2020 U.S. Open: Bryson By The Numbers

From the USGA’s notes after Bryson DeChambeau’s 2020 U.S. Open win:

• Champion Bryson DeChambeau tied for fifth in greens in regulation (46), despite tying for 26th in fairways hit (23). 

• DeChambeau’s total strokes gained of 7.90 is the fourth-highest by a champion since 1960. Johnny Miller (10.77 in 1963), Arnold Palmer (9.29 in 1960) and Jack Nicklaus(8.19 in 1967) were higher.

• This was just the third time since 2000 that the champion was the only player in red figures (Tiger Woods in 2000 and 2002).

If the fairways hit number stood out, it was historic but also not that far off from a couple of recent wins.

From Ryan Herrington at GolfDigest.com:

Consider this: Since 1981, no U.S. Open winner had hit fewer than 27 fairways, according to Golf Channel. Here’s a listing of the champs with the fewest fairways hit in the last 40 years.

Angel Cabrera, 2007, Oakmont, 27 (ranked 48th for the week in accuracy)

Tiger Woods, 2008, Torrey Pines, 30 (ranked 56th)

Webb Simpson, 2012, Olympic Club, 31 (ranked 13th)

Scott Simpson, 1987, Olympic Club, 31 (ranked 42nd)

Interestingly, while DeChambeau hit the fewest fairways compared to the four others, he ranked T-26 for the field on the week, which is the second to Webb Simpson.

As for the rest of his game, the short game performance isn’t getting enough attention. For four rounds at Winged Foot:

In other number news, Bryson’s eyeing the 48-inch driver for November’s Masters with 360-370 average yard drives in mind, writes GolfChannel.com’s Rex Hoggard.

Also, 245 is in play if he can get to the gym and his arteries can take it. From Bill Pennington’s New York Times game story:

DeChambeau is 6-foot-1 and 235 pounds — he gained 40 pounds this winter in an attempt to swing more forcefully — but on Sunday evening he was asked if he wanted to become bigger before the Masters.

“Yeah, I think I can get to 245; it’s going to be a lot of working out,” he answered.

So Maybe The 9th Won't Be A Par-5 The Next Time Winged Foot Hosts A U.S. Open

If they’re hitting drives like this with a helping breeze, Winged Foot’s 9th might be drivable in 2028, 2031 or whenever Winged Foot hosts the U.S. Open again.

From the 2020 U.S. Open final round where all three players made “eagles” after video game length drives.

Bryson DeChambeau, the “short” one of the group at 374.4:

Matt Wolfe, outdrove himself from Saturday’s 377 yarder and gave himself a wedge approach Sunday after this 388.5 yard tee shot.

And without the aid of a cart path, lucky bounce or any other known assistance beyond strength, launch optimization and some roll, a 418.8-yard drive from Dustin Johnson.

These three are obviously longer than most and on NFL reserved lists as potential injury replacements at any number of positions. Still, this was a hole changed back to its original par-5 status but played like a tough four at 565 yards.

2020 U.S. Open Winners And Losers

They pulled off a fall U.S. Open and there were many more winners than losers at Winged Foot.

Winners

Bryson DeChambeau – You’ve taken enormous risks, listened to no shortage of doubters and now are a worthy, convincing major championship winner. Most impressive is the accomplishment coming on a course supposedly rigged against your aggressive style of play. Plus, no run-ins with the rules or officials, and you gave credit to your parents for the sacrifices they made. Classy win.

Matthew Wolff –  Just two majors and already a second place and a T4 at age 21. Oh and an ebullient style when so many players look so joyless.  

Westlake Golf Course – Wolff’s home away from home is also where Chris Como, DeChambeau’s distance-boost coach, got his start in the game. What a day for Thousand Oaks. Check out Sean Martin’s story here on the little course that is producing so many characters.

California – Two for two in 2020 majors along with Wolff securing a runner-up, confirming the Golden State as a hotbed of talent development. And these are no country clubbers.

Winged Foot – Sure, the winner was six-under-par and you’ll now have to wait at least eight years to wonder what the next U.S. Open winning score will be. But the restoration came off brilliantly and it’s not your fault the governing bodies are dragging their feet on equipment rules tweaks. Hey, I have an idea, why not make some form of action a requirement to host again?

USGA Course Setup – John Bodenhamer and Jeff Hall led a crew balancing architecture, science, early fall conditions, irrational Winged Foot member desires and the ghosts of USGA setups past. The task is not a pleasant one but the setup eased players into the week, moved the field around, and exuded U.S. Open difficulty all the way.

