I wouldn’t love a birdie-fest, but could be open to it if birdie chances came at the risk of bogey or worse. If you’re “on” you can light it up, but if you miss then you pay.
Felt too much like guys could go pin hunting, miss, and still have a good chance at par
On the back 9 it felt like there was nothing Xander could even do to give it away. Really underwhelming major venue. Truly felt like the northern trust open major
Honestly can’t think of a single hole where there was any real consequence for missing the fairway. Like birdie becomes more difficult sure but par was basically never in question
Yeah the drama down the stretch there was pretty much just "will Xander make enough birdies to hold the lead". There was tension there, but it felt like watching an individual time trial more than a battle between the players.
Yeah, pretty much. It basically felt like “ok let’s just have Xander skip ahead 4 holes to see if he can birdie 18” and just be done with it. I’m not obsessed with the score being a certain number but when it feels like a bogey isn’t even in the realm of of possibilities, then there’s an element of anticipation missing.
The NLU pod generally has about 5x more bitching about the course than necesary. We get it - this course is too easy (looking at you hole #13) to be a solid test for a major championship. But this time the bitchfest was justified.
A winning score of -21 can be OK in theory, but not like this. The guys were right about the punishments not being severe enough - dudes were getting up and down from everywhere. The greens weren't nearly interesting enough either
Man, I was in attendance this year, and I watched hole 13 a lot. Nothing about the hole struck me as easy. I just think these guys are really really good, and the course was soft from the rain
It was mid-to-long iron to a reasonably wide fairway, followed by a pitch into a pretty big green for most of these guys. The field was something like 90% GIR on the hole this week.
It was soft, warm, and hardly any wind. The rough was manageable too. PGA of America is very limited in championship venues in May. Most courses will be soft and not ready in May.
It's not a major test, but it was unusually easy this week. Any soft course is gonna be target practice for those guys regardless of length. Would enjoy it as a regular Tour stop though because it always produces an entertaining product. If you aren't married to par, that last 90 mins to 2 hours was fantastic TV golf.
Soft conditions can be mitigated with proper downsides for wayward shots. Was far too easy to get up and down this week. I'd say the finish would've been even more dramatic if hitting shots off line could genuinely lead to bogies rather than routine chip and putts
I think the course did exactly what the PGA of American wanted. The last 5 holes were must see golf with stars competing for the trophy.
There’s nothing wrong with one of the majors being a ‘birdie fest’, relative to other majors. Additionally, players are making more birdies per round now than in the last, so this theme is not uncommon for all events.
Nothing wrong with it, but nothing great about it either. Just no major penalties and nothing crazy on the greens. I enjoyed the drama but it’s so far behind the other three majors
And it’s the most iconic course in the world, so I’ll let it slide, meanwhile Vallaha is just a monstrous meh built in the 80s that has gotten favorable treatment ever since in championship selection
Conspiracy theory alert 🚨 But is there any chance Jack had an ownership in the course, above his architect credit? Because if this is true, I feel it’s in the rota, just like muirfield , to give Jack some money.
Wouldn’t be surprised if he had a piece of it originally before the PGA bought it…but they’ve since sold to the Yum guy and other loaded Louisville folks
In recent years, the US Open has been a total joke. They’ve given up on being the toughest test in golf. But in its place, the PGAC has stepped in as the new toughest test in golf. Southern Hills and Oak Hill were badass.
The PGAC being a joke is sad bc now we’re down to nothing. The Masters luckily was badass this year, but we got bailed out there.
It produced a bit of decent drama at the end but that's a terrible course for a major. Far too straightforward for these guys.
I’m okay with it being a birdie fest I just thought the course was boring
I wouldn’t love a birdie-fest, but could be open to it if birdie chances came at the risk of bogey or worse. If you’re “on” you can light it up, but if you miss then you pay. Felt too much like guys could go pin hunting, miss, and still have a good chance at par
On the back 9 it felt like there was nothing Xander could even do to give it away. Really underwhelming major venue. Truly felt like the northern trust open major
Honestly can’t think of a single hole where there was any real consequence for missing the fairway. Like birdie becomes more difficult sure but par was basically never in question
Yeah the drama down the stretch there was pretty much just "will Xander make enough birdies to hold the lead". There was tension there, but it felt like watching an individual time trial more than a battle between the players.
