Matt Lauer and contest winner try to break 100 at Torrey Pines

[Tye 1on]

And fail.
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Matt's Golf Challenge
Posted: Monday, June 09, 2008 11:00 AM by Dan Fleschner
Filed Under: Live from Studio 1A, Anchor Talk

Let me begin this by saying that if I ever shot 100 on a U.S. Open course, I would retire from golf a happy man.

With that said, Matt Lauer shot an even 100 last Friday at Torrey Pines, host of the upcoming U.S. Open, and he was not happy about it.

He took part in the Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge, an exhibition that was sparked by a comment Tiger Woods made a year ago: that no 10-handicapper could break 100 on a course set up for the U.S. Open. (Note: You can watch highlights of the event on Sunday, June 15, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, right before live final-round coverage of the U.S. Open.)

Matt Lauer, Greg Norman
Two-time British Open champion Greg Norman served as Matt's caddy
at the Golf Digest US Open Challenge. (AP Photo/Christopher Park)

Matt (6.2 handicap) played with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (2.2), pop star Justin Timberlake (6.0) and "everyman"John Atkinson (8.1), who won a Golf Digest essay contest to try his hand at the championship layout at Torrey Pines.

Atkinson is not only a very good golfer, but he is also dealing with a serious medical issue just to play: he's undergoing treatment for advanced inoperable lung cancer, making him an inspiration for everyone watching, regardless of his finishing score.

At the end of the 6 hour and 15 minute round, Romo had shot 84, Timberlake 98, and Atkinson 114 (in addition to Matt's 100).

Altogether, the foursome did not record a single birdie on the 7,600-yard course, which featured diabolical pin placements, extreme rough around the greens and lightning-fast putting surfaces.

I spoke with Matt this morning about the experience:

DF: What were your expectations heading into this? What were you thinking you would shoot?

Matt Lauer: I practiced a fair amount for this in the past month. I was hoping to shoot 92 or 93. I did the math, thinking I'd make a lot of bogeys and a few others. But I thought I could make three or four pars, on par threes and par fives.

So I thought 92 or 93, and I was pretty much out of that ballpark after the first four holes.

DF: What did you do to practice for this? How can you practice for the kind of layout the players face at a U.S. Open?

ML: You can't practice for the conditions, you just can't. I play on courses with fairly fast greens, but they're not like this. There's nothing you can do to prepare for the rough. It's a different kind of grass. It's called Kakuya grass, and we don't have that on the East Coast. And the length of it is just unprecedented. No course around here grows it that high.

In addition to that, I don't have a course where I can really stretch it out to that length. At my course, I can go to the very back of the tee box and play it at 7,400 yards, but that's still 200 yards short.

So all I can do to practice is to go to the range and hit balls, trying to get my swing down, work on my short game. As it turned out, driving the ball was my undoing. It completely undid me.

DF: Why didn't you drive the ball well?

ML: I don't know...I think it had a lot to do with the pressure. Probably a lot to do with the enormity of the task. It was clearly a lot to do with the schedule of the morning. I was done hitting balls at the range way too early. I should have just hit a few balls, rolled a few putts and walked onto the course.

Instead, I stood around for a half hour, I got all tight, had time to think about it. And as it turned out, the first drive I hit was one of the worst drives I've hit in the past 10 years. Just a terrible, terrible drive. And I followed it with two other drives that were very similar.

DF: Aside from the way you played, was any part of it fun?

ML: While it was happening, it wasn't what I would describe as "fun." It was an extraordinary experience. It was intense. With the galleries and the cameras...I looked into the gallery and Fred Couples was walking along with me. Having Greg [Norman] as a caddy, and the other guys...knowing there were so many other people who were going to watch this because they wanted to know what they would shoot -- it was very, very intense and very pressure filled.

Would I describe it as fun? No. But would I do it again? Absolutely. Absolutely.

DF: More pressure than interviewing the president or something like that?

ML: It's a different kind of pressure. I've been doing big interviews for 14 years. I know how to do them. I know what it takes, I know how it's going to feel, I know how to relax in those circumstances. It's what I do.

Playing golf is not what I do for a living. So you're putting yourself out there in the most pressure-packed circumstances. And you're showcasing a skill that is not your primary skill. You're out of your element. And I think that's why it's so hard to play well in those circumstances.

DF: Was there any particularly useful piece of advice that Greg gave you during the round?

ML: After I had that disastrous four-hole start, he was really helpful at saying, "Put it behind you. There's 14 holes to go, take it one hole at a time." And that was really good, because at that point, I was ready to take a putter and hit myself over the head with it. I was ready to commit suicide right on the course.

