"Late and ludicrous"

As I noted earlier today on the Live Blog (and no one believed me!), the U.S. Open will be finishing at 7 p.m. this year. From an unbylined Independent diary:

Any golf fans who have enjoyed watching the Masters unfold these last few days may be interested to hear the timings of the next major, the US Open in San Diego. In its determination to gain the highest television ratings possible in New York the USGA have opted for the ludicrous finishing time of 7pm. That means it will be 3am in Britain when the winner eventually taps in at Torrey Pines. And the golfing authorities wonder why fewer people are taking up the game.