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Mark Roberson: For Gary Woodland, the Open is a day at the beach

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Finally, a U.S. Open we don’t have to agonize over. Instead of the typically brutal course conditions causing the players to trip over themselves as they chase the U.S. Open Championship Trophy, we were gifted an exciting and entertaining exhibition of golf this past weekend. And we have the wind to thank.  

Usually a factor during any event at Pebble Beach, the wind was calm during U.S. Open weekend. It allowed golf’s greatest to showcase their expertise at one the nation’s most cherished courses, and a new champion emerged victorious.

For the first time in his career, Gary Woodland has captured a major championship. And he did it in extraordinary fashion. 0-7 in PGA Tour events when leading after 54 holes, Woodland would not only go on to break Tiger Woods’ 72-hole U.S. Open at Pebble Beach record but do so in dramatic fashion. Woodland, known as one of the longest drivers off the tee on the PGA tour, put on a putting clinic at Pebble Beach. Needing only 31 putts on Sunday, he sank the last one, a 30-foot putt to close out his final round, adding an exclamation point to his first major.

Other bright spots on the weekend included the outstanding play of amateur Victor Hovland, and Brooks Koepka’s U.S. Open title defense. Hovland would shoot a final round 67 to beat the lowest 72-hole U.S. Open score by an amateur of 272, formerly held by none other than the great Jack Nicklaus. Koepka did his best to keep things interesting on Sunday, shooting -4 over his first five holes played. He would go +1 the rest of the way Sunday, and now holds an impressive T-2 at the Masters, PGA Championship victory, and T-2 at the U.S. Open on the season. We’ll see what he has in store for us at Royal Portrush in July. All in all, it was another outstanding weekend in the world of golf.

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