Capelle On Golf

Phil was fantastic
Phil Mickelson stepped to the tee for the second round knowing that his time had come, that if he was going to contend for his first Open and keep his Slam hopes alive, that it was time to deliver the goods. After nearly holing his birdie chip on one, he scored one of only 17 birdies to be had in 312 attempts on #2, a par 5 masquerading as a 4 thanks to the USGA’s must cut par somewhere policy. That kick started a run of 5 birdies in 7 holes and a front nine of 31. His one under back nine was a lesson in percentage U.S. Open golf as he scored one birdie and the rest pars. His total: a tournament low of 66, two below the next best. So, with this big time round for the ages Mickelson showed that he could be more than ready to exorcise the Open demons that have haunted him since 1999’s initial heartbreaker. Let’s hope the sixth time is a charm.

Ian Poulter, Mr. Unlucky
After two rounds Poulter is at plus one, four back. But if the golf gods had not stepped in and messed with his card he would be -3, and tied for the lead. Here is the scoop: on 11 his approach hit the flag and careened back down in front of the green, leading to bogey. Then on the diabolical 14th, an excellent wedge approach that landed within 10 feet caught a slippery slope, leading to a completely unjust 8. To his credit, Poulter birdied the next, then played two under on his remaining 12 holes with nary a bogey.

Watson, please go away
I am so sick of seeing and hearing about Tom Watson during this Open I could scream. This is a sporting event, not a documentary. And the TV folks owe it to us to show those in contention, not relics of the past. And yet, throughout the first 36 holes we were forced to watch Watson’s shots (who made the cut by a shot at +7) instead of playing partner Ryo Ishikawa’s (who is tied for second at -1) at a rate of about 10 Watson’s for every 1 of Ryo’s. What a farce!

Chris Berman is fun
I used to wonder what this loud mouth was doing on a golf telecast, then I started to listen more carefully and I came to realize what fun this guy is. An example: Mickelson’s tee shot on the 8th came to a halt within 10 feet from the edge of the cliff. After his second shot Berman said that the “divot must be half way to Malibu.” Clever. Then, after Mickelson holed his birdie putt and the grandstands erupted, he said it looked like a “Niner’s game,” referring to San Francisco’s football team while paying respects to the locals. As for the scorecards they show so often, his explanation was classic: “Circles good, boxes are bad.” No excessive verbiage there. I will miss Mr. Enthusiasm on the weekend.

Seismic shift in the odds
How is this for a roller coaster: on the eve of the U.S. Open, Mickelson was listed at 8-1. After an opening 75 that easily could have been 3-4 shots lower, the oddsmakers dropped him to 20-1, these men of little faith, Now, after his second round of five under, Ladbrokes has Mickelson listed at Tiger-like odds of 7/4. Meanwhile, Woods, who trails the leader by 7 shots and is tied for 25th, is available at 25/1 after opening at 8/1!

Thank you, USGA, for the horrific 14th
Call this rant #2 about the second worst hole in major championship history, to be surpassed only by that par 3 at 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock. Here is the latest proof as the admonition: Y.E Yang, ranked #20 in the world, scored an 8. Yang shot at 67 on the front, and an 89 on the back nine in two days of play. Poulter, #8 in the WGR, also made an 8. Paul Casey, #9 in the WGR, scored an 8. Minus those three shots he would be tied for first. Finally, Zach Johnson, #16 in the WGR, ping-ponged his way to a 9, leaving him just inside the cut line at +7. Folks, that is four of the world’s top 20 making 8s or 9s. That should tell you something. The solution is so easy - all the USGA needed to do was grow a protective collar of round around the left and rear sides of the green, rather than going with those shaved banks they seem to have fallen overly in love with.

McDowell is your leader, for now
Graeme McDowell is the leader for now. And he appears to have some major championship game in him, having finished in the top 20 in five of his last seven majors. Problem is, he’s got the GM curse working against him. After 36 holes of the 1992 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, Gil Morgan led eventual winner Tom Kite by eight shots before closing with rounds of 77-81. Let’s hope that a better fate awaits the likeable Mr. McDowell.