Thursday, June 16, 2011

U.S Open.....

The U.S Open begins today at Congressional Country Club just outside our nations capital…. The Open is easily my favorite tournament to watch. I can remember back in 2008 when Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate played 19 extra holes to determine who was going to be the Open champ. Where my boss allowed me to stream video on Monday to see who would come out on top. The conditions at the Open are usually so brutal that the USGA makes pros look like your weekend golfer. I’m anticipating watching a great tournament this weekend. With wet weather coming in on Thursday and Friday I’m expecting the course that is playing as a Par 71 that you won’t be seeing too many low numbers. Do I dare say a minus 8 would be good enough to win after 4 days? I have seen the layout online and the course is playing long but I have faith that a few people will go low over the next four days.



This brings me to a tournament format I enjoy playing among fellow weekend golfers….. The tournament known as best ball. Best ball tournaments are popular formats among group outings and usually experienced with co-workers or friends. You can have a two, three, or 4 man/woman tournament. Best ball tournaments come in different variations, first there is the Captains choice-where everyone on your team plays a ball and as a team you choose the best ball to play and continue until the ball is holed out, second you have the better ball tournament- where members on your team play their own ball and the lowest score amongst your team is recorded as your score. These types of tournaments are enjoyed by all golfers but either format allows the casual golfer to really enjoy the game.

That brings me back to the Open where it’s one of the few tournaments that allows the casual fan or non fan of golf to enjoy watching this sporting event. So if you have some time this weekend check out the coverage on NBC.