logo
U.S. Open: Justin Thomas Questions USGA Forcing Play at Oakmont

U.S. Open: Justin Thomas Questions USGA Forcing Play at Oakmont

Newsweek15-06-2025
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The final round of the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club has become a sloppy mess in the pouring rain. The leaderboard is condensing and everyone is trying to grind out as many pars as they can.
At one point during the final round, play was stopped because of the rain accumulating on the course. After the resumption, the rain came back and created very difficult playing conditions for the leaders on the second nine.
Despite missing the cut earlier in the week, Justin Thomas wondered aloud if play should still be going on in a social media post.
"Man.... This course looking a little questionable to play right now," Thomas wrote on X.
There were even some cases after the resumption where water was puddling up on the greens.
At one point, Cameron Young wanted to putt with the water puddled up behind the hole, but the USGA made him wait until it was cleared off.
Interesting development on Hole #13. It seems like Cam Young wanted to putt with the water puddled up behind the hole while the USGA wanted to move the water off the green.
Discussion seemed a bit animated.
Final decision - clear the water from the green. @USGA @usopengolf pic.twitter.com/9acSbo3cdO — Society of Golf Historians (@SHistorians) June 15, 2025
Regardless of the tough conditions, the tournament is still going strong through the rain and the mud. The water has made the course play a lot longer and the players have really struggled to keep it together on the back nine.
Thomas didn't have the tournament that he envisioned, shooting 76-76 to miss the cut by a wide margin at 12-over par. The two-time major champion has had a rocky season and he never found his groove at Oakmont.
OAKMONT, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 13: Justin Thomas of the United States reacts after making a double bogey on the 16th green during the second round of the 125th U.S. OPEN at Oakmont Country Club on...
OAKMONT, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 13: Justin Thomas of the United States reacts after making a double bogey on the 16th green during the second round of the 125th U.S. OPEN at Oakmont Country Club on June 13, 2025 in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. More
Photo bySome players have even gotten relief for temporary water in the fairway at times during the back nine, which arguably strengthens Thomas' point.
However, the brutal conditions have only added to the lore of this U.S. Open at Oakmont.
More Golf: Ryder Cup Captain 'Disappointed' in Rory McIlroy's U.S. Open Comments
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Harris English's caddie is denied a UK visa over his past drug conviction
Harris English's caddie is denied a UK visa over his past drug conviction

