will be brought to light playing there. It is not tough because it is freakish. The holes are all fair. They are fundamental from an architectural and scientific point of view.' Today, you can stand at Oakmont's Scottish-inspired clubhouse and look out over the entire, sloping property. The Church Pews, the Piano Keys, the cut where the Pennsylvania Turnpike bisects the course — they're all out there, the vast emptiness making them all seem closer than they truly are. Oakmont hides nothing any more, because Oakmont has nothing to hide. The challenge is all right there in front of you. Just because you can see what's coming doesn't mean you can defeat it.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
The lurking menace of golf's Green Mile
A general view of the 18th green at Quail Hollow Country Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday, during the third round of the PGA Championship. - Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images They say the Masters doesn't really get going until the second nine on Sunday. The coveted Green Jacket has been won and lost many times over the years especially when the iconic three holes known as Amen Corner loom large. At Quail Hollow – the host venue for this year's PGA Championship – there's another trio of holes that have been conspiring to make plenty in the field here in North Carolina sweat profusely. Advertisement And it's not just down to the sweltering temperatures out there on the course! The last three holes at this famous Charlotte venue are known as the Green Mile. For some, it's one of the most difficult closing sequence of holes in the sport. In total, they measure just under 1,250 yards. The par-4 16th is a gargantuan 529 yards. It's followed by a 223-yard par-3 and the closing hole – also a par 4 – comes in at 494 yards. Water is a clear and present danger across all three holes. Simply put, it's a brutal test of every golfer's resolve and patience. Just ask Bryson DeChambeau. He was at 8-under par and making a real charge late in the day Saturday before the perils of the Green Mile kicked in. After two straight birdies, then came a bogey at 16 and a double bogey at 17. Advertisement 'It was just a tale of the wind going into me instead of downwind. It cost me three shots and that's what happens here at Quail Hollow,' the US Open champion said. The 31 year-old, who plays on the LIV Golf circuit, doesn't feel he did a whole lot wrong en route to a 2-under par third round 69 which only served to increase his frustrations. 'That's why golf is the worst four-letter word in the world,' DeChambeau lamented. Bryson DeChambeau follows his shot from the 17th tee on Saturday. - Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images The top-ranked player in the men's game is Scottie Scheffler. But even he is well aware of the threat posed by the Green Mile, although he navigated it well on Saturday as he powered his way into a three shot lead. Advertisement 'The approach shot into 16 is really tough. The tee shot on 17 is really tough. Then you've got 2 really challenging shots on 18 with the water on the left side,' Scheffler said. 'There's no real breathers in that stretch of holes and should make for a fun finish.' Fun is perhaps not the word Scheffler would have chosen after Thursday's opening round during which he, the recently-crowned Masters champion Rory McIIroy and this tournament's defending champion Xander Schauffele all double-bogeyed 16, albeit while battling demanding course conditions following the deluge of rain earlier in the week. McIIroy knows this course like the back of his hand. He's won four times at Quail Hollow during his storied career but even he found himself having to avoid a double bogey at the last on Friday to stay in the tournament for the weekend. In the end, the five-time Major winner achieved his goal but only after a bogey following one at 17 too. Advertisement Or take the plight of Justin Thomas who was the winner the last time the PGA Championship was played at Quail Hollow in 2017. Thomas – who won recently in South Carolina – failed to make the cut after two untimely bogeys in his last three holes. The Green Mile is not all doom and gloom though. It can even at times provide players with a big break when it comes to a stray rake. That was the experience of Venezuela's Jhonattan Vegas who led the tournament through the first two rounds. On Friday, the South American's drive at 17 was well off target before it struck a rake near a greenside bunker and then flew onto the green from where he would save par. Jhonattan Vegas plays his shot from the 17th tee on Saturday. - Maddie Meyer/PGA'It was one of those things that happens in the sport. Sometimes you get a sprinkler head that goes out-of-bounds or the cart path that goes out-of-bounds or sometimes you hit a rake that goes on the green,' the four-time PGA Tour winner reflected. Advertisement 'It's just part of the game, and you've just got to enjoy it all,' he added. Or how about the Ryan Gerard approach? The young American is playing in his first PGA Championship in his home state too. Gerard attended the University of North Carolina and as a college golfer, there was one sure way to try and conquer that daunting closing hole at Quail Hollow. 