Dan Hicks – You maintained great energy during NBC’s eight hour broadcast Saturday and obviously know your home club, gulp, better than most. Sure, there were too many references to “The Foot” and most of America didn’t need to know the timing on the pro shop renovation.  But you balanced an unabashed affection for Winged Foot with storytelling, conveying the outcome of key shots while investing us in the venue. I wouldn’t expect anything different.

Poa annua – Winged Foot’s greens didn’t look so hot by day’s end but sure appeared to putt beautifully. Superintendent Steve Rabideau and team presented incredibly smooth poa annua greens. This proves for the second year in a row that the dreaded “weed” can be managed in a U.S. Open. Special shout-out to Darin Bevard’s USGA agronomy team on a success streak we hope becomes permanent.

Square Green Shapes – The restored hole locations and shapes looked incredible on TV and even the oddity of seeing so many geometrically shaped green complex fronts totally worked.

Lexus – While some undoubtedly grew concerned seeing your courtesy cars parked randomly throughout Winged Foot—mitzvah alert, always cluttering NBC camera shots—the screen time made for just the kind of organic advertising that the coveted demo admires.

Winged Foot Squirrels – Before budget cuts killed the animal cams and a whole bunch else, NBC would have made you stars this week. Still, you got in a few shots and now the tournament will leave town so you can store acorns without a U.S. Open around. Maybe the rough will finally come down too.  

Losers

NBC – Fox was missed. That’s an unfathomable notion given Fox’s early struggles and NBC’s former place atop golf television. But Fox got a lot better and corporate budget cuts at NBC clearly took a toll in too many departments to list here. The broadcast lacked the technology, production values, sense of place and other little stuff NBC was famous for bringing to golf. Worse, so much cut from producer Tommy Roy’s pallet was just the kind of stuff viewers came to love from Fox’s USGA telecasts and CBS’s recent “Return to Golf” run.

Danny Lee – A terrible look with the Saturday six-putt and putter slam into the bag, followed by a WD. That came 90 minutes after play due to a wrist injury, but it took a Tweet from No Laying Up’s Tron Carter to shake the replay of your meltdown free of NBC servers. How did this not make on an eight hour telecast, only to be aired on the early morning pre-game?

Green Reading Books – A rule change designed to make these silly novellas more difficult to read has only added time to rounds. Speaking of slow play…

Slow Play – The USGA miraculously got the field around Thursday and Friday, but Sunday’s last twosome took just over four hours and thirty minutes, including 2:15 on the front nine even with the duo taking just six shots to play the par-5 ninth. Yes it’s a big course with high rough and diabolical greens, but matters are not helped by the players never facing a penalty the way they are at all other USGA championships.

Tiger And Phil – This fan-free golf just doesn’t seem like your thing. Maybe next year at Torrey you’ll give it one last college try.

Lost Ball Search Committee – The thankless task to minimize lost balls was mostly a success, but an early Thursday disappearance of Jordan Spieth’s Titleist and Sunday’s loss of a Harris English first tee shot will not be soon forgotten. We still appreciate your service.

Huge Square Tees – They just didn’t have the same character as those charismatic putting surface shapes.

Nothing To See To Here Society – Saturday’s bomb-and-gouge numbers combine with the future of players bulking up to showcase how silly it is that we have governing bodies still tap dancing around the distance debate.

Club Pro Guy – Bryson’s trophy ceremony thank you to CPG was almost an elite moment for the former Mexican Mini Tour player-turned-Yucatan National instructor.

Winning Score Watchers – Six-under-par. The travesty! The horror! Form a committee to find more back tee land and assess only those members who whine about this U.S. Open.

Rick Pitino – Your new house behind the third green is not situated properly for a flip to lengthen the fourth. Oh, and social distancing in the Pitino grandstand needs work even in a non-pandemic year.

Winged Foot With Tilly: No. 18

(click on image to enlarge)Several views of the famed finishing hole, which was featured in the Tillinghast "Dream 18" that was compiled in this week's Sports Illustrated with the help of Ben Crenshaw, Frank Hannigan, Gil Hanse, Rand Jerris, Daniel Wexler, Rick Wolffe and Phillip Young.

Not only do we get Tilly's take, but an overview of how Jones and Espinosa played it in their 1929 playoff.
(click on image to enlarge)

Two things to look for.

A drive of about 315 will get a player within reach of the fairway drop off that could leave someone with a flip wedge. Doubtful it will happen, but possible.

And the recently restored front left and back left hole locations are really great additions to this green complex, but likely not going to be used this week because they'd be too severe under U.S. Open conditions. You can see them in the photo to the right.
(click to see No. 18 green expansion)

Winged Foot With Tilly: No. 16

(click on image to enlarge)His description here is of the hole as a par-5, and of course this is one of the two three-shotters reduced to a par-4.
(click on image to enlarge)

I had no modern comparison shots with the old image, but this fairway view should be enough. Love the soft, natural fairway lines too! 

