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Bernard Gallacher’s US Open Review

Golf Care, 24th June 2015

What was your opinion of how the course played this week, especially the greens?

Chambers Bay was basically a great test for the best players in the world, and the idea to take it to a more inclusive type of venue, a Public Course, in the Pacific North West – a part of America normally starved of professional golf, was a good one and well-intended. However, the experiment to have greens as pure fescue grass failed because the indigenous grasses took over and produced a very poor putting surface for the USGA’s flagship event.

 

Were you of the opinion that the course was disgraceful for a major championship or that an abnormal course was refreshing to see, and the same for all teams?

At the end of the day we had the best players in the world competing at the top of the leaderboard, so the USGA probably feel vindicated.

 

What did you think of Rory’s late charge yesterday?

Rory was the best player in the field tee –to-green, but his putting let him down. However, he should take a lot of positives from the week and can look forward to the rest of the year, especially the remaining last two majors.

 

Is Jordan Speith the world No. 1 at the moment, after proving himself under immense pressure in such varied conditions?

Yes, anyone who wins the Masters and the US Open must be considered currently the best player in the world irrespective of what the rankings say.

 

How do you rate his chances of a calendar year Grand Slam?

The pressure on Jordan Speith to complete the Grand Slam in a calendar year might be too great, even for a 21 year old!

 

Is the new McIlroy/Speith rivalry good for golf?

In the past, golf has thrived when we have had rivalries – i.e. Hogan/Snead , Palmer/Nicklaus, Seve/Watson etc. Speith/Rory has the potential to be as good as any we have had in the game of golf, maybe even sport, and it could not have come at a better time for our game.

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