Stephens Point, Wis. – Retif Goosen hit the spot right after the first round of the US Open in sanctioning SentryWorld.
“You have to hit the fairways or it’s not a shot,” said the two-time US Open champion on Thursday after hitting a 1-under 70 tying for second behind Rod Pampling.
Defending champion Steve Stricker — of Madison, about 100 miles to the south — had two double bogeys at 72 that ended his PGA Tour Champions record for consecutive innings matches of par or better at 55.
“It’s a challenging place, but I stayed there,” Stricker said. “One time is not a bad score. I just need a good one tomorrow.”
Playing in the morning on a course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. with a deep, thick rough, Bambling had seven birdies, a double bogey and two bogeys in 68. The average score was 77.32.
The tough kind is up to you, so you can’t really put the club on the ball. Bampling said, “It’s very difficult to judge. I hope you don’t do that too many times.”
The 53-year-old Australian has just one win at Champions – the 2021 Boeing Classic – after winning three times on the PGA Tour.
Goosen, the 54-year-old South African who won the US Open in 2001 and 2004, had five birdies and four bogeys in the afternoon round.
“It’s tough here, like the regular US Open,” Goosen said. “The three lies I had, there was no chance of me even getting close to the green. Even on No. 8, I was 90 yards off the front edge. I hit a sand wedge as hard as I could, maybe carrying a 40.”
Miguel Angel Jimenez and University of Illinois golf coach Mike Small interviewed Goosen at 70.
“It’s fair,” Jimenez said. “It’s good.” “The ball is nice, they catch well and the passes are good too. It’s a very good test.”
Stricker’s former Illini teammate, 57-year-old Small, had six birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey.
“I’ve learned not to take this seriously,” Small said. “It’s not the end of the world for me anymore. It’s not like I need to keep a card in any round anymore or anything.”
The champions’ career wins leader at 65, Bernhard Langer, was 71 along with Ernie Els, David Toms, Jerry Kelly, Jeff Magert, Bob Swards, James Kingston, Richard Green, Adelson Da Silva and Ken Tanigawa. Langer stayed out of the dire situation.
“Thank God I wasn’t in it,” Langer said. “I can’t say much about it, but I’ve tried to hit some shots in the practice rounds and it’s very punishing.”
Kelly is also from Madison.
“I’m really happy with the way I fought,” Kelly said. “I didn’t feel well. I usually don’t chew Advil, but I had to today.”
The defending champions opened by including Harrington with 74 points. After winning Sunday’s Champions event in New York, the Irishman had three birdies, a double bogey and a four bogey.
It’s really a struggle to focus,” said Harrington, last year’s winner at Saccoon Valley, Pennsylvania.
Stricker, the 2019 winner at Notre Dame in Indiana, won his first two majors of the year and captured the American Family Insurance Championship three weeks ago in Madison for his fourth win of the season. He had the double bogey on the par-5 10th and par-3 12th.
“He ran into a tree in a hole and it was buried in the cellar,” Stricker said. “It didn’t sit well with me, and it kind of affected the next two holes. Then, I hit a weak putt on the 12, and that was kind of a wake-up call to get my head back in the game.”
Trip Kuhne, playing his first USGA championship since winning the 2007 Central American Amateur, topped the amateur 23 on 75.