The Rough At Shinnecock Is No Joke.

Arrived at Shinnecock last night and the first thing we did, of course, was check out the rough. It’s thick. It’s long. It’s no joke. The fairways are relatively generous — for a U.S. Open — but if you miss them, or miss the greens, or top one off the tee (the rough/fescue is especially thick around the tee boxes), you’re absolutely fucked.

I love it.

How do we know all this? Oh, because we’re credentialed.

And because I was inside the ropes this morning.

And because we were on TV.

Shinnecock looks GOOD. The fairways and greens are firm. The rough is long and luscious. The wind is blowing. It did rain a bit this morning, but the carnage is still out there. This will be a fantastic test.