'I'll give you a fun anecdote. In 2018, so six months after the PGA, we came out here as preparation for the NCAA nationals, and our coach made all six of us go on 18 tee and everyone had to play the 18th hole until all six made a par and at the same time in the same group,' the 25 year-old told reporters. Advertisement 'So, we were out there for quite a while. I learned a lot about the 18th hole on that day, and I hope that carries forward into this week.' There's no question other factors will come into play during what's sure to be a tension-filled final round but we can be sure of one thing. It's highly likely Quail Hollow's notoriously demanding finishing stretch will go a long way in determining who will lift the famed Wanamaker Trophy come Sunday evening. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Masters 2025: Rory McIlroy goes from in the hunt to in hell again at Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga. — At this point, we have no one but ourselves to blame when Rory McIlroy rolls our hopes into Rae's Creek. We've had our hearts broken and our hopes shattered so many times, whether at St. Andrews or Los Angeles or Pinehurst or right here in Augusta. We know pulling for Rory to end his decade-plus-long major-less streak is bad for us, a vice that disguises itself as a virtue. We swear we're done with it — no more betting on McIlroy to win, no more pinning our emotional well-being on the most compelling player in the game today. We're done, we swear, no matter how tempting the odds. And then McIlroy goes and rolls through Amen Corner at four-under, even with Scottie Scheffler, even with every player in the field except Justin Rose. So we answer that text from our ex, we tell ourselves we can quit any time we want. We say to ourselves, This time's gonna be different. Really. And McIlroy responds by going four-over across three holes, plummeting from T2 down to T27, from 'in the hunt' to 'in hell.' McIlroy is such a fascinating player precisely because he's the most relatable player in the game today. At his best, he's a role model for self-assured excellence, but his best doesn't ever seem to show up when he needs it most. Thursday, McIlroy's game abandoned him precisely at the moment when he had a chance to close the gap on Rose, atop the leaderboard at 7-under. McIlroy was on the backside downslope of the par-5 15th, at -4 on the day, lying at two strokes on the hole. Not a perfect position, but a birdie was still well within reach. And then McIlroy hit the one shot he absolutely could not afford to do, firing a chip high and hot, skidding the ball across the green and over the edge into the water fronting the 15th. A double bogey followed. Rory chips into the — Fore Play (@ForePlayPod) April 10, 2025 Two holes later, on his approach to the 17th, he again hit the green hard, and the ball skidded far off the back slope, up to the edge of the gallery. His eventual par putt from 34 feet rolled six feet past the hole, and he two-putted from there for another double bogey. Finally, as if Augusta National wanted to twist the Masters-branded knife one last time, McIlroy's birdie chip on 18 rolled just inches right of the cup. A tap-in later, and McIlroy made yet another long late afternoon walk to the Augusta National clubhouse. Barely 11 hours before, no less an Augusta authority than Jack Nicklaus offered an analysis of McIlroy's struggles that, in retrospect, is spookily on target: 'The discipline is what Rory has lacked, in my opinion,' Nicklaus said. 'He's got all the shots. He's got all the game. He certainly is as talented as anybody in the game. But if you look, go back and see his history the last few years, he gets to a place a lot of times [and then] an 8 or a 7 pops up, and that keeps you from getting to where he needs to go.' There are a whole lot of players between McIlroy, who finished with an even par 72, and where he needs to go this week. Twenty-six players are ahead of him on the leaderboard, and another 10 are tied with him. That's a massive task in any circumstance, but with the weight of history looming around every pine, it feels damn near impossible. It's worth noting that the emotional rollercoaster that fans of McIlroy, golf and history ride whenever Rory is in the mix at a major are nothing compared to what he himself must be suffering. McIlroy declined to speak to the media after his round, but he tried to put his heartbreak in context earlier this week, explaining how he could go on after so many gutting disappointments. 'Once you go through that, once you go through those heartbreaks, as I call them, or disappointments, you get to a place where you remember how it feels and you wake up the next day and you're like, yeah, life goes on, it's not as bad as I thought it was going to be,' he said Tuesday. 'Life moves on. You dust yourself off and you go again.' McIlroy will go again Friday at 9:58 a.m. If history is any guide, he'll fight his way back into this, and his game will tempt us to believe once again. Proceed at your own risk, and with your eyes wide open.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
When is the Masters? Date, time, TV schedule at Augusta National
