US OPEN COMES UNDER HEAVY FIRE FROM MAJOR WINNER AND TYRRELL HATTON WEIGHS IN
Thursday's opening round of the US Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina had viewers on the edge of their seats, but not everyone is a fan of the esteemed Donald Ross layout.
Just 15 players managed to break par in the first round, where Rory McIlroy led the pack alongside Patrick Cantlay at five-under after an impeccable bogey-free 65 from the Northern Irishman, who is pursuing his first major title in ten years.
Pinehurst No. 2 is globally recognised as one of golf's most challenging courses, notorious for its turtle-shell greens and punishing waste areas that border the fairways.
It claimed several high-profile victims on Thursday, with Phil Mickelson (+9), Viktor Hovland (+8) and Justin Thomas (+7) all facing the prospect of missing the cut.
Only McIlroy and Sergio Garcia (-1) managed to complete rounds without a single bogey, while even world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler had a tough day, ending at one-over after a gruelling battle as his swing unusually faltered.
Following the record-breaking scores at last month's PGA Championship, where Xander Schauffele shot 20-under-par to narrowly beat Bryson DeChambeau for the Wannamaker Trophy, fans seemed to relish the stern test posed by Pinehurst No. 2 on Thursday.
However, former Open champion Mark Calcavecchia was not among them. The 1989 Claret Jug winner took to social media to vent his frustrations about Pinehurst No. 2 and the challenge it presents.
He declared: "I'm ready for some abuse. Just gonna spit it out! Pinehurst is such a cool area with great courses. No. 2 ain't one of them. Most overrated course in the world! Lemme have it! But it's true."
When probed by his followers to justify his comments, the seasoned golfer expressed his distaste for the greens, and bemoaned the absence of out-of-bounds threats and water hazards, labelling it "pot luck" for those missing the fairway off the tee.
Despite Calcavecchia's scathing review, Pinehurst No. 2 enjoys high esteem in the golfing community, securing the 28th spot on Top100GolfCourses.com's global rankings, surpassing renowned courses such as Riviera, Winged Foot, and Carnoustie.
Tyrrell Hatton of England, notorious for his fiery temperament on the links, was among the few to conquer the course on Thursday, carding a two-under-par round to end the day tied for sixth. The LIV Golf regular couldn't help but chuckle as he watched others falter through the first 18 holes.
Hatton quipped" "With it being harder and a lot of guys sort of losing their head, it sort of brings them to my level because I just lose my head every week. They can experience what it's like in my head for a week."
2024-06-15T11:27:59Z dg43tfdfdgfd