Although I tried not to show it, I was really discouraged, because it's just not the way I play, and I was thinking to myself, Why are you doing this now?

Greg was also really good technically. He's a great reader of putts. He really knows greens. There were some times when I'd think a putt was going a ball or two left to right, and he'd say, "Actually, Matt, because the water drains off here, it's going a little more right to left." So he was a great help for that.

DF: What about the other guys you played with...what were your impressions of them?

ML: I had heard great things about Tony Romo's game, and he really can play. He says he's a two-handicap, but I think he's closer to scratch. He hits the ball, and he's got all the shots. He's also an incredibly nice guy, very fun to be with.

Justin Timberlake was very athletic. Kind of incongruous to see him in his hip-hop type outfit on the golf course. He can really play the game and is a true golfer. I was very impressed with the way he handled the pressure down the stretch. He was getting close to that magic number of 29-over par, and he could easily have bogeyed or double-bogeyed the last couple holes and missed it, and he played really well.

And John Atkinson, with all he's going through, and the fact that he had never been in a pressure-packed golf situation like this before -- or really ever faced any crowds or the attention like this -- he was a true gentleman. I know he didn't play as well as he wanted to play, but he inspired us out there.

I think the most emotional moment was on the 18th hole, when he and his brother and his family all embraced on the green. We all started crying, it was very moving.
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http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/...9/1124681.aspx

Fun trying though!

[grapedrink]

wow i can't imagine how ridiculous it would be to play a 7643 yard par 71 with US open greens and rough. course rating is 79.7 and a slope of 153. pretty amazing what it takes to protect par with these guys..

[BrianGriffin]

If I learned one thing in 4 years caddying at a country club, it's that handicaps are total bullshit. I can't tell you how many guys claimed to be "7 handicaps" who I never once honestly saw shoot better than bogey golf. People are so concerned with being better than other people that they are willing to cheat and lie to do so, even in a matter as trivial as golf.

I bet Lauer hasn't shot under 90 anywhere since last July.

[Tye 1on]

If I learned one thing in 4 years caddying at a country club, it's that handicaps are total bullshit. I can't tell you how many guys claimed to be "7 handicaps" who I never once honestly saw shoot better than bogey golf. People are so concerned with being better than other people that they are willing to cheat and lie to do so, even in a matter as trivial as golf.

I bet Lauer hasn't shot under 90 anywhere since last July.

While i don't doubt a word you said, i'll flat guarantee that my 21.9 index is real.

[Bluebird]

and just as many guys had higher handicaps than they should have......gotta win that $5 somehow. (Spent the better part of 10 years caddying)

Lauer shot 100, Timberlake a 98 with essentially the same handicap. If he were a 20 handicap as you seem to imply wouldn't a 100 at Torrey Pines be the round of his life. I'm a 19 and would be incredibly lucky to shoot 120.

[Tye 1on]

Not implying a thing, and a 120 would make my day there too. Not to threadjack, but i just don't get why folks don't just post their scores and let the handicap just be what it is...Pretty easy really, just post every score. Oh, and count every stroke too

[Bluebird]

^^My bad, the "implying" comment was directed at BrianGriffen's post.


Considering golf is supposed to be an honest sport you think they would. Contrary to BrianGriffen's theory, I think most people who play alot (and usually for some sort of $$) don't put in their better scores.

Back to the original topic, I would love to try and tackle a US Open course. It would be frustrating, but fun. I caddied at Baltusrol a couple of times, but never played it. Even then, it wasn't setup for a US Open.

I am actually impressed Timberlake and for that matter Romo and Lauer are such a good golfers

[Gebster]

I can't wait for the chance to be a$$ with a loud airhorn in the parking lot at the Gliderport and the top of the Blacks Beach goat path

[Viva]

I can't wait for the chance to be a$$ with a loud airhorn in the parking lot at the Gliderport and the top of the Blacks Beach goat path

Dude, my building overlooks part of the course...

[grapedrink]

romo actually shot his handicap, so while its possible he had the round of his life, odds are he just had a great round and the other boys played poorly. there's golf, then there's tournament golf, then there's internationally broadcast golf. nevermind having the entire focus on your foursome.. with 6 handicaps i'm sure they could shoot bogey on a better day.