Winged Foot With Tilly: No. 15, Vol. 2

Only subtle differences in No. 15 from 1929 and 2005. The front bunker has grown up and the green doesn't quite stretch out to some of the old high points in the rear left and right.

 

 

Winged Foot With Tilly: No. 15 Vol. 1

(click image to enlarge)The 15th at Winged Foot features arguably the worst fairway contouring job, leftover from the Meeks 2004 U.S. Amateur setup. Not wide enough to bring the creek into play down the left side or to let a player actually choose an angle to come in from, at least the narrowness doesn't take away from another stellar green complex.

Open up the image to read Tilly's proud take on the hole. 

Winged Foot With Tilly: No. 11

Below are 1929 and 2005 views of the wonderful 11th, which would be even more fun if included an actual fairway. Yes, the wonderful rolling contours and crowned nature of the hole will be bathed in rough, keeping balls near the centerline instead of taking them to real trouble.

Well, maybe that's why this hole will be minus the rough tiers. Remember, this hole is birdieable and we can't allow those!

Note the differences in bunkering from then and now, especially in the front left greenside bunker.

 

 

Winged Foot With Tilly: No. 10 Vol. 2

(click on image to enlarge)Rick Carpiniello in The Journal News profiles the homeowners/members living behind No. 10 and explains what exactly Ben Hogan said and meant about a "3 iron into someone's bedroom."
(click on image to enlarge)

As for the grand 10th (which will be called the "signature hole" way too many times by NBC's announcers), it should be 6, 7 or even 8 iron next week. 

Winged Foot With Tilly: No. 10 Vol. 1

1929 and 2005 view of No. 10 at Winged Foot. The photo angles are slightly different, but you can see how the front of the green has changed (I believe raised at some point to stop balls from rolling off). In its original look, the shaping has a settled, rumpled feel. A true work of art. Today, things are a bit more linear and clean, but still pretty awesome, especially with the recent green enlargement.

 

 

Winged Foot's Greytok

Golfdom's Thomas Skernivitiz profiles Winged Foot superintendent Eric Greytok.

Here's some of the restoration work he carried out on the 10th green (you can see the old putting surface boundaries in dark green).

(click to enlarge image of No. 10 green) 

Winged Foot With Tilly: No. 6

(click to enlarge image)One of the best short par-4s in golf will struggle to display its charm when the USGA hides it in non-tiered rough and in general, tries to prevent those pesky birdies.

This is one of the three holes where there will be no tiered rough, so tall stuff surrounds the left side fairway bunker 241 off the tee. Ben Crenshaw insists there should be fairway up to and around the bunker. This would encourage leftside lay-ups to obtain better approach angles. And as you'll read in the 1929 National Greenkeeper excerpt, that's how Tilly intended it.

But with 22 yards or so of fairway, and no real reason to lay-up on a side of the hole to get a preferred angle at right hole locations, look for some guys to try driving the green.
(click to enlarge image of No. 6 tee view)

There's a killer back left hole location that the USGA will hopefully use to bring the steep fall off into play (and if the fairway was wide enough, such a hole location would have rewarded right side lay-ups).  

Winged Foot With Tilly: No. 3

The third features the new sod farm replica tee courtesy of the Fazio gang, and has been lengthened well beyond the USGA's official 216 yardage.

They probably won't be hitting spoons or 2 irons here (as Tilly suggested in '29). But the plan is for the new 240+ back tee to be used once in hopes of forcing someone to lay up like Billy Casper did in '59, all so that NBC can go into a fog-filtered feature on Casper's triumphant decision to lay up and make pars (just kidding).

(click on image to enlarge)This is another wonderful green that may not translate to television.

And even though it features the left-right bunkering that you'll see on the other par-3's, the green is distinct and loaded with fun hole locations. 

Winged Foot With Tilly: No. 1

Kicking off what will be Winged Foot's final U.S. Open (unless the USGA does something about distance), I thought it would be fun to look at some of the holes from A.W. Tillinghast's perspective in 1929.

This series of articles, photocopied from the old National Greenkeeper magazine, features his hole descriptions and a some old photos.

I will try to include some modern shots as well so you can soak up the confining setup.

(click on image to enlarge)Anyway, here's #1 from Tilly's point of view, circa 1929. 

My advice: don't miss it left of the tee. Bomb it as far down the flat fairway as possible, and lay up short depending on the hole location.

The green is that wild and maybe one of the neatest in all of golf.