For all the crying about the greens at Chambers Bay the greens seemed to play a bit better today. Of course there will be a differences from early morning to late afternoon but there isn’t a course on this planet that can avoid that. But all the players play the same course and whatever happened to “you play the course as you found it.”
So Chambers Bay isn’t Augusta National and that’s a good thing. Golf courses are faced with a myriad of challenges today and the most critical of those is water and using less of it. So brown is the new green, firm and fast replaces lush and plush and shaggy is the chic.
For those whining about “our national championship deserves better” forget it. The USGA made a bold move and a bold statement in showcasing a new but retro layout for their beloved Open. Chambers Bay is one of a kind but hopefully it won’t be for long.
Jordan Spieth is the feel good story that never quits. The 21 year old shot a three under 67 to share the lead and keep his Grand Slam hopes alive. Even with an unsettling double bogey on the 18th today, his ninth he rebounded with a hot putter to keep himself in good position. He, like many players didn’t like Mike Davis’ setup at 18 today. It was converted from a par five to a 514 yard par 4 with a tight landing area. “It was a dumb hole today,” he grumbled. Even he gets to complain once and awhile.
Jason Day provided the most dramatic moment of the day when he went down on the eighteenth fairway. He’s been dealing with vertigo symptoms and he needed assistance to recover after lying down for a few minutes. He toughed it out and finished the round which will let him rest overnight and determine if he can continue to play on Saturday. 
While Chambers Bay may appear shocking to the uninformed viewer I am truly loving all the differences in this U.S. Open. It’s an old school presentation with a new school attitude and it’s all great, almost.
The par three ninth was played from the elevated tee today and to put it simply it’s just not a good golf hole. At 237 yards the tee box commands outstanding views of the course and Puget Sound and I am sure that’s why it was installed there but the tee at ground level makes the hole so much better.
In my book if you’re hitting from over one hundred feet above the green it’s a gimmick hole. Juli Inkster gave the details,” 237 yards, 30 yards down, 105 feet high.” Too much of a gimmick for me. Hopefully Davis will use the “real tee box” for the final two rounds.
Patrick Reed, Jordan Spieth, Brendan Grace and Dustin Johnson sit atop a good leaderboard and with 36 holes to play anyone near even par has a great chance at this championship.
I’d like to say the Fox Broadcast got better but I think it’s only because I wasn’t able to watch from start to finish today. Uneven is the word that keeps coming to mind. But I do appreciate some of their gimmicks particularly the way they highlight the green contours with their shading effect. 
But please, is there anything more painful than Charles Davis handling those uncomfortable post- round interviews? Please bring Holly Sonders back not only does she do a better job she is way better looking.
And improving on her first day record, Natalie Gulbis set her own record again today with the shortest skirt ever worn by an on course commentator. Take that David Feherty.
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