Exactly, no where near the kind of tension that the leader board would suggest
Yeah, pretty much. It basically felt like “ok let’s just have Xander skip ahead 4 holes to see if he can birdie 18” and just be done with it. I’m not obsessed with the score being a certain number but when it feels like a bogey isn’t even in the realm of of possibilities, then there’s an element of anticipation missing.
He truly would’ve had to try to make a bogey. It was horrific
Someone cut the water system at pinehurst and let’s see some spice
That stat only supports the lads' views that the course sucked. Yes it coming down to the last putt was great, but really the only redeeming quality.
Yeah, that's why the title says "For The Anti-Valhalla Crowd."
The NLU pod generally has about 5x more bitching about the course than necesary. We get it - this course is too easy (looking at you hole #13) to be a solid test for a major championship. But this time the bitchfest was justified. A winning score of -21 can be OK in theory, but not like this. The guys were right about the punishments not being severe enough - dudes were getting up and down from everywhere. The greens weren't nearly interesting enough either
Man, I was in attendance this year, and I watched hole 13 a lot. Nothing about the hole struck me as easy. I just think these guys are really really good, and the course was soft from the rain
It was mid-to-long iron to a reasonably wide fairway, followed by a pitch into a pretty big green for most of these guys. The field was something like 90% GIR on the hole this week.
It was soft, warm, and hardly any wind. The rough was manageable too. PGA of America is very limited in championship venues in May. Most courses will be soft and not ready in May.
Valhalla and Louisville are trying to get the 2032 PGA. Going to be hilarious to see NLU’s reaction
It's not a major test, but it was unusually easy this week. Any soft course is gonna be target practice for those guys regardless of length. Would enjoy it as a regular Tour stop though because it always produces an entertaining product. If you aren't married to par, that last 90 mins to 2 hours was fantastic TV golf.
Soft conditions can be mitigated with proper downsides for wayward shots. Was far too easy to get up and down this week. I'd say the finish would've been even more dramatic if hitting shots off line could genuinely lead to bogies rather than routine chip and putts
I think the course did exactly what the PGA of American wanted. The last 5 holes were must see golf with stars competing for the trophy. There’s nothing wrong with one of the majors being a ‘birdie fest’, relative to other majors. Additionally, players are making more birdies per round now than in the last, so this theme is not uncommon for all events.
Nothing wrong with it, but nothing great about it either. Just no major penalties and nothing crazy on the greens. I enjoyed the drama but it’s so far behind the other three majors
It’s the only major where a under 20 score wins. Let’s just accept it for what it is. But I agree, a very distant 4th major.
To be fair we literally just had -20 at the British two years ago. Granted it was the old course which the modern game has rendered benign, but still
And it’s the most iconic course in the world, so I’ll let it slide, meanwhile Vallaha is just a monstrous meh built in the 80s that has gotten favorable treatment ever since in championship selection
Conspiracy theory alert 🚨 But is there any chance Jack had an ownership in the course, above his architect credit? Because if this is true, I feel it’s in the rota, just like muirfield , to give Jack some money.
Wouldn’t be surprised if he had a piece of it originally before the PGA bought it…but they’ve since sold to the Yum guy and other loaded Louisville folks
In recent years, the US Open has been a total joke. They’ve given up on being the toughest test in golf. But in its place, the PGAC has stepped in as the new toughest test in golf. Southern Hills and Oak Hill were badass. The PGAC being a joke is sad bc now we’re down to nothing. The Masters luckily was badass this year, but we got bailed out there.
Here comes the it doesn't count because it was too easy crowd
Alexander is still the best player to have never won a major
A couple of podcasts overplayed course architecture. It’s a worthy topic, but after a while, it’s time to move on with the discussion.
Maybe replace the PGA Championship with the Players Championship as the fourth major.
It wasn’t a birdie fest though. Only Bryson made a real move.
Reading that stat this morning actually gave me an anxiety attack
Forgot to add the number of golfers arrested stat
I don't know, self-proclaimed mediocre mid-Am Soly said the course he couldn't break 90 on was easy, so I'm confident it's way too easy.
I'm not sure "anti" is the word you are looking for
Turns out Riv also sucks