Woods-Garcia meet face-to-face at Merion

Woods-Garcia meet face-to-face at Merion










The Sports Xchange June 10, 2013 5:00 PMThe SportsXchange



Sergio Garcia spoke face-to-face with Tiger Woods Monday for the first time since he made a "fried chicken" comment about Woods on May 21.

Garcia and Woods shook hands while briefly speaking to each other on the driving range at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa.

Garcia made the comments during a European Tour function near London. He previously apologized and Woods said two weeks ago he was moving on from the incident.

When asked about his exchange with Garcia, Woods said, "I'm not going there," according to ESPN.

Woods will be part of a press conference at Merion on Tuesday, site of this weekend's U.S. Open.

A feud between the two players brewed during the third round of the Players Championship in May, when Garcia implied that Woods distracted him during a shot.

Garcia later made racially-sensitive comments about Woods when he was asked if he would have dinner with Woods during the U.S. Open.

"We'll have him 'round every night. We will serve fried chicken," Garcia said.

Woods responded on Twitter that the remarks were "wrong, hurtful and inappropriate."

Garcia tried to reach out to Woods at the BMW Championship three weeks ago, telling reporters he wanted to speak with him about the comments.

"We talked to his manager and asked him if he wanted us to call Tiger, or wait for Merion and do it there face to face," Garcia said. "And they said they would rather do it there. There's nothing we can do, so we'll wait until we get there and we'll talk."

Garcia is also scheduled to speak at Tuesday's press conference.

Woods plays 13 holes at Merion on quiet Sunday

Woods plays 13 holes at Merion on quiet Sunday











PGA.COM June 10, 2013 6:24 PM

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Tiger Woods played 13 holes at Merion Sunday on a sunny, peaceful day of practice.(Getty Images)


By Doug Ferguson, AP Golf Writer

ARDMORE, Pa. -- Merion Golf Club opened the gates Sunday to fans who wanted to buy U.S. Open merchandise. Some of them got a free glimpse of Tiger Woods. But not for long.

Woods played 13 holes under hazy sunshine, far different conditions from what he saw two weeks ago in the wind and rain that made the shortest U.S. Open course in nine years feel much longer. He was among a scattering of players who spent a lazy afternoon getting to know a golf course that last held a major championship 32 years ago.

But while no one in the field played in that 1981 U.S. Open that David Graham won with a flawless final round, Kevin Chappell is among those getting reacquainted.

Chappell played four competitive rounds in 2005 during the U.S. Amateur, the litmus test for the USGA to make sureMerion was still current with the modern game. He lost in the third round that year, and while the surroundings look different with the grandstands and hospitality areas, one thing hasn't changed.

"It's a tour event on steroids," Chappell said.

Merion is 6,996 yards on the scorecard, making it the first major championship under 7,000 yards since Shinnecock Hills (also 6,996 yards) for the 2004 U.S. Open. But the yardage can be deceiving. One of the par 5s is 628 yards, and Geoff Ogilvy figured there would be dozens of players who struggle to reach the green in three shots, much less get home in two. Another par 5 has been shifted to the right, bringing out-of-bounds close to the edge of the fairway.

It has a par 3 of only 115 yards -- the other par 3s all are over 240 yards.

And perhaps the biggest change from most recent U.S. Opens is the rough. It's long and thick.

"The rough is longer than we've seen," said Ogilvy, who had never seen Merion until arriving this weekend. "You can't make grass grow in four days, but you can cut. Although I don't think they will."

USGA Executive Director Mike Davis was making the rounds Sunday afternoon, checking on a course that received about 3 inches of rain Friday, so much that the creek near the par-4 11th green was starting to creep over the rock wall. It was back to normal Sunday, though the forecast is suspect for a big part of the coming week.

Chappell played 18 holes with former Masters champion Zach Johnson and Tim Clark, and he couldn't help but notice how many of the fairways have shifted to move closer to the trouble. Then, he clarified what he meant by "trouble."

"Closer to the boundary stakes," he said.


Some of the fans leaned against the railing by the road on the left side of the 15th hole, so close to the fairway that they could have a personal conversation with Hunter Mahan, and even applaud his short iron to about 12 feet.

Merion has a lot of meat early in the round, particularly the opening six holes. What follows is a seven-hole stretch of par 3s and par 4s, the longest at 403 yards, which is short by today's standards. It's where the birdies are to be made, assuming the ball is placed in the correct part of the fairway. And then comes the strong finish.

Mahan opted for a driver off the 15th hole -- it's about 290 yards to cover the bunkers dotting the right side, so he picked out a tall fir tree just left of them. It was an aggressive play, and that's that Chappell expects to see from several players. But not all of them.

"There will be a big discrepancy in play," Chappell said. "You can challenge some of these holes if you want to."

