Wednesday, June 12, 2002
U.S. Open Notebook
Miller won't pull punches in broadcast booth
The Associated Press
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Johnny Miller will be a proud father when his son plays the U.S. Open. That doesn't mean the old man will be doling out special treatment from the broadcast booth.
Miller, who won the tournament in 1973, is now an outspoken analyst for NBC. His son, Andy, qualified to play in his first Open on the Black Course.
“It doesn't matter if it's my wife or my kids,” Johnny Miller said. “If he's behind a tree and tries to hit a driver off a deep lie, I'm going to tell him how dumb it was.”
The younger Miller has struggled since turning pro a couple of years ago. The 24-year-old former BYU player has made only four PGA Tour starts, never finishing higher than 73rd.
Even so, the dad spoke highly of his son's game.
“He's got a lot more distance than I had,” Johnny Miller said. “As far as chipping, he's a lot better chipper than I was. Our putting is pretty similar. I think his long irons are maybe even better than mine.”
Not surprisingly, Andy Miller said his father has been the biggest influence on his game.
“Probably the biggest help to me is what he's told me mentally on the golf course,” the son said. “But, obviously, he shaped my swing, too. I've branched out a little bit from some of his teaching, but everything I know is what he's taught me.”
Johnny Miller isn't worried about being critical of his son with millions of viewers tuning in.
“The way I announce, I don't have to fake,” he said. “It's not like I'm Bill Clinton or some politician trying to be politically correct. I just tell what I see. He knows that. He knows when I work with him that sometimes I'm almost too blatantly honest with him.
“It's just the way I am.”
AMEN CORNER: The USGA has gone to a two-tee format for the first two rounds, forcing all 156 players to start one round at No. 10.
It's an imposing way to begin a major.
The 10th is a 492-yard monster, the second-longest par 4 in Open history. That's followed by the 435-yard 11th, which is guarded by deep fairway bunkers left and right. Then it