Ernie’s US Open Preview

14 Jun

I was disappointed to miss the cut in Memphis last week. TPC Southwind is one of the tougher tracks that we play outside of the Major Championships and I hit a lot of quality shots out there and felt like I rolled the ball nicely on the greens.

In both rounds, though, every birdie was matched by a bogey; five of each on Thursday and three of each on Friday, when I also had a double-bogey thrown into the mix. To sum up, little mistakes here and there continue to cancel-out a lot of the good work that I’m doing. As I’ve said a few times recently, that lack of consistency is reflected in the up-and-down pattern of my scoring these past few weeks.

You have to maintain your belief and just keep grinding, keep working hard on your game as I am at the moment, because honestly things can click together in the space of one round. It happened when I won the 1997 US Open; I’d missed the cut at the Kemper Open the week before, but as soon as I arrived at Congressional I started hitting it great and…well, the rest is history. Funnily enough, I’m back at that great old golf course again next week for the Quicken Loans National, which means I get to play both of the venues for my two US Open wins in successive weeks, which is pretty nice!

This week and this report, though, is naturally all about Oakmont. I’d have been looking forward to this week even if I hadn’t won here, but there’s always going to be an extra buzz for me because of what happened in 1994. That was a while ago now, so I don’t mind being reminded of it now and then and, understandably, that’s happened quite a lot in the build-up to this week. Of the many articles published, Lorne Rubenstein and the USGA have been kind enough to let us post this one here, which includes a video showing some highlights from 1994. Just click here to view.

Those of you with long enough memories will remember that Oakmont was brutal that week and the weather was unbelievably hot. In fact, by Monday we were all very hot and bothered and the start of the playoff was a bit of a debacle, but I managed to shoot three-over-par on what I thought at the time was the most difficult golf course I’d ever seen. Monty obviously struggled and then Loren and myself went into sudden death; it was a long, tough day. The key to the whole week, though, was my putting. Even to this day I don’t think I’ve ever putted better from inside 8-10 feet than I did that whole week.

US Open win 1994

Enough reminiscing. We need to talk about Oakmont 2016, not Oakmont 1994. We arrived here on Monday and it’s really wonderful to be back. I still place this golf course in my top-5 in the world, although as I mentioned in last week’s report it’s a different course now to what it was 22 years ago. They completely renovated the course for the 2007 US Open and when we came back that week you almost couldn’t recognise it. They’d removed some 7,000 trees – and I believe a similar number of trees have been removed in the period from 2007 to now – so you’ve got much more of an expansive view across this undulating property. It brings Oakmont back to what we’re told is more like its original character. Personally, I think the alterations are tremendous, and they have grown in nicely.

You can definitely see that. The course looks more mature, like it’s been this way for a while, and it is in incredible shape. The fairways are about the same width as in ’07 and there are three distinct cuts of rough, while the fast, undulating greens are protected by some serious bunkering. Overall, I still maintain the view that Oakmont is probably the hardest golf course I’ve ever played, but it is a fair test. It wouldn’t be surprising if an over-par score wins, as was the case when Angel Cabrera won here on five-over. Actually, he and I can reminisce about our Oakmont wins because we’re paired together in the first two rounds alongside another former US Open champion Jim Furyk, teeing off at 1.58pm on Thursday and 8.13am on Friday. It’s a nice draw.

As always in the Majors the goal for me between now and then is getting prepared mentally and physically for the challenge to come, without expending too much energy. Any US Open, but especially the US Open at Oakmont, is a demanding week and you need to be fresh and you need to have your wits about you. Throughout my career I’ve always liked tough golf courses and if I play properly, I definitely have a great chance. I’m really looking forward to the challenge and will obviously be giving it 100 per cent every step of the way.

Just before signing off, I want to send big congrats to all the guys at Ernie Els Wines on some wonderful ratings in the latest issue of ‘Insider’ from the prestigious Wine Spectator magazine. The editorial team has named the most exciting wines to get your hands on before they sell out and the Ernie Els Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 was among the selected wines from South Africa, scoring an impressive 92 points. It’s the latest in a string of outstanding ratings for Ernie Els Wines, with a total of 36 scores of 90-plus across our portfolio in the last 13 years, confirming the winery’s uncompromising commitment to quality and excellence. So if you’re looking to treat your dad on Father’s Day this Sunday, or simply treat yourself to a fine bottle of red as you watch the US Open golf this week, then Ernie Els Wines has what you need! Click here for a list of distributors in your area.

Okay, that’s it for now. You can follow me on Twitter @TheBig_Easy.

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