Scott says USGA might want to get away from protecting par at the U.S. Open
Less than two weeks from the U.S. Open, Adam Scott had a message for the USGA on Saturday: Take it easy, why don’t ya?
The Aussie and 2013 Masters winner implored the presenting body for the national championship to not be so worried about keeping players around par as much as putting on a fair-but-stern test.
“Let’s just have something that’s a challenge and interesting, not just playing brutal,” Scott said Sunday after the Memorial Tournament in Ohio.
With the winning score being over par in four of the last 11 U.S. Opens, Scott finds that unofficial target kind of boring.
“Maybe it’s time to do away with the even-par target,” Scott said. “Let’s just have something that’s a challenge and interesting, not just playing brutal. The ball is in their court. Hopefully they get it right this time, just from a playability standpoint.”
The USGA has a unique opportunity with Erin Hills in Wisconsin, which is hosting its third USGA championship but its first men’s major championship. The course can be made to play nearly 7,800 yards long, and it could be set up firm and fast to create some vexing shots for the players. Scott hopes the USGA won’t take the course to the edge of fairness to determine a champion because he thinks it doesn’t think it projects well on the rest of the game.
“If their major pinnacle event requires courses to be the way they are,” Scott said, “it doesn’t set a good example.”
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
