Every day this event just gets bigger (and better).
The tournament is heaving by round three – the fact that we park and ride from 20km’s away from the course tells you how many people stream in here.
And there’s hardly a queue to be had. It’s so professional run, you don’t feel like a sardine.
It was a bit of a gloomy day out there. Some wind and even a drizzle at times. I thought the course would soften up and we’d see some really low scores but it had the opposite effect. A walk down to the first green told me everything I needed to know – the first bounce was so hard, it was an eye opener and a sign of things to come.
Let’s also pause for a minute to appreciate just how small the greens are. My backyard is bigger than most! It makes you think about every yard on your approach because the landing area and target spot becomes increasingly smaller.
Another tremendous day @usopengolf @PebbleBeachGolf despite the cold weather, looking forward to the final round and hope to witness king @Louis57TM lifting that trophy! ??#BentsintheUSA pic.twitter.com/CHbY5MT4ka
— Chris Bentley ?? (@CJBents) June 16, 2019
Justin Walters agreed. I chatted with him after his round and he described how much quicker and harder the course was playing. That first bounce made getting close to the hole just so much tougher.
Louis’ in a tremendous position to snatch this one. I really believe he’s going to make a real Sunday run at this one. Every round, his shot making is improving and he’s getting more and more out of what he wants to do with every club in the bag. He hardly missed a fairway today.
But obviously, this course will have its say. You can’t just bash the ball around, it’s a thinking course where you have to plot your day wisely and manage that first bounce on every green.
Just six guys left really … for me, Gary Woodland has a lot to do and I can’t see him holding on. The biggest threats to a Louis win are his own mistakes, Justin Rose, Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy.
I spoke a little about the course setup and how the USGA didn’t need any bad press this week – and they’ve achieved that. The course has allowed the best the environment to show off their skills and the red numbers tell you it’s been a good event.
Off the course, I lucked into an informal lunch with a true golf legend Nick Price and also had a meeting with a golf consultant. It was great but the kicker was that we were chatting in one of the private homes on the course overlooking the second green. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Tomorrow can’t come soon enough – it’s Louis’ time.
