50 thoughts from U.S. Open

STARING AT ALL THE PASTRIES INSIDE OAKMONT BAKERY, Pa. — I wanted to write two story leads. 

Of course, there were no doubt at least a dozen, the number purposefully picked in honor of where I’m now stationed — Oakmont Bakery, where boxes upon boxes filled with 12 of the doughnuts once aligned behind the shop’s glass counters are flying out of the joint nearly as fast as they can make ’em. It’s a day after a most eccentric U.S. Open final day, and I’m still trying to make sense of it all — because even the winner had more than a few storylines, and even two four-word mantras.

In recapping J.J. Spaun’s day, I eventually centered things around his thought of letting golf be golf, which to him meant golf no longer had to be all encompassing, and by buying into it, he’d essentially exhaled. But I’d also liked some advice Spaun’s coach, Adam Schriber, told the pro early Sunday afternoon as he exited Oakmont’s range, so we’ll top this story with that.  

Schriber also told his man to deflate, though, shall we say, with a bit more creative English.

“Let that f*cker go,” he said. 

Afterward Sunday, I asked Schriber what that meant. 

“It’s just trust it, you know what I mean?” he said. 

“The last thing I said to him when he went out was no regrets, right? No. We’re not gonna wonder what-if.”

Amen. 

As we look back at the U.S. Open week that was, let’s make that observation No. 1 then. We’ll try for 49 more, and we’ll be fueled by Oakmont Bakery caffeine and sugar to get us home.   

2. Let’s talk Spaun some more. Here’s another quote I liked, this one from his post-round press conference, in talking about rallying after playing his first six holes at five-over par:

“I think it’s just perseverance. I’ve always kind of battled through whatever it may be to kind of get to where I needed to be and get to what I wanted. I’ve done this before. I’ve had slumps kind of at every level. I’ve always kind of, I went back and said, ‘You’ve done this before. You’ve been down before. You got out of it.’ 

“There’s kind of like a little pattern, so hopefully I don’t do that pattern again.”

3. This was also good from Spaun, in answering a question about seeing his two daughters, Emerson and Violet, after his win:

“My daughter always asks me, every time dad goes golfing, she’s like, ‘Were you the winner today?’ Sometimes I’m like, ‘Yeah, I was.’ She’s like, ‘Where’s my surprise?’ So today she’s like, ‘You’re the winner today.’ Like she got to see it. She didn’t have to ask me. So that was a really fun moment.”

4. Speaking of his daughters, his youngest, Violet, was sick Sunday morning, and at 6 a.m., dad was at a CVS. 

“I was just like, OK, my wife was up at 3 a.m., and she’s like, Violet is vomiting all over. She can’t keep anything down. It was kind of a rough start to the morning. I’m not blaming that on my start, but it kind of fit the mold of what was going on, the chaos. I don’t think I had any — I didn’t really — like when I go back home after the round, my kids are there, and it’s such a big distraction where I’m not even having to dwell on anything or think too much, which is a good thing. Like the Players was tough. I was alone that week, and I’m just kind of sitting there at night in my hotel room, like trying not to go on social media, trying not to go on Twitter or whatever, X. It’s nice to be able to have the kids to be around and be a dad. That kind of keeps your mind off golf and kind of gets me in a calm, cool, collective mindset going into today.”

5. Monday, the story made the rounds — and CVS tweeted congrats, as you can see below. 

6. Where does Spaun’s shot on 17 rank? I didn’t see it on TV — I was walking with him — but know that if he missed his spot ever so slightly, Robert MacIntyre is your winner today. 

7. Where does Spaun’s putt on 18 rank? How many attempts would he need to make it again? How many attempts would a bogey golfer need? Incredible.

8. Where does Spaun’s start of the round rank? At the end on Sunday, that seemed like a dozen days ago, didn’t it?

9. I’m thinking Spaun will win big again. He was about a half-foot short from winning the Players this year, and Oakmont may be the most trying course the pros will play. 

10. Spaun really does kinda look like Jordan Peele, doesn’t he? You can judge for yourself below. 

11. I’m sticking with Justin Thomas to win the Open Championship at Royal Portrush. 

12. Of course, I also said Bryson DeChambeau was going to win the U.S. Open.  

13. Let’s talk MacIntyre, the runner-up. The video of him watching Spaun’s winning putt, shown below, was great, as was this quote, given to GOLF’s James Colgan:

“He won the golf tournament. Fair play. I mean, he’s dreamed of it. I’ve dreamed of it. Everyone’s dreamed of that moment. For him to pour in the winning putt, I mean, nothing I can do. Fair play.”

