Maggert surprises at Bethpage

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- So much for the theory that Bethpage State Park's Black Course is for long hitters only. Among the contenders at last week's U.S. Open were short hitters such as Jeff Maggert, Scott Hoch, Nick Faldo, Billy Mayfair and Nick Price. Of course, the thick, unplayable rough was an equalizer. No matter how long you hit it, if you missed the fairway you were probably going to make a bogey.

Maggert's performance -- he finished third and won $362,000-plus -- was doubly surprising. Maggert largely vanished from the scene after the 1999 Ryder Cup. He struggled with his game and only recently had been seeing some positive results. Two things may have helped put things in perspective for Maggert. One was visiting former Asian tour pal Carlos Espinoza in McAllen, Texas, over the winter to work on his game. "Carlos called and said, 'Play well ... so people will call me for lessons,'" said Michelle Maggert, Jeff's wife.

The day after the Buick Classic at Westchester Country Club -- on the Monday of Open week -- Jeff and Michelle drove into Manhattan for some sightseeing. They visited the Ground Zero site. "I'd seen it on TV and I was in the lobby of the World Trade Center four or five years ago," Jeff said. "To see the whole thing not there and a hole in the ground 10 stories deep is beyond anyone's imagination. I can't even imagine what it looked like with all the rubble. You know, it takes your mind somewhere else. There are a lot more important things going on in the world besides my golf swing."

This high finish makes Maggert exempt for next year's Open as well as the Masters, which he didn't qualify for in April. "I wanted to get back to see the changes," Maggert said. "It'll play longer than ever, I'm sure. It will be nice to get back to Augusta. I missed it. I think I had a streak of 40 major championships in a row, and not being at Augusta this year was kind of a low point. Maybe this will start another streak of 40 more majors.

"I really went the last couple of years not playing well and not knowing why. I found a few things in my swing this year and it's been fun coming back. There were times this year when I felt like packing it in and taking a year off. Like when I'm playing and away from home and my wife and kids and not doing well, I wonder why I'm beating my head against a wall. It's tough to balance your family with how hard you have to work at this game."

Maggert, a straight hitter and a good iron player, has a U.S. Open-style game, which is why he's been in the mix before for this championship. He was tied for the lead going into the back nine at Congressional in 1997, but a three-putt and a couple of drives in the rough derailed his bid; Ernie Els outlasted Tom Lehman and Colin Montgomerie for the win. "Ernie played great that year," Maggert said. "That course setup was about how you were going to finish the last four or five holes. At Bethpage, it was about how you played seven through 12. Those holes were a tough stretch. The seventh is a dogleg right and I've got to carry it 270 yards so I can hit a 3-wood to the green.

"I disagree with what [USGA executive director] David Fay said on TV that everyone in the field can carry it 250 or 260. Everyone out here is different. I'm different from Tiger, who's different from Sergio, who's different from Phil. Everyone has unique golf skills. For the setup to eliminate guys who don't hit it as far is wrong. You've got Corey Pavin, a U.S. Open champion, and he can hardly play this course. It's ludicrous. They should let everyone's skills shine. This course took that away."

You probably didn't see that much of Maggert's final round; you can blame Woods, Mickelson and García for hogging most of the TV time. Plus, Maggert made a double bogey on the third hole that temporarily dropped him out of the picture, although he rallied with birdies at the fourth and fifth to get those strokes back. He shot 72, but he had an outside chance of moving up the leader board down the stretch had he posted a couple of birdies -- the par-5 13th and par-3 14th were the prime candidates. When he didn't convert, his chances were pretty well done. He finished five shots behind Woods.

"The only disappointment for me Sunday was my driver," Maggert said. "I was focusing on putting the ball in the fairway and I slipped a bit. I missed six fairways Sunday. If I hit four more, and a few more on Friday, I could have been under par. I think it was doable with my game. It was still a special week."

