U.S. Open: "Is the famed West Course set up for another Massacre at Winged Foot?"

Mike Dougherty of the Rockland/Westchester Journal News stopped in at Winged Foot where the rescheduled U.S. Open is set to start next week.

The focus appears to be on winning scores and rough, which is too bad since such projections rarely end well.

There is plenty of good stuff about the agronomic shift the club had to make due to the pandemic and the tournament’s new mid-September playing.

Speaking to superintendent Steve Rabideau about the hoped for outcome of preparations, it seems a high winning score would be gratifying.

As he reached into the rough to retrieve the golf ball Tuesday, Rabideau quietly offered a familiar refrain.

“Plus-8. Plus-8. Plus 8. … That would cap a very difficult summer,” he said. “And my guys know that’s what I’ve been thinking.”

Several of them were applying fertilizer to the rough nearby.

The USGA’s Jeff Hall says the team plans to “let Winged Foot be Winged Foot,” and from the sounds of this, I hope there are plenty of marshals ready to look for balls:

"There were extra hours invested and extra cost involved for water to irrigate the rough and nurse it through a difficult summer so it’s typical Winged Foot U.S. Open rough," Hall said. "They’ve done a masterful job ensuring the rough will be a key component in the golf course setup."

It will again be graduated, but less so than in 2006.

The primary cut will be narrower and will initially top out around 3 1/2 inches, according to Hall. It will only be utilized on a select number of holes. The danger zone will be more prevalent and start the week at 5-plus inches. Even the rough under the majestic specimen trees is dense.

In case you were wondering, the length of days is addressed by Dougherty. He reports the split tee start will begin 6:50 a.m Thursday and Friday despite a sunrise just a few minutes before that. However, the field has been reduced to 144 from the tournament’s traditional 156 with finishing rounds in mind.