14. Full disclosure: At a table inside Oakmont Bakery, I actually measured how far apart my hands are when I clap. 

15. I keep getting the feeling that Viktor Hovland is on the cusp of about a five-year run of really, really great golf. 

16. I keep thinking that of Cam Young, too. 

17. And Sam Burns.

18. Adam Scott’s take on Watergate (whoa!) was interesting. It came after Burns, his playing partner, had made a case for getting temporary water relief on 15, following Sunday’s rain delay. 

“I was thinking of asking as well. It was borderline unplayable. The water was like so close to the surface. Like the shot I hit on 11, it’s bizarre. I just don’t know. It was like an aquaplane on the ground. He tried to hit a 5-iron, I guess, on the 15th, and it’s tough. It’s a tough call, but we played. Everyone had to deal with it.”

19. GOLF’s Sean Zak was walking with the group and said that at first, Burns asked him for a ruling, thinking he was a rules official. 

20. I thought No Laying Up’s Kevin Van Valkenburg, in the tweet below, perfectly summed up my thought on Scott contending. 

21. OK, let’s try to describe Oakmont Bakery. I’m typing at the far right end of the shop, and in front of me, to the right, are four metal shelves with cupcakes and cookies to go, and in front of me, to the left, are eight metal shelves with breads to go. At the registers are 16 (!) glass cases, holding doughnuts, cookies, cakes, cupcakes, bagels, rolls and breads.

It’s heaven. 

22. It’s also never slowed down since I’ve been here. My Uber driver said on the way over that they’ve recently expanded both the store and the parking lot. 

23. Tyrrell Hatton reacting to Spaun’s putt while being interviewed after his round is great. You can watch it below.

24. Scottie Scheffler tying for seventh while he was clearly searching showcased his ability. 

His kid can swing it, too, as you can see below. 

25. Rory McIlroy not talking or being short with reporters doesn’t bother me at all. 

But it should frustrate you. The athlete-reporter relationship shouldn’t be this hard to understand. 

26. The club toss below was magical. I think I rewatched it 50 times. 

27. This club toss, shown below, made me laugh. 

28. Have we seen the last of Phil Mickelson at the U.S. Open?

Let’s phrase that question another way:

Do you think he’ll get a USGA special exemption after his numerous thoughts on the governing body, and his move to LIV Golf?

29. I’m still stunned he didn’t hit something safe on 17 on Friday. And I’m not stunned. There was no other way for Mickelson to exit. 

30. You’re a good dude, Wyndham Clark. You’re a good player. You’re good to talk to. You’re good to be mad occasionally. 

But next time, kick your bag.   

31. Let’s talk Oakmont. I don’t think I would’ve broken 150 on Sunday. 

32. I like short par-3s more than long ones. 

33. I’m split on the rough. Yes, don’t hit it in there. But do you make it to where your only shot out is a chop-out? Even from bunkers you can advance the ball.

34. The tweet below made me laugh. 

35. From up close, the church pew bunkers look … hard. While looking at them, I was wondering if every first-timer to the course hits from there, whether their ball ends up there or not. 

36. The highway running through the middle of Oakmont is striking. The course is as exclusive  as it gets. And yet the buzz of semis on a handful of holes is constant. 

37. I like the idea of U.S. Open staple courses and the fact that Oakmont will soon host again. But I’d also like a spot to be open every eight or so years for a wild card.  

38. On Tuesday night, we went to a Pittsburgh Pirates game, and it was my first time at PNC Park. Is it the best place to watch a game in the majors? Great sightlines. Great food and drink. 

But no-so-great team. Oh well. 

39. Here are a few of my favorite reads this week from the on-site GOLF.com staff. From my personal batch, I did like how my story on Spaun’s win turned out. 

40. From Michael Bamberger, this look at Phil Mickelson was a favorite. 

41. From Alan Bastable, this look at Philip Barbaree Jr. was a favorite. 

42. From Josh Berhow, this look at Brooks Koepka was a favorite. 

43. From James Colgan, this look at Arnold Palmer’s house was a favorite. 

44. From Dylan Dethier, this look at a Palmer interview was a favorite.  

45. From Claire Rogers, this rundown of off-course moments was a favorite. 

46. From Johnny Wunder, this look at bag setup was a favorite. 

47. From Sean Zak, his story on playing Erin Hills and Oakmont was a favorite. 

48. The tweet below was great, and you can read more on that story by clicking here. 

49. I have a new favorite golfer, and he’s below. 

50. Tonight, I’m making a stop at The Church Brew Works in Pittsburgh, which, as the name suggests, is a brewery inside of an old church. 

Sounds like nirvana.  

51. One more. 

Above is proof that I was there, which was captured by my wife back home, who joked that I ruined a Spaun family moment, so my apologies for that. 

Editor’s note: The author also wrote 50 observations from the Masters and the PGA Championship. Those stories can be found here and here.

“>