Earl's Recent Past Golf Blog's
June12, 2026
Let Shinnecock be Shinnecock
Shinnecock Hills Golf Course is one of America's greatest golf courses and an ideal setting for a US Open. Located on the east end of Long Island the course more resembles a Scottish links course than the traditional American design with many trees and water hazards. Because of the sparsity of trees and proximity to the ocean, the course is susceptible to ever changing wind conditions that can change by the hour. Winning at Shinnecock will be a mental challenge as much as a test of ball striking ability.
The last two U.S. Opens at Shinnecock in 2004 and 2018, became less about who won and more about whether the USGA had crossed the line between "challenging" and "unfair." In 04, the first controversy centered on the seventh green, which became so dry and fast that players could not keep balls on the putting surface. Kevin Stadler barely touched a fifteen-foot putt that rolled off the green into a bunker. Well-struck shots were rolling off the green, and course officials were forced to water the green during play. The entire course conditions were widely criticized as unplayable, and the USGA later acknowledged it had lost control of the setup. In 2018, history repeated itself during the third round. As winds increased and greens dried out, afternoon players faced dramatically different conditions than the morning groups. Balls would not hold on certain greens, some pin positions became nearly impossible, and players openly questioned the fairness of the setup. USGA Executive Director Mike Davis publicly admitted that "well-executed shots" were being punished and apologized for the conditions.
I was fortunate to play Shinnecock in 2000. At that time, I had the length and game to properly test a US Open course. Playing from the back tees, Shinnecock was everything you would want for a national championship and in my opinion, nothing was needed to prepare it for the Championship in four years. I was also able to attend the Open in 2004 and witnessed first-hand the best players at times being humiliated with impossible pin and green circumstances. Unfortunately, the USGA didn't learn from 2004 and in 2018 similar criticisms occurred. The most public display of frustration occurred when Phil Mickleson putted and then swatted at and hit his moving ball on the 13th green that was headed well off the green. I hope nothing like that will occur this next week.
I have faith in the USGA. They rarely make mistakes and if so, they don't repeat them. Shinnecock is in my top ten courses that I have played. It doesn't need to be tricked up. I have read that the USGA will "let Shinnecock be Shinnecock". That's great news. Greens will be between 11 and 11 ½ on the Stimp reading, which is very fair. Previously putting there was "defensive". At 11 Stimp speed the players can be a bit more aggressive. The USGA can't regulate "Mother Nature" and it can be the determining factor in deciding a winner. Here's hoping "let Shinnecock be Shinnecock" will be the rule of the week and if so, we should have a great tournament and worthy champion.
May 26, 2026
Who is Aaron Rai?
Who is Aaron Rai? Aaron Rai is now a major championship winner, having defeated a stellar field on a very demanding golf course. The 108th PGA Championship was played at the Aronimink Golf Course just outside of Philadelphia. The Donald Ross designed course proved to be a worthy test for a major championship. Rai ultimately proved to be the only one that had the right stuff to handle the demanding course, the elite challengers, and the added pressure of a major championship.
Up to Aaron Rai taking command of the tournament, the championship was somewhat of an enigma. The golf course was winning and good players were grumbling. Major championships are supposed to be contested between the top tier of the golfing profession. But going into the last round there were over 20 players within 4 shots of the lead and many of those players were players with weak resumes that realistically shouldn't have a shot to win a tournament like this. Alex Smalley, Matti Schmid, Max Greyserman, David Puig are hardly household names, but they had realistic chances to hold the Wanamaker Trophy. They could have joined other one-time longshot champions like, Rich Been, Shaun Michael, YE Yang, Jason Dufner, and Jimmy Walker. Aaron Rai could be considered a longshot also, but a closer look will reveal a highly skilled player that has been lurking just under the radar of the best players in the world. With his PGA Championship win, Rai moved up to 14th in the World Golf Rankings. Clearly a world class player that few have heard of. Time will tell if this breakthrough will lead to future major victories, but this one was earned.
To me the story of this tournament was the inconsistent and failure of great players to take advantage of their opportunities that were presented to them. Rory McIlroy should have put this one away with ten holes to play. Instead, he played them in even par, with three holes that played right to his strength. Two reachable par fives and a 3 wood drivable par four, which he played in one over par! Jon Rohm also had opportunities and made uncharacteristically poor wedge shots. Yes, he finished second, but was not a factor. Ludvig Aberg, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, and Jordan Spieth all were close to the lead during the tournament, but didn't have the consistency or mental staying power to overcome the challenges that Aronimink presented. Scottie Scheffler was another story. Ball striking was again major championship quality, but I've rarely seen someone totally fooled, time and time again, on very makeable putts. In short, the highest rank players in the game did not have it this week with each one showing weaknesses that this course exposed. One player that didn't succumb was the winner, Aaron Rai.
This championship was a thinking mans test. Hit the fairway first. Length was not premium. Hit the greens first and attack the pins when possible. Putting of course was paramount, but defensive first and aggressive second. Maybe others had this game plan, but only Aaron Rai executed it to perfection. Rai will win again and maybe another major, but this win was seized. Six under par the last 10 holes was not luck. He took what was there, when none of the other "great players" had the right stuff.
This year's PGA Championship will be remembered as a dual triumph: the formidable Aronimink course won the daily battles, but a sure and steady Aaron Rai won the war.
