USGA: United Screwers of Golfing Aficionados

Clever title, huh?

So the US Open concluded today. Lucas Glover won by two shots, and the crowd was absolutely indifferent as the winning putt settled into the cup. This was indicative of a crowd that had grown weary of everything this year's Open had brought with it. I'm not just talking about the weather, either; the people running this tournament REALLY screwed up.

Going day-by-day, rain fell hard on Thursday. Obviously, the weather was inevitable, but the information being given by the USGA was flat-out wrong. According to them, their initial goal was to start golf by 1:30 PM that day, and right off the bat, TV personalities ripped into it, saying it was impossible. Indeed it was; 1:30 PM what, Tehran time? Everyone knew that no more golf would be played that day, but the USGA tried to make its tournament The Little Engine That Might for a few hours while most of the people watching might not know of the big, multi-colored blob on the radar heading straight for Farmingdale, New York.

This, of course, led to the Thursday ticket controversy. I'm with the public on this; ticketholders should have been given rain checks without hesitation. This, after all, was being marketed as The People's Open, Version 2. Instead, the throng of people interested in seeing first-round golf were getting a bunch of stuffed shirts who didn't care about them after they forked over money for tickets, souvenirs, and food on the grounds. It may as well have been held at some snooty private club with mandatory trust funds for all spectators...you know, just like every other golf tournament on the schedule.

So they reverse their decisions, getting some positive press. Friday and Saturday happen, and then a USGA head honcho shows up on the Golf Channel Saturday night. He not only says he will work through the night to ensure good course conditions for Sunday, but pretty much guarantees that the field will play 36 holes despite, by his own admission, rainfall of up to two inches overnight. What was the plan, build a dome over Long Island so nothing gets in or out? Actually, that's one hell of an idea, but I digress.

Of course, weather delays the Sunday action until noon, and no mention of the sound byte is mentioned by NBC. It was tough to contain my amusement when the first tee announcer, God bless him, had to say, "This is the 7:21 PM tee time," while maintaining a straight face and demeanor. Obviously, they didn't sign up for two hours of filler on NBC, but given the quasi-controversy over the two waves of players and any advantages that may have existed, I really think delaying the final round until 8 AM Monday and sending players off of both tees was the right move. You get everyone on their way by 10, everyone comes in at 3, and there's time for an 18-hole playoff if necessary. I can understand what everyone was thinking, but I do disagree with it.

Yet again, the USGA never put the tournament first this weekend. I commend the grounds crew, which is one of the best in the world. I commend NBC and ESPN for not sounding TOO repetitive over the five days. I commend the golfers for putting up with a TON of mental angst, even more so than at a standard major, and I commend Lucas Glover for four days of great golf. But the USGA really dropped the ball this weekend, and in doing so, they showed the true colors of a group that's more concerned about politicking and putting up facades than about telling the truth. It's unfortunate that that's what I'll always remember this tournament for, and I can only hope it results in some change in how the USGA does business.