Hamilton Spectator

time36 minutes ago

  • Hamilton Spectator

Harris English's caddie is denied a UK visa over his past drug conviction

NORTH BERWICK, Scotland (AP) — Harris English is spending the next two weeks in the United Kingdom for the Scottish Open and British Open, two tournaments that could be critical in his bid to play in another Ryder Cup. His caddie, Eric Larson, is stuck at home without being able to obtain a new Electronic Travel Authority visa for travel to the U.K., a regulation that now applies to Americans. Grounds for refusal include an applicant who has been convicted of a criminal offense in the U.K. or overseas for which they served 12 months or more in prison. Thirty years ago, Larson pleaded guilty to sending cocaine to friends in the Midwest. Though he wasn't a user or big-time dealer, he spent 10 years and three months in prison and was released from a halfway house in June 2006. Mark Calcavecchia hired him back and got him on his feet. Since then, Larson worked for three players at the Ryder Cup — Anthony Kim in 2008, Jeff Overton in 2010 and most recently English, with whom he has worked the last eight years. 'I guess the United Kingdom doesn't look highly on his past,' English said Tuesday at The Renaissance Club before his pro-am round. 'And apparently it's a work in progress.' English, who is No. 19 in the world and 10th in the U.S. standings for the Ryder Cup, said he didn't become aware of Larson's plight until right after he tied for fourth at the Travelers Championship three weeks ago. English said he reached out to Warren Stephens, the ambassador to the U.K. who put him in touch with his chief of staff. 'They wrote a letter. The R&A wrote a letter. The PGA Tour wrote a letter. A charity event Eric works for in the States wrote a letter. It's not for a lack of effort,' English said. 'I think it could be sitting on someone's desk at the government somewhere.' Joe Etter is filling in — for now — as his caddie. Etter, who started out working for English more than a decade ago, currently works for Davis Thompson, who is not playing the Scottish Open. Thompson, however, received the final spot in the field for the British Open next week at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland (part of the U.K.). 'Joe was my Plan B,' English said. 'Now we're going to have to get a new Plan B.' English is holding out hope that someone will pave the way for Larson to get the ETA visa he needs for U.K. entry. Larson has worked the last four years at the British Open for English and previously for Overton and Kim. 'It's just a matter of the right people seeing it,' he said. 'I didn't understand how complicated the process was. Someone could see this guy had something in his past 30 years ago, he's been fine the last 20. How long does this stay with him?' End of a streak Hale Irwin is the only player to win a PGA Tour Champions event four consecutive years, a record that will remain intact because of scheduling. The Dick's Sporting Goods Open was held in August last year. The previous two years it had been held in late June. It moved this year to July 11-13, which ultimately put an end to Padraig Harrington's bid to win the same tournament four years in a row. The Irishman is sticking to his plan of three straight weeks in the U.K. He'll be at the Scottish Open this week, eligible through the European tour from its 'Legends Category.' Harrington then will go over to Royal Portrush for the British Open as a past champion, and then Royal Porthcawl in Wales for the Senior British Open. Irwin actually won the Turtle Back Championship in Hawaii five times in a row — 2000 through 2003, and then in 2005. The tournament was not held in 2004. Glover's outlook Former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, outspoken as ever, sounds to be a bit conflicted when it comes to any form of unification with the PGA Tour and the defectors to Saudi-funded LIV Golf. There is Glover the player who doesn't want to see them return. And there is Glover the PGA Tour member who wants to see the tour grow and realizes a small number of big names on LIV can help that cause. 'We have to clarify 'we' at some point,' he said last week on his his SiriusXM PGA Tour radio show. Glover said he doesn't blame anyone for deciding to cash in on the Saudi money and join LIV. But speaking for himself: 'I don't think they should be back there. I don't want them here.' 'As a PGA Tour player and somebody that dreamed of playing on the PGA Tour, and have poured my heart and soul into this tour and game for 21 seasons, I don't want somebody that chose another path, and a path of less resistance,' he said. 'I don't want them back here competing and taking part of my pie and these kids' pie that are trying to make it now.' And then he shifted to the broader term of 'we,' meaning the tour and the fans everything else. 'The top four, five, six players over there, if they were playing on the PGA Tour, would benefit all of us because our TV deal in 2030 would be great, would be bigger,' he said. 'That's the big question right now in my opinion. Does it behoove all of us as tour members, who have equity now, to grow our sport by bringing some of those guys back? I'm having a hard time with it.' Winners and stars Winning on the PGA Tour moves a player into the top category when it comes to tee times, although it's clear there is a distinction between a PGA Tour winner and a needle mover. Brian Campbell is the latest example. He won the Mexico Open in late February for his first PGA Tour title. Over the next five months at PGA Tour events, Campbell was never in the same weekday group as anyone from the top 30 in the world ranking. Only three of them were among the top 50 — Davis Thompson (No. 48) and Byeong Hun An (No. 32) at the Cognizant Classic, and Sam Burns (No. 39) at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Campbell now is one of five players with at least two individual titles this year after winning the John Deere Classic . Divots The PGA Tour's newest tournament has a title sponsor. The Bank of Utah Championship will be at Black Desert Resort the last week in October in southern Utah. It made its debut last year as the Black Desert Championship. ... Michael Kim was added to the British Open field from the world ranking. This marks the first time in his career he plays all four majors in the same season. ... The LPGA is expanding the pathway to the Epson Tour for top college players with the LPGA Collegiate Advancement Pathway (LCAP). Starting next summer, it will award 10 graduating seniors with some form of Epson Tour status and Q-school exemptions. Stat of the week Americans hold seven of the top 10 spots in the world ranking. Final word 'I remember talking about some sort of mountain and climbing up it. This is a steep, steep mountain now.' — Xander Schauffele on reaching No. 1 in the world. ___ AP golf:

Xander Schauffele is trying to flush what feels like his worst season
Xander Schauffele is trying to flush what feels like his worst season

Yahoo

time42 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Xander Schauffele is trying to flush what feels like his worst season

