The 2018 US Open is in the Brooks. And what a spectacle we were treated to as the historic layout at Shinnecock Hills tested every facet of the pros game - even their ability to follow the rules. In a week where difficult pin placements, run-off greens and super slick greens took many of the headlines the ultimate finger for the tough setup was pointed at the USGA and their effort to return the US Open to its traditional identity as a venue that identifies the best golfer out there. While many feel they let the course get away from them and become too hard I applaud their effort to make the pros make pars. In a game that often sees ridiculously low scores today it is reassuring to see the world's best players can still face a challenge that even they can't beat into submission. The action on Sunday's final round was tense as golf's biggest and brightest names vied for the lead. Tommy Fleetwood - arguably Europe's best player right now, Patrick Reed, Dustin Johnson, Tony Finau, and Brooks Keopka. With the course playing a little easier than the previous day due to more water on the greens birdies were less scarce. And while the pros made their charge it was Whiny Little Pitch who was conducting a full on frontal assault on the fantasy tour. Whiny had Fleetwood leading the charge with his final round 63 on Sunday to nearly force Keopka into a playoff. And along with the play of Rose Whiny rose to the top and took down her closest competitor by just 4 points. It was a big win for Whiny as it marks both her second major championship and second US Open as she also won the 2016 Open at Chambers Bay. This is Whiny's 7th career win and she is certainly making a case for a hall of fame career. She is now in second place for the spring segment with one week to go. If she can overcome the 58 point deficit between her and Miss Daisy she'll have completed the biggest segment of her career and first segment championship.
Notables
Halve Ouimet was only one of two teams at the US Open to go with the European stud Tommy Fleetwood. And with Whiny being the only other team with Fleetwood both teams finished 1-2 on the back of the young star's stellar performance and second place bonus points. He was chasing down his second career major with his lone title coming at the 2014 Open Championship. Ouimet has been rebounding as of late after a rocky patch halfway through the spring but is on the rise once again. He's regained his overall second place position and is closing the gap on Miss Daisy. He's solidly secured a top 10 finish for the spring segment and collected his 14th Top 10 and 6th Top 3 of the season. He's having a banner year so far and the 5th year vet looks to add to the bank roll.
DaHoffa is on the verge of turning around his spring slump as he recorded a third place finish at Shinnecock which is his second of the segment and 5th of 2018. It's also his second Top 10 consecutive weeks after going 5 weeks prior to that with a single Top 10 showing. DaHoff reenters the overall Top 10 for the first time since mid April. He's already got one win on the season but needs to make a run for another if he wants to match his best year for wins with 2 (2016, 2017) and best year for earnings ($74 - 2016). By his standards Gophers is having a down year. It speaks to the man's raw talent that 12 Top 10s would be one ingredient of a down year but he hasn't been able to close, let a alone get in a position to even close, as he's only had 1 Top 3 all year. Entering the season he was tied for 6th all time with 14 Top 3s in his career but he's fallen sharply off the pace. The former Jackson Cup Champ has never had a year where he's made less than $60 but if he continues the current trend this could be his first goose egg. But given his history that outcome is unlikely. His second Top 10 in a row means he's trending in the right direction. Look for Gophers to turn things around and regain his winning ways now that summer is here.
Tourball, who was the defending champ this year after his stunning victory at Erin Hills last year, was the only player to field Brooks Keopka. It was a bold move picking the
defending champ as there hadn't been a successful defense of the US Open since Curtis
Strange in 1989. But in a sense he was betting on himself - a defending champ in search of back to back wins. He got half of the equation right as Brooks defended successfully but Tourball fell short of his goal with a 16th place finish and 3 missed cuts. There's always next year's US Open at Pebble Beach.
Short Strokes is back! Kinda. On Sunday he concluded a solid week and, even more so, he continued an incredible 5 week run. In those 5 weeks he's 5-for-5 in Top 10s and now has 7 for the spring segment. By finishing inside the top 10 in over half the segment's tournaments he's risen to 12th for the segment and 12th for the season. It's a far cry from his winning ways over the previous two years but he's certainly making strides in the right direction after a massive early season slump. Like Gophers, Short Strokes only has 1 Top 3 on the season and is in danger of finishing with a zero dollar paycheck. But that outcome is also unlikely as the former champ seems to have regained his swing.
Eat My Grind has certainly fallen from grace as he began the spring in second place and now finds himself in 13th overall. He started out the season with such promise - winning 3 tournaments in the first 10 weeks with 6 Top 3s and 7 Top 10s. Since then he's had 3 Top 10s and 1 Top 3 and has drastically put himself out of the season race. Grind dug deep on Sunday though came up with a 5th place finish in one of the season's biggest events. In a week where picking guys who would make the cut was the biggest challenge he found his groove which could mean he's trending in the right direction.
Kikakee Tees is quietly having himself a nice little spring. In 11 weeks time he's carded 8 Top 10s and 1 win. He's been nothing if not consistent each week and has risen in the standings overall (slightly) and will finish inside the top 5 for the segment (most likely). Kikakee has been honing his game and will enter the summer segment on the right foot.
Race for the Spring Segment
It's been quite the race over the past 11 weeks as Driving Miss Daisy has been in the driver seat for much of the way. She has been on an absolute tear this segment and she has incredibly collected 9 Top 10s in the past 9 weeks! By my calculation this feat has never been done before and it's (in all likelihood) a new record in the First Timers League. Miss Daisy is certainly cruising and has a 58 point lead over Whiny Little Pitch with one week to go.
Talkeetna98 had an unfortunate slip up at the US Open when both his A players and 1 C player missed the cut. It was a devastating blow for the one time segment leader as he was hunting down his first career segment championship. His picks of Rory and J Day didn't pan out as both players left before the weekend came. He must have had immediate regret when he saw Tiger triple bogey the first hole on Thursday. Talkeetna98 is now 65 points back of Miss Daisy and not without a hope but it would certainly take something magical.
NEXT UP is the Travelers Championship where Halve Ouimet is the defending champ. With Brooks repeating at the US Open and Ouimet in fine form it could be the season of the repeat if Ouimet can pull off a successful defense. It's the last week of the segment before we enter the home stretch where the payouts are consistently higher. One more week to go to accrue valuable spring points and another paycheck before the final segment begins. One more start to use or conserve sacred player starts. One more week for Miss Daisy to achieve her first career segment championship. Or one more week to see a miracle come back if Whiny or Talkeetna can pull it off. It's all on the line as the spring segment concludes this Sunday.
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