The USGA has come under a lot of scrutiny in the past few years, and with the U.S. Open set to tee off in just three days, players have again been speaking out against course conditions. This time, it’s Kevin Na, who posted a video showcasing the extreme rough at Erin Hills, the site of this year’s open.
Inferring that the USGA is making the course extra difficult just for the sake of being difficult, Na tossed a ball just a few feet off the fairway, where it was completely devoured by the unbelievably thick rough.
The 33-year-old then decided to take a couple of ill-advised swings out of the fescue, and luckily managed to walk away without breaking his wrists.
Bullets
- Kevin Na posted a video to his Instagram account, with the purpose of bringing attention to the exceptionally thick rough that the players will need to deal with “on every hole”.
- Na drops the ball and immediately has trouble finding it. Once he does locate the ball, he is unable to move it from the thick fescue.
- Na takes a stern tone in the video, clearly displaying his frustration with the course conditions.
- Na becomes the latest player to be critical of the USGA. Last week, Adam Scott said that the USGA has really “dropped the ball” in recent years, and needs to do away with the “even-par” target.
- Na said he’d like to see past U.S. Open winners help layout future U.S. Open courses, insinuating that they would stay away from all the tricked up gimmicks.
- The top three players in the U.S. Open field in driving accuracy are Steve Stricker, Francesco Molinari, and Jim Furyk. The ability to avoid the worse of the rough could be a very significant factor in the tournament outcome.
The Video
Quotable
“Erin Hills is a great design course but the fescue is almost unplayable. BTW never found the ball. So don’t hit it in there lol. Straight hitters have a chance! #usopen #erinhills #mikedavis #lostball #usga”
–Kevin Na via Instagram
Response
After Na’s video went viral, the course designers of Erin Hills, Hurdzan Golf Design, replied with an unhelpful snarky tweet.
Dear Kevin, Don't hit in the rough. Problem solved. Sincerely, Planet Earth. P.S. Fairway width @ErinHillsGolf is 2-3x most @PGATOUR stops. pic.twitter.com/UxmvZZRdA2
— Hurdzan Golf Design (@HurdzanGolf) June 13, 2017
Credit: Kevin Na Instagram
