George Ferguson Column: No whining: This U.S. Open was magical

UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wa. — The 2015 U.S. Open is in the books, in dramatic fashion I might add. And as you all know by now, I was one of the lucky ones, there to see it all, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that opportunity. It was, simply put, the trip of a lifetime.

And now, here’s my long awaited final report from Chambers Bay. And let me start by saying this: One thing you will not read in this column is one single criticism of the golf course or it’s highly controversial greens.

No, instead, the first thing I’ll say is this, Chambers Bay is a magnificent layout, and proved to be a worthy U.S. Open venue.

Wait a minute. But all the players said that it sucked, said that greens were terrible and that it was playing so hard and fast that there was nowhere to land a tee shot, among other things.

Not exactly. Not ALL the players said those things about Chambers Bay.

Champion Jordan Spieth, who is now the greatest golfer in the world and may be for years to come, didn’t say any of those things following Sunday’s final round. Yes, he was caught on camera complaining about the controversial decision to play the 18th hole as a par-4 Friday, but that’s different than griping about the condition of the course. Spieth merely claimed that a true par-5 should remain a par-5, and for the rest of the tournament, it did just that.

Dustin Johnson never once complained either, and he probably has more wiggle room to be upset and frustrated than anyone else who teed it up in Tacoma. And then there’s Louis Oosthuizen. We sure didn’t hear him complain after shooting 66-66-67. After watching the former major champion torch Chambers Bay the last three days, I’m convinced the only reason he shot 77 on the opening day Thursday was because he had to play with Tiger Woods and Rickie Fowler. There was just no way anyone could play well alongside those two that day, because they were that awful.

I sure didn’t hear Rory McIlroy complain after his blistering round Sunday, or Adam Scott, who shot the low round of the entire tourney with his 64 Sunday afternoon in what were really hard conditions. Even Tiger and Phil, for as bad as they both played, didn’t really utter a critical peep about Chambers Bay, and those two pretty much have carte blanche to be as critical as they want to be of the courses, the USGA or anyone else, because they’ve earned it. And still nothing from them either as they departed the tournament, having been really beaten up by the course.

Instead, we have Billy Horschel and Ian Poulter doing the whining. Really guys? Try winning a major or even truly contending in one before you decide to become an expert on agronomy. No, at the end of the day — a very dramatic day, as always — the cream rose to the crop at the U.S. Open. The course was brutal, the greens weren’t perfect, there were quirks and bumps and bad bounces and the walk was as tough as any golf tournament that has ever been played. And that’s why, at the end of it all, the best players were shooting the best scores with chances to win the tournament.

Spieth is the best, along with McIlroy, too. Johnson has now contended in five major championships. Scott and Oosthuizen have their own majors. Jason Day is a world class player who has eight Top 10s to his credit in majors. I’m sorry, but it always takes supreme skill and talent to win the U.S. Open, and many of the guys doing the whining, they don’t have enough of either to pull it off, regardless of what kind of course the open is played on.

Honestly, I was surprised 4-under was good enough to win at Chambers Bay. When I played it in 2010, I played it under very difficult conditions as the course was prepping to host the U.S. Amateur later that summer. And I couldn’t help but think at the time, that if the USGA wants it to be, as they usually do, that the course could be brutal for the U.S. Open. And five years later, I was right.

And for the hard-core golf fan, that’s what made it exciting. I loved watching Fowler have to swing as hard as he could to advance the ball about four feet out of one of Chambers’ ungodly bunkers Friday morning. I loved watching rising star Tony Finau have to hit completely backwards off a sand dune, going back toward the tee because he had zero chance to land the ball on the green from his hillside lie. I enjoyed watching these guys have to try these shots, shots we all find ourselves in, whether it’s at Chambers Bay or Prairie Farms.

Don’t get me wrong, I love birdies and eagles, too. And trust me, I saw some great birdies this week, especially on the back nine Sunday. I love watching these guys putt, and I’m aware of Chambers’ bumpy greens, and that guys missed putts because of some of those bumps. But you know, golf is supposed to be hard, at least at their level. If it wasn’t really, really hard to be a professional golfer, we all would be out there making millions right alongside those guys. But it’s not easy, it’s really hard, and Chambers Bay was a great test for these guys, and the USGA should bring the U.S. Open back to Tacoma, no questions asked.

And that’s my rant on the controversy of the course. It disappointed me all week long that the controversy took center stage, over tremendous performances like Spieth’s. Him winning his second major of the year was absolutely historic and that should have been the only story that mattered Sunday night.

I wasn’t so annoyed that I didn’t fully enjoy the experience. No, I took it all in. The beauty of Chambers Bay, the beauty of a magnificent links golf course in America. I watched the Goodyear Blimp, I checked out the broadcast centers, I soaked up the massive infrastructure that is on site at a U.S. Open. I walked the course, over and over, and over again. I watched all the players. I talked to many fans, from all over the world, including ones from right here in Havre.

I made sure people in the Media Center learned about Havre and the Havre Daily News. And most of all, I made certain that my first, and probably only U.S. Open was going to be an experience I’ll never forget.

And it was. No amount of whining by guys who are paid millions of dollars annually to control a little white ball with a stick in their hand was going to ruin that experience.

Instead, I chose to focus on all the positives I mentioned above. I chose to be humbled and appreciative that I got to cover such a special and spectacular sporting event, one that had the sports world tuned in and on the edge of its seat all week. And a big reason why it was so special was Chambers Bay.

So, at the end of this special and incredible journey I took the last seven days, all I can say is, one U.S. Open crossed off my bucket list, and it’s on to the next, which is New York for the 2016 U.S. Open tennis tournament. And lastly, if you love golf, and playing Chambers Bay isn’t on your bucket list, you should add it. Don’t listen to Sergio Garcia or the truly great Gary Player. Chambers Bay is a must-play golf course for the avid golf enthusiast, no matter what they say.

And if attending a U.S. Open isn’t on your bucket list either, put that one on their, too. I promise, there’s nothing else like it, and when you go, you’ll end up having the experience of a lifetime. Just like I just did at Chambers Bay.