US Open Oakmont 2007

We had our final practice round at Oakmont before the first round of the US Open tomorrow and it is all smiles at this stage. Oakmont is set up as the hardest tournament venue in history. There is no let off on any hole from the 1st. Every miscued or offline shot will be punished to the max. The greens are big, hard fast and have a lot of slope to them. Lag putting from long range will be key and both KJ Choi and Apples have put in extra time on their long putting. The fairways are the usual 20 to 30 yard US Open width, but often with a camber the the left or right. Unless a player can draw or fade their tee shots, mostly with a 3 wood, they won't hold the fairway and the ball will run off into the brutal rough. The only option out of the rough is a pitch out side ways and then work on keeping the double bogey or worse off the card. The best player technically, skilled, strategically and mentally will win this week. The score may well be closer to 10 over par than even. It all depends on how the weather pans out and the mood of the USGA and just how sadistic they are with the pin placements. My pick is a golfer that can keep the ball in play, putts well and has a bunch of mental experience at this level. I wouldn't be suprised if someone like Fred Funk plays well. I think if KJ drives the ball like he did at Memorial 2 weeks ago he will do well and I know Apples has the short game and nerve to play the course. For him it will depend on how straight he drives the ball.

K.J. Choi Memorial

K.J Choi shot a final round 65 to win his 5th and biggest US Tour event, The Memorial at Muirfield Village on Sunday. K.J shot 67, 65 on the weekend and a very impressive 6 under 30 on the front 9 on Sunday to take the lead. The most impressive statistic was his driving accuracy for the week at 83% of fairways hit. K.J said he felt very comfortable with the changes I have made to his swing and feels that the old bad pattern is gone for good. When I first started working fulltime with KJ last August he stated he had 2 goals, one to be the first Asian to win 4 times on the US Tour ( he has won 5 times now) and two to be the first Asian to win a major. The US Open has a premium on driving accuracy and from all reports , Oakmoant, this year could be the toughest yet. K.J's game, body and mind are now right where he wants them, to give him his best chance at achieving his major goal.