Viewers were left gripped by Thursday's opening round of the US Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina, but not everyone is a fan of the revered Donald Ross layout.
Just 15 players broke par in the opening round, with Rory McIlroy atop the leaderboard alongside Patrick Cantlay at five-under after a peerless bogey-free 65 from the Northern Irishman, who is chasing his first major title in a decade.
Pinehurst No. 2 is renowned as one of the toughest tests in golf around the globe, with its turtle-shell greens and punitive waste areas that line the fairways. And it took several big names as its victims on Thursday, with Phil Mickelson (+9), Viktor Hovland (+8) and Justin Thomas (+7) all staring down the barrel of missing the cut.
READ MORE: US Open leader Rory McIlroy claims Scheffler-Schauffele group got 'juices going'
READ MORE: Golf star with football legend dad in US Open mix after odd habit surfaces
Only McIlroy and Sergio Garcia (-1) escaped with bogey-free rounds, with even runaway world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler enduring a chastening day, finishing at one-over after a perilous grind as his swing uncharacteristically faltered.
LIV Golf 2023 predictions including marquee signings and PGA Tour deadlock
After the record-low scores at the PGA Championship last month, when Xander Schauffele shot 20-under-par to edge out Bryson DeChambeau for the Wannamaker Trophy, fans seemed to appreciate the brutal test Pinehurst No. 2 posed on Thursday.
But former Open champion Mark Calcavecchia was not one of them. The 1989 winner of the Claret Jug took to social media to unload on Pinehurst No. 2 and the test it poses.
Tyrrell Hatton made a strong start at Pinehurst No. 2 (David Cannon/Getty Images)He said: "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 asked by followers to explain his reasoning, the 60-year-old said he was not a fan of the greens, the lack of out-of-bounds danger and water hazards. He also said it was "pot luck" if players failed to find the fairway with their tee shots.
Calcavecchia appears to be in the minority. Pinehurst No. 2 is ranked the 28th best course in the world by Top100GolfCourses.com, ahead of the likes of Riviera, Winged Foot and Carnoustie.
England's Tyrrell Hatton was one of the few players to break par on Thursday, shooting two-under to finish the day in a tie for sixth. The LIV Golf star is known for his hot temper on the course, and he saw the funny side as many of his rivals struggled over the opening 18 holes.
"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," he joked. "They can experience what it's like in my head for a week."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