The winning score at Merion has improved each of the previous four U.S. Opens. Olin Dutra won at 293 in 1934, followed by Ben Hogan at 287 in 1950, Lee Trevino at 280 in 1971 and Graham at 273 in 1981.

Chappell can see something along the lines of 10 under par if the week gets enough rain to make the greens soft. Yes, Merion can hold its own against the best in the world.

"There's too many wedges," he said, referring to the middle stretch of the golf course.

Ogilvy was walking up the 12th fairway when he pointed to the thick grass framing the landing areas and said, "There won't be any scoring records this week."

There was rain early in the week at Olympia Fields in 2003, which softened the course. Vijay Singh shot 63 in the second round. Jim Furyk was at 10-under 200 to set the 54-hole record at the time, and despite bogeys on the last two holes, his 272 tied what was then the U.S. Open record. It was soft at Congressional in 2011 when Rory McIlroy set the new standard, finishing on 16-under 268.

"I think there will be low rounds, but I don't think the total will be low," Ogilvy said.

There's no telling what this week will bring at Merion, though Ogilvy figured it would start from the tee.

"It takes a lot of practice to work out some of these lines," he said. "On 10 of the holes (minus the par 3s), you've got to be comfortable. There's no specific clue where to hit it. You have to know it. Off the tee, it's quite awkward. Someone who drives it the best this week will fare quite well -- not the straightest, but the best."

Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Steve Stricker played Merion in the 1989 U.S. Amateur. Chappell, defending U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson and New Orleans winner Billy Horschel were among those at the 2005 U.S. Amateur, while Morgan Hoffmann and Rickie Fowler played Merion in the 2009 Walker Cup.

The biggest difference? Except for one qualifying round at the U.S. Amateur, that was match play. The worst anyone could do was to lose a hole. Starting Thursday, they have to count every stroke on every hole.

Tight neighborhood getting used to U.S. Open

Tight neighborhood getting used to U.S. Open











PGA.COM June 10, 2013 6:47 PM

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(Getty Images)


By MaryClaire Dale, Associated Press

ARDMORE, Pa. -- As tee time for the 2013 U.S. Open nears, the quaint Philadelphia suburb of Ardmore looks like a swanky tent city.

Huge white hospitality tents cover sprawling front lawns onGolf House Road, College Avenue and other streets that hem in the famously tight Merion Golf Club course.

''I think everyone's excited. As a neighbor it's very inconvenient, but it's a chance to be part of a tradition and to watch it firsthand,'' said Wally Smerconish, a developer renting his tennis court near the 14th tee to the U.S. Golf Association, which plans to put 30 tables there for corporate sponsorships.

Merion, a national Historic Landmark, is hosting the U.S. Open for the first time since 1981. The club has held two U.S. Amateurs and the team-oriented Walker Cup in the years since, but they were far less frenzied events.

''Two thousand people on the course is a nice walk in the park with a cocktail,'' Smerconish said. ''Thirty thousand people on the course is a logistical challenge for these guys, I'm sure.''

Local officials have been planning for several years, with ready cooperation from neighbors, local retailers and nearby Haverford College, which is lending land near its baseball fields for hospitality tents. In return, the USGA sent the college 100 passes for the four-day tournament; they were distributed by lottery to alumni, students, staff and others.

Local road closures are an issue, although neighbors who have to make it home each night have been given passes to get onto their streets. Some have rented out their homes to golfers and their entourages for amounts rumored to reach six figures, according to one local real estate agent, who, like many, didn't want the inconvenience of leaving town.


''Unless it's a number that would make me faint, I'm not doing it,'' said Linda ''Z,'' who had her last legally changed to that abbreviation, the name she uses selling high-end properties on Philadelphia's Main Line.

Beyond the neighborhood, thousands of other fans will be arriving at the local train stop or via shuttles from Villanova University.

''I'm interested to see how far they hit the ball, compared to how far I hit it,'' said Fran Steffler, 57, of Philadelphia, who endured a walk in pouring rain Friday to reach the merchandise tent, where he and a friend bought souvenirs. They have passes for Thursday, which they ordered a year ago.

Steffler marveled at the famous course as he walked down a wet Golf House Road.

''It looks tough,'' he sighed. ''Tight fairways. High rough. Bunkers that I wouldn't want to be in.''

As the heavy rain resumed Monday, the Rev. Ryan Whitley was ushering children into a daycare center at nearby St. George's Episcopal Church, which is adding to its collection plate by renting out its parking lot for security officials.

Given that interruption, the church plans an outdoor service Sunday morning at a local park. No word if any golfers will be there seeking divine help before the last round. But Whitley will be cheering for Bill Haas, a fellow Demon Deacon from Wake Forest University.

Whoever's left on the course will have to battle not just nerves, but sudden bursts of music from the bell tower at St. George's, which rings every 30 minutes.

''It's just going to be part of the ambiance at the U.S. Open,'' Whitley said.