EarthGolf

Mike Davis is sounding more and more like somebody who doesn’t belong at the USGA. He actually thinks. He actually doesn’t plan on having 8″ rough right off the fairway. He better be careful.

“I was just there Sunday-Monday, and it’s more lush than I think we’d kind of hoped,” said Mike Davis, the course set-up man for the USGA. Davis sent correspondence to Zimmers, telling him to send out the mowers once it stops raining. Last year at Winged Foot, the first step in the graduated rough was 3 ½ to 4 inches. He asked Zimmers to trim that first cut to 2 ¾ inches. The goal is to make it short enough so the players can show their skills. The week of the tournament, “It could be higher, it could be lower,” said Davis.

Should you happen upon this blog Mr. Davis, please, I beg you, don’t go higher. At Winged Foot it didn’t matter - the trees limited recovery shots to going back to the fairway 10 yards away. Let us see what these guys can do.

“It’s funny,” Davis said. “Honestly, I could care less what the winning score is, but what I really care is how the course plays with the weather we’re given. I generally think the winning score could swing up to 20 strokes. If we [get] four firm days with some breeze, absolutely 10 over could win…12 over could win. If we get four wet days with no wind, 8-10 under could win. I hope from my standpoint we get no rain; let us control the firmness. But we have no control over Mother Nature.”

OK, faithful blog readers, please do not let Fred Ridley see this! Mr. Davis doesn’t care what the winning score is? Hope lies eternal for the folks in Far Hills.

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