The Short Game

For those keeping score at home: If Tiger Woods wins every major he plays, he'll tie Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major professional championships at Whistling Straits in the 2004 PGA Championship. Now if Woods were to win 18 straight majors, would that feat better Byron Nelson's all-time record of winning 18 straight tournaments? Just asking. ... Golf Digest passed out "Be Nice to Monty" buttons early in the week. On Sunday, two days after García flipped the bird to fans and whined about the rain, I saw one man wearing one of those buttons with a piece of masking tape over Monty's name and "Sergio" scrawled on it. ... Just when you thought the USGA was figuring out a good course setup: The Black's rough was overly penal, in my opinion. I'm not sure it's golf when the world's best players just chip back to the fairway out of the rough. If it is golf, it's sure as hell boring. Also, the thick rough eliminated much of the chipping and many holes had rough in front of the greens, sometimes for 50 yards, so no links-like runup shots were possible. ... The tees at the 10th and 12th holes just needed to be moved up six or eight yards to be more playable in the wet, windy and sometimes cold conditions. ... Boneheaded move of the week: The USGA, either with NBC's blessing or at NBC's urging, pushed Sunday's tee times back more than an hour. The idea was to let the finish run over into prime time. Then a 40-minute rain delay stopped play just after 6 p.m., and the field was lucky to finish before dark. The Masters, which traditionally goes off late, bumped its Sunday times up an hour this year. The USGA went the other direction and almost got burned. ... In case you're wondering, a concession-stand burger ran you $6.50 at Bethpage. ... Long-sleeved T-shirts in the merchandise tent went for $29 while logoed short-sleeved T's sold for $30. Can you name two things I didn't buy?

Mailbag

Now, almost live, from the Mailbag, here are your nominations for other truly public courses -- à la Bethpage Black -- that could host the U.S. Open:

We need to think out of the box here. The par-69 Airways course in Fresno, Calif., may sound easy at 5,286 yards, but it has many a trick up its sleeves! The F-16 jets thundering overhead make concentration impossible, and the hardpan around the greens makes chipping wonderfully unpredictable. The traps are full of dirt, and every other yo-yo that drives by yells, "Fore!" The tour pros aren't man enough for this course!
—Richard Anderson, Clovis, Calif.

The pros are good with a sand wedge. Let's see them play a dirt wedge. I second the nomination. And no tee times: first come, first served.

The Concord Resort. The Monster, 7,600 yards from the back, is in the middle of nowhere but it is awesome! Great greens, great layout. They are refurbishing the resort for 2004.
—Frank Boesch, New York

They'd better add 300 more yards if they want to make Tiger break a sweat, Franko.

Dorado del Mar Golf Club in Dorado, Puerto Rico. Great course. Let's call Mr. Fay.
—Nelson Silverio, San Juan, Puerto Rico

OK. What should be call him?

With all of the work San Francisco is putting into Harding Park, don't you think that track could be another potential public course for the Open?
—Carter Lyons, San Francisco

Could be. I played there once about eight years ago and it was in such pitiful shape, I can't imagine an Open there. But it's nothing $4 million probably can't fix. Great trees.

Bulle Rock in Maryland could host an Open. Although not a resort course, it is pricey at $145 per round.
—Michael Walsh, Malvern, Pa.

Cool. Let's make the pros pay the greens fee every day during the Open.

There are a couple of public courses in the Mid-Atlantic area that could hold a U.S. Open: Bulle Rock in Havre de Grace, Md., and Royal New Kent in Williamsburg, Va. You gotta play 'em if you get the chance.
—Mark Ernest, Tracys Landing, Md.

Don't tell me, tell my boss.

What about Whistling Straits in Wisconsin as a possible site for an Open?
—Matt Larson, Oregon, Wis.

Whistling Straits already has the 2004 PGA Championship. And with greens fees in the $200 neighborhood, it's not exactly the kind of people's course we had in mind.

Houston's Memorial Park is a classic, long layout and for years hosted the Houston Open. Recently, it was in the running to replace the Woodlands as the new Shell Houston Open site. With some USGA money for a facelift, it would be an awesome site, just a few miles from downtown and close to everything Houston has to offer.
—Curtis Weeks, Houston

I'm going to let Houston slide this time, Curtis, but don't get used to it.

The USGA could return to Long Island and play Montauk Downs and not embarrass itself.
—Tony Mesa, Miami Lakes, Fla.

At least not for that reason, eh, Tony?

Sports Illustrated senior writer Gary Van Sickle writes for the magazine's Golf Plus section and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Click here to send him a question or comment.

 

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