In case you haven’t heard, there’s a little golf tournament that starts on today in San Diego. Here’s the storyline, in brief:
There’s this Tiger guy. He’s really good. But he’s returning from an injury on his left knee — his third time injuring the same knee. What a gimp! He needs to get it together. Seriously.
Then there’s this Phil guy, pictured above. He’s really good, too. But he’s also a bit of a self saboteur.
The prime example: Two years ago this week Phil played 71 holes of perfect golf and was one well-played hole away from winning his third straight major. But, sadly, he then proceeded to lose his damn mind — it turns out, Phil, golf balls do not actually fly through trees, no matter how good you are. Moments later, after losing the tournament, he actually said: “I still am in shock that I did that. I just can’t believe that I did that. I am such an idiot.” (seriously, that’s a direct quote. I know, awesome, huh?)
Well said, Phil. Well said. He still hasn’t recovered, going majorless since.
So, for this year’s U.S Open, the USGA had the brilliant idea of pairing these two players — far-and-away the two most popular characters in pro golf — together for the first two rounds of the tournament. Great move for the game, and for getting people excited about this week’s tournament.
But, naturally, the hype leading up to the tournament has devolved almost exclusively into Tiger vs. Phil talk.
So we’re here to tell you that there’s more to it then that, dammit.
Here are five bits of knowledge that will help you avoid being “such an idiot” during this year’s U.S. Open.