Xander Schauffele chips onto the 13th green during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club Friday, June 13, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Xander Schauffele celebrates after making a putt on the seventh hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Xander Schauffele reacts to his tee shot on the first hold during the second round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Friday, June 20, 2025, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill) Xander Schauffele reacts to his tee shot on the first hold during the second round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Friday, June 20, 2025, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill) Xander Schauffele chips onto the 13th green during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club Friday, June 13, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Xander Schauffele celebrates after making a putt on the seventh hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Xander Schauffele reacts to his tee shot on the first hold during the second round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Friday, June 20, 2025, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill) NORTH BERWICK, Scotland (AP) — The best thing Xander Schauffele has going for him in the worst season of his career is a good attitude. That much was evident Tuesday when he walked into the media center at the Scottish Open and saw his picture. It was on a wall beneath a sign that said, 'TOILETS.' Advertisement 'That was heartwarming,' Schauffele said with a grin that never seems too far away. 'Summed up how I feel about what's going on right now. I actually chuckled when I saw that one.' He is the only American to win the Scottish Open over the last 10 years. He defends his title next week in the British Open, a victory that made him a double major winner in 2024, which allowed him to take his place among the elite in golf. That can feel like much longer than a year ago. Schauffele had reason to have big expectations this year. What he didn't see coming was a twinge in his ribs to start the season in Hawaii that turned out to be much worse — an intercostal strain and a cartilage tear. Advertisement He missed two months with the first significant injury of his career. He has not been the same since then, with only one top-10 finish, a tie for eighth in the Masters. His greatest achievement was extending his cut streak on the PGA Tour to 67 consecutive tournaments, the longest such streak in 20 years. 'I probably downplayed it in my own mind — 'Yeah, you'll be fine, you've been playing great golf, you just came off the best year of your career' — and I've backed it up currently with the worst year of my career. It's been a hot one.' This is not where he expected to be coming into the final stretch of the year. 'The belief is good,' he said. "I don't think I've given myself a lot of reasons to believe that I'm playing OK. It's been a pretty bad year to be completely honest. ... I think the best part of my game has probably been my mental just fortitude, whatever you want to call it, just to try to stay positive and behave as if I am playing really well. Advertisement "But coming off a year like last year, getting hurt, coming back, my expectations and playing ability have not cued up very nicely.' The injury is no longer an issue. The game has looked good at times. What he lacks is a spark, which comes from results, to get him going. Schauffele has great discipline that gets lost behind that San Diego vibe of his. He chose to not add tournaments to his schedule to make up for lost time, even though he finds himself chasing this late in the year. He won twice as a rookie, including the Tour Championship. Chasing is not something he does. The Ryder Cup is not an issue. Winning the PGA Championship and the British Open has allowed him to stay at No. 2 in the U.S. standings. Advertisement But he is at No. 57 in the FedEx Cup — only the top 70 make the postseason — and these two weeks on links golf could go a long way toward making sure he gets there. 'It's been a weird year for me just from coming off the year I had last year into sort of what I did, just kind of disappearing and then playing bad coming out of it,' he said. 'So any expectation I had of whatever I thought I was capable of doing from a feel standpoint has been sort of reset, and I am in full chase mode, like a kid.' He hopes links golf will be part of the tonic. Part of Schauffele wishes he could have come earlier across the Atlantic, where he could play golf that consists of seeing the target and hitting the ball, nothing more complicated than that. Advertisement 'Something about being here, you start taking your hands off the wheel, and that's how I played my best,' he said. Schauffele was in peak form a year ago. He broke through with his first major at the PGA Championship that asked a lot of him on a soft course at Valhalla, particularly the last hole. He had to stand in a bunker to play a shot from the rough with a 4-iron, the ball well above his feet, water down the right side. From there, he pitched to 6 feet and swirled in the birdie putt for a one-shot victory over Bryson DeChambeau. Two months later, he withstood rain and wind at Royal Troon with a 65 in the final round to give him a second major. He was No. 2 in the world. Scottie Scheffler was still miles ahead, but Schauffele was at a point where he felt he could win wherever he played. Those were happy times. This only feels like the worst of times. There is also something about the chase that takes him back to being a kid, when he wasn't the highly recruited star and was virtually an unknown before he earned his recognition. Advertisement This feels like starting over. 'I've been spoiled to play at a pretty high level for quite some time,' he said. 'This has been a fun experience to try to get back on the horse.' ___ On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season. AP golf:

How to Watch Germany vs Denmark: Live Stream UEFA Women's Euro, TV Channel
How to Watch Germany vs Denmark: Live Stream UEFA Women's Euro, TV Channel

Newsweek

timean hour ago

  • Newsweek

How to Watch Germany vs Denmark: Live Stream UEFA Women's Euro, TV Channel

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Germany came out firing on all cylinders in their Women's Euro 2025 opener, notching a confident win over Poland and making an early statement in Group C. Now, they turn their attention to Denmark, a team looking to bounce back after a disappointing loss to Sweden on matchday one. Carlotta Wamser of Germany plays the ball during the UEFA Womens EURO 2025 Group C match between Germany and Poland at Arena St. Gallen on July 4, 2025 in St Gallen, Switzerland. Carlotta Wamser of Germany plays the ball during the UEFA Womens EURO 2025 Group C match between Germany and Poland at Arena St. Gallen on July 4, 2025 in St Gallen, Switzerland. Photo by Ralf Ibing -How to Watch Germany vs Denmark Date: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 Time: 12:00 PM EDT Channel: FS1 Stream: Fubo (Try for free) The Germans looked every bit like contenders in their first match, combining clinical finishing with their trademark discipline. If they pick up another three points, they'll be sitting pretty at the top of the group and all but booking a spot in the knockout rounds. Denmark, on the other hand, showed flashes of brilliance in their opener but couldn't find a way past Sweden. Still, they're no strangers to grinding out tough results; they'll need to bring their A-game if they want to keep their Euro hopes alive. UEFA Women's Euro 2025 Lineups Germany: Berger; Wamser, Minge, Knaak, Linder; Senss, Nusken; Brand, Dallmann, Buhl; Schuller Denmark: Ostergaard; Faerge, Ballisager, Veje; Thogersen, Hasbo, Snerle, S. Holmgaard; Thomsen; Bruun, Harder Live stream the Germany vs Denmark match on Fubo: Start your free trial now! Regional restrictions may apply. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store