Mike Report Day Three at the US Open

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:00:31

"After all the hype we heard about Shinnecock Hills in the wind, we finally got to experience it first hand on Saturday and it was quite a test. Let's say it lived up to the advance billing. The golf course played to the extremes. You couldn't do much more than just survive out there. The fairways were really hard and it was even if you did land in them, the ball would just scoot along and into the rough. If you managed to keep the ball in five or six fairways, you were doing great.

The greens were equally tough. There's hardly any grass left on them so they're very unpredictable. They're very bumpy and crusty, especially when you get above the hole. The only thing you can do is try to lag it down near the cup and hope it hits the right bump and goes in.

After my round, I was on the practice green trying to get a feel for how to play them and I tried one particular putt about 25 times before I got it in. I hit the putt the same way almost all the time but I got a different result on each one. Sometimes it would hit a bump, sometimes the wind would take it, it was amazing to watch. That's what could make the final round a real test.

One hole out there in particular, the seventh, is really nasty. The green slopes away from you and if you land it on the putting surface, most times it runs off the back. With how dry and crusty it is, it really looks almost purple - you just can't believe how severe it is. My playing partner, Corey Pavin, ended up long and left and with his chip, it rolled up above the hole, then stopped and then started rolling again. It almost went in the cup but dribbled down, past the cup and stopped about four feet away. If it had turned one more revolution, it would have been off the green again. I hit my putt from the other way with the wind blowing and it was all I could do to keep it close. Even my next one, a two-footer for par, was a real test.

Despite the conditions out there, I played well today overall. Considering that I wasn't hitting it that well coming in here, I'm very pleased with where I am. My putting was solid and I made pretty much everything from inside five feet. On these greens, that's amazing.

The only real blip on my day was the double on 11. I hit a poor tee shot there and ended up with a plugged lie in the bunker. All I could do with my first one was to advance it ahead in the bunker and I ended up with another plugged lie. On the shot out, I also hit some pebbles, which are in all the bunkers here. Those stop the spin on the ball and you can't get the ball to check up. Two more putts and it was an ugly five on the card.

But I was pleased with the way I battled back with two birdies in my final three holes. On 18, I took a bit of a risk, hitting driver there. I had to cut it back into the fairway so it would stay in the short grass and that left me with a sandwedge into the green. I hit it to about three feet and finished up with a birdie, which is always a nice way to end the day.

I'll need to play well tomorrow and that can be tough on this course. It's especially tough to try and get aggressive or to force birdies. But you can do it, just like I did on 18 today - that was an aggressive play for me. And Tim Clark shot 66 out there so a low round is possible. I just need to stay patient and focused, and take what the course will give me. If I can shoot two or three under, I think I'll have a great shot at winning this thing. We'll see what happens on Sunday!

As always, thanks for your support.
Mike"