[mnflyfish]

I used to be very serious about golf, grew up and relized I was throwing away money that could be spent on winter vacations to various mountain towns. During this time I ot my handicap down to a legitimate 6 and had an opportunity to play Hazeltine a few days before the PGA Championships. They had the tee's marked for the tourney so members could see where they tour players would be playing each hole from. The rough averaged 6+ inches, a couple holes required a 250+ carry, it was crazy. I think the avg par three was 215 yards long with greens rolling at least 11. The guy I was playing with was a former Hazeltine club champ, not sure of his handi but having played a few other courses with this guy and seeing him hit neg numbers on a pretty regular basis I'd guess +1 or so. Anyway we deceided we'd play from the "tour" tees to see just how hard it could be. It was brutal! I shot a 98 and was damn happy with that score. It included a birdie on the 13th where a few days later John Daly sould shoot a 10 after a trip or two into lake Hazeltine. My buddy, who knows the course like the back of his hand shot a 92? It really is a totally different game.

I spent most of my youth as a caddy at Interlachen CC and played it during the Walker Cup and it wasn't nearly as tricked out as Hazeltine was for the PGA. That said, I had an opportunity to talk to a buddy of mine at Interlachen regarding the Women's US Open later this month. I still remember EVERYTHING about that course. If you're a golf fan watch the last round or two, they've reversed the 9's for the Open but watch the players on 17(8). That green on a average member day is crazy, for the open it will be impossible if a player hit their ball above the hole. You might see more than a few players actually cry as they watch their ball roll back into the fair and 50 yards from the green.

I sometimes miss golf, but I dont miss dropping $75+ a round, having to play with people who "don't know what's wrong, I shot an 80 last time", or hot heads that throw any and everything. In the last two years, I've played a total of 5 times, have yet to hit a ball this year, and really haven't missed it. I did get roped into playing in some corp event next month so I suppose I should hit the range a few times but I like corp events, free shit and free beer.

Jay

[TyWebb]

cool post....I remember when tiger said that and I didn't doubt it for a sec. To watch those pros battle for four days to stay within arms reach of even par makes the open my favorite tourney by a mile.

[grapedrink]

last year weir and vijay played an exhibition match at a resort course i play quite a bit every summer (crowbush cove in pei). nothing was done to trick up the course, they played it in the same conditions we play it on any given day although they got lucky with the wind. i'm around a 10 and struggled for my 88 the one time i played from the tips (6903, 75.2, 148) and i was playing very well by my standards. vijay came in, first time ever seeing the course, 9am the day after the canadian open, which was right after the british open.. shot a 66 and made the whole thing look like a joke. weir shot a 71 i believe but only because he lipped out about 5 putts. he'd played it before though.. most impressive thing was watching vijay putting it within 10 feet in two on this 600+ yard par 5 into the breeze with a very shallow green.

http://www.worldwidegolfguide.com/hg...ges/hole5.html

and weir putting it within three feet on this 230 yard par 3.

http://www.worldwidegolfguide.com/hg...ges/hole8.html

[EPSkis]

I've played TPC Avenel set up for tournament play (When it was still the Kemper Open, now the Booz-Allen), played Sleepy Hole in VA when it was set up for LPGA, played Worthington Manor in MD set up for US Open qualifiers, and ALL of them kicked my ass.

By FAR the easiest layout was at Cattail Creek (MD) set up for the Seniors...In terms of the track itself, it only plays just under 7k yds, but it amazed me that the course conditions are FAR more difficult for LPGA than they are for the Seniors.

[bucbanzai]

Great link.

At least Lauer had the guts to put the whole thing together and lay his game bare.
A great foursome too.

I had the chance to play Bethpage Black exactly two weeks after the Open was there. I was a 10 at the time. I shot 92 and felt like I won the Open. I slept in the parking lot the night before and got paired up to start at 7:15 with three other guys. We went ahead and played from the Open tee markers. There is a great sign on the first tee.

The strategy was - tee it high, hit it as far and as straight as you can on every single hole (no shaping them, hitting 3 woods, etc.), when you didn't, chip it out as best you could from the 5" rough and hope to pitch and putt for par. If you make a few of those you keep your score respectable.

[Tye 1on]

So Romo would have beaten 4 players yesterday with his 85.

[72Twenty]

There is a great sign on the first tee.

Is that the golf equivalent to this?

[4matic]

If I learned one thing in 4 years caddying at a country club, it's that handicaps are total bullshit. I can't tell you how many guys claimed to be "7 handicaps" who I never once honestly saw shoot better than bogey golf. People are so concerned with being better than other people that they are willing to cheat and lie to do so, even in a matter as trivial as golf.

I bet Lauer hasn't shot under 90 anywhere since last July.

Handicap represents best potential score. Someone with a 7 index probobly averages 85 or higher depending on course rating.

If my goal was to just break 100 I'm certain I could do that. Hit hybrids off the tees and play for bogey as worst possible score.