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Graeme McDowell On U.S. Open And Tiger And Jordan Play Practice Round Together

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AP golf writer Doug Ferguson catches up with 2010 U.S. Open winner Graeme McDowell for his thoughts on Shinnecock Hills.

”It’s back to being a pure U.S. Open with serious discipline in your iron play,” said McDowell, the 2010 Open champion at Pebble Beach. ”I don’t look at it and say, ‘I’m not long enough to win here.’ And that excites me. I haven’t seen anything that has upset me.”

That contrasts with the prediction by Bubba Watson’s caddie Ted Scott on “absolutely” who will win this week.

The forecast was for mostly dry conditions with perhaps not as much wind as this part of Long Island typically gets in June. But after walking the back nine Saturday evening and playing the front nine Sunday afternoon, McDowell was convinced of one thing.

”I think we’re back to a U.S. Open mentality,” he said.

Only 19 players from the 2004 U.S. Open are back for this year’s edition at Shinnecock Hills, a short list that includes Scott. Just don’t get the idea that Scott needed to be reacquainted with Shinnecock. He has played what he said was a ”fair bit” of golf, including a course-record 63 from the championship tees in 2013 (a record broken the following year by Kevin Stadler).

Adam Scott weighs in.

”I played the day they were transplanting the fescue,” he said. ”I saw that was going to happen. It’s considerably wider and more generous off the tee than it was in ’04. It’s very fair off the tee. And it’s very penal if you miss.”

”I think they’ve got the balance right,” Scott said. ”It’s a great course. You don’t have to do much.”

GolfChannel’s Justin Ray has a good nugget on Jordan Spieth.

Adam Scott Graeme McDowell Jordan Spieth Shinnecock Hills Tiger Woods U.S. Open