Golf fans wanting to watch the Masters Tournament in 2025 have a couple more options to see the men's first major of the season. In addition to the usual Masters TV coverage options on ESPN and CBS from past years, there are new Masters livestream options with early action over the weekend on Paramount+ in addition to usual offerings on Advertisement The Masters will again show action from the driving range early in tournament week, while streaming action throughout the course on tournament days. Here's a full list of dates and start times for the 2025 Masters, as well as how to watch practice, the Par 3 Contest and tournament rounds from Augusta National Golf Club. Tuesday, April 8 9-11 a.m. - On The Range, Wednesday, April 9 9-11 a.m. - On The Range, Noon-4 p.m. - Par 3 Contest, Noon-2 p.m. - Par 3 Contest, ESPN+ 2-4 p.m. - Par 3 Contest, ESPN Thursday, April 10 ― First Round On 7:30 a.m. - Honorary Starters Advertisement 8:30-10:30 a.m. - On The Range 8:45 a.m.-3:30 p.m. - Holes 4, 5 & 6 9:15 a.m.-7:30 p.m. - Featured Groups 10:45 a.m.-6 p.m. - Amen Corner 11:45 a.m.-7 p.m. - Holes 15 & 16 Broadcast Coverage 7 a.m.-10 p.m. - Radio Coverage, SiriusXM 1-3 p.m. - Welcome to the Masters, ESPN 3-7 p.m. - Live First Round Coverage, ESPN 11:35-11:50 p.m. - First Round Highlights, CBS Friday, April 11 ― Second Round On 8:30-10:30 a.m. - On The Range 8:45 a.m.-3:30 p.m. - Holes 4, 5 & 6 9:15 a.m.-7:30 p.m. - Featured Groups 10:45 a.m.-6 p.m. - Amen Corner 11:45 a.m.-7 p.m. - Holes 15 & 16 Broadcast Coverage 7 a.m.-10 p.m. - Radio Coverage, SiriusXM Advertisement 1-3 p.m. - Welcome to the Masters, ESPN 3-7 p.m. - Live Second Round Coverage, ESPN 11:35-11:50 p.m. - Second Round Highlights, CBS Saturday, April 12 ― Third Round On 10 a.m.-noon - On The Range 10:15 a.m.-7 p.m. - Featured Groups 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. - Holes 4, 5 & 6 11:45 a.m.-6 p.m. - Amen Corner 12:30-6:30 p.m. - Holes 15 & 16 Broadcast Coverage 8 a.m.-10 p.m. - Radio Coverage, SiriusXM Noon-2 p.m. - Live Third Round Coverage, Paramount+ 2-7 p.m. - Live Third Round Coverage, CBS Sunday, April 13 ― Final Round On 10 a.m.-noon - On The Range 10:15 a.m.-7 p.m. - Featured Groups 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. - Holes 4, 5 & 6 Advertisement 11:45 a.m.-6 p.m. - Amen Corner 12:30-6:30 p.m. - Holes 15 & 16 7 p.m. - Green Jacket Ceremony Broadcast Coverage 8 a.m.-10 p.m. - Radio Coverage, SiriusXM Noon-2 p.m. - Live Final Round Coverage, Paramount+ 2-7 p.m. - Live Final Round Coverage, CBS This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Masters TV schedule, streaming options, times for 2025 at Augusta National
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Where to watch The Masters: Tee times, TV, streaming, odds for golf's major at Augusta
If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Pricing and availability subject to change. Where to watch The Masters: Tee times, TV, streaming, odds for golf's major at Augusta The 2025 Masters Tournament -- the first of four annual majors on the PGA Tour -- is currently in the second round Friday at Augusta National golf club in Georgia. The field will be narrowed down to the top 50 golfers on the leaderboard (including ties) for the weekend in Rounds 3 and 4. Advertisement Entering the tournament, the favorite to wear the iconic green jacket was Scottie Scheffler, who's won the event two of the last three years and is currently the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world. Here's how you can watch, stream and more for the 2025 Masters Tournament this week: What channel is The Masters on? TV : ESPN, CBS Second round coverage for golf's inaugural major of the season is airing on ESPN starting at 3 p.m. and ending at 7:30 p.m. For the third and fourth rounds, the Masters shifts to CBS, where TV coverage will begin at 2 p.m. and finish at 7 p.m. on both days. How to stream 2025 Masters Streaming options: ESPN+, App and Paramount+ Advertisement When the Masters is airing on ESPN, streaming for the tournament can be found with nonstop coverage on either ESPN+ or simulcast on both app. Once the coverage shifts for the final two days of action, you can find the Masters streaming on Paramount+ on Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13 from 12-2 p.m. with simulcast on or the Masters app, another alternative option for all-day coverage. Watch 2025 Masters Tournament live on Fubo (free trial) 2025 Masters Second Round leaderboard, tee times Here's where you can find the current Masters leaderboard and Friday's tee times. How to watch on and Masters App From the Masters website, here's what fans watching from home and choosing to stream can anticipate seeing each day outside of the main feed of the tournament from these two options: Friday, April 11 App Featured Groups, 9:15 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Nos. 4, 5 and 6 Live: 8:45 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Amen Corner Live: 10:45 a.m.-6 p.m. Nos. 15 and 16 Live: 11:45 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, April 12 App Featured Groups, 10:15 a.m.-7 p.m. Nos. 4, 5 and 6 Live: 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Amen Corner Live: 11:45 a.m.-6 p.m. Nos. 15 and 16 Live: 12:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Sunday, April 13 App Featured Groups, 10:15 a.m.-7 p.m. Nos. 4, 5 and 6 Live: 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Amen Corner Live: 11:45 a.m.-6 p.m. Nos. 15 and 16 Live: 12:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Green Jacket Ceremony: 7-7:15 p.m. This article originally appeared on Where to watch The Masters: Tee times, TV, streaming
