Stupid Conditions At Torrey Pines

ESPN’s Bob Harig quotes Mark Calcaveccia on the expected conditions at Torrey Pines:

“I don’t know how much harder and faster the greens will be, but when we were there in January, you could hit it out of the rough,’’ PGA Tour veteran Mark Calcavecchia said. “From what I hear, I don’t think that will be the case at the Open. It’ll be like every other U.S. Open. Stupid.’‘

Calc also has his opinions on the eventual winner:

“He’s (Tiger) not exactly Calvin Peete off the tee,’’ Calcavecchia said, referring to the 12-time PGA Tour winner who was first in driving accuracy every year from 1981 to 1991. “He’s going to be in the deep [stuff]—plenty. But he’s still who he is. He’s still Tiger Woods. And he’s still playing Torrey Pines. I’m still putting it on him. I think it’s over before it even starts, 10 or 12 inches of rough or not. Because everyone else is going to be hitting it in the [stuff], too. You hit every fairway and it’s a different story. But nobody’s going to do that.’‘

Given that Tiger’s coming off knee surgery, that it’s the US Open, and that he’s not exactly hitting a lot of fairways these days, maybe he’ll struggle. If he finds himself in the rough, will that knee give him trouble as he tries to muscle it out? Is it possible he won’t make the cut?

Nah.