- Close
ESPN Staff Writer- Covered the NFL at the Houston Post and Houston Chronicle, including eight Super Bowls
- Received Citation for Writing Excellence from Hearst Newspapers
- Also has covered NBA Finals, World Series, Finals Fours, Indy 500 and Daytona 500
- Close
ESPN Senior Writer- Senior golf writer for ESPN.com
- Covered golf for more than 20 years
- Earned Evans Scholarship to attend Indiana University
UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. -- Sergio Garcia, who barely made the cut for the U.S. Open, and world No. 1 Rory McIlroy added to the continued criticism of the Chambers Bay golf course greens after their rounds Saturday.
"To me, this is like playing the NBA Finals on a court with holes, slopes and no backboard," Garcia said on the FOX telecast.
On Friday, Henrik Stenson referred to the greens as looking like broccoli. McIlroy went further Saturday.
"I don't think they're as green as broccoli. I think they're more like cauliflower,'' he said after shooting even-par 70 in the third round. "They are what they are. Everyone has to putt on them.
"It's all mental. Some guys embrace it more than others, and that's really the way it is. It is disappointing that they're not in a bit better shape. But the newer greens, like 7 and 13, they're perfect. They're just -- one grass, fescue, and the ball rolls really well on those. But it's just the ones where the poa [annua] has sort of crept in and the two grasses grow at different speeds, and that's what gives it the bumpiness."
McIlroy's description is basically the reason the greens have been such a source of consternation this week.
But he was not blaming them for his woes, a disappointing performance in which the world No. 1 has not been able to get into contention. He shot 72-72 in the first two rounds and is at at 4-over 214 for the tournament.
Garcia shot an even-par 70 on Saturday, which leaves him 5-over for the tournament. He missed a 3-foot putt on the 18th hole Friday, which dropped him to 1 shot outside the cut line until a bogey by amateur Nick Hardy at the end of the second round enabled Garcia and 14 other golfers to get in at 5 over.
After his opening round 70 on Thursday, Garcia tweeted: "I think a championship of the caliber of @usopengolf deserves better quality green surfaces that we have this week but maybe I'm wrong!"
He didn't back down from that opinion on Saturday.
"I want to make sure everyone understands what I'm trying to achieve with what I said,"' Garcia said on the telecast. "This is a major and deserves to be in great conditions. Unfortunately, there are four types of greens out there. As much as I like the U.S. Open, the standard of the greens isn't there."