GOLF CARNAGE
Nightmarish US Open course set-up backfires for officials after winds
New York — The US Golf Association (USGA) acknowledged that its latest gamble of a tough course set-up backfired, claiming that unexpectedly strong afternoon winds were responsible for the third-round carnage at the US Open on Saturday. The USGA tucked several hole locations near the edges of the crowned greens at Shinnecock Hills, and then watched some extraordinary scenes unfold as several players putted their balls off the 15th green. Even worse, Phil Mickelson deliberately hit a moving ball on the 13th green to prevent it from rolling off the putting surface. The course was very playable in the morning, as attested by matching rounds of 66 by Daniel Berger and Tony Finau, but it was a different beast in the afternoon after the winds and low humidity baked the greens to a crisp. "It was a tale of two different golf courses today," USGA CEO Mike Davis admitted. "We felt good about the set-up this morning. We felt that it would work well given the forecast we had, but … now we woul...
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