Which course is called the "Monster"? We all know, since it is mentioned in just about every story about Oakland Hills, just as we know that Ben Hogan called it that after winning the 1951 U.S. Open there with a seven-over-par total, despite a final-round, three-under 67.
But what is less frequently quoted is what Hogan said immediately after that: "It's the greatest test of golf I have ever played." I don't want to be presumptuous, but I think Hogan would side with me in denouncing the innocuous weekly PGA Tour course setups and root for the Monster this week.
With 18 players yet to finish their round as this is written, due to a weather delay Thursday afternoon, opinions are mixed about the severity of the course. (In comparison to 1951, seven players were under par when darkness halted play last night.)
David Feherty says the 4.5- inch rough is perfect, because it is just at the right height to stand up and allow the ball to settle down. Of course, like me, the mad Irishman doesn't have to play out of the stuff.
But we aren't supposed to play out of it. This is a major, a four-day distillation of just who the best golfer is during this particular tournament, with its precise and exacting parameters.
Let's survey some players, shall we? Just for interest's sake, we'll put their first-round score in parenthesis after their name.
"It is a great shame as it is a fantastic golf course. They are sucking the fun out of the major championships when you set it up like that." Lee Westwood (77)
"The setup here is pretty [lousy]. It's not enjoyable to play. They have taken an okay golf course and turned it into a lot of crap." Robert Allenby (76)
"It's an excellent golf course. It's a great test of golf and patience." Jeev Milka Singh (68)
"It's set up perfect. It's just a tough test out there." Robert Karlsson (68)
See a trend? So I leave it to Justin Rose (73) to sum up: "There's only one guy who's going to like this place at the end of the week." And, to that last man standing, it will have been a monster, yes, but also a tough, fair test of golf.
And that man will earn the respect and admiration of his peers and golf fans, unlike guys like Westwood and Allenby for whom those two character traits have been eroded by their petulance. At some point, you have to take responsibility for a bad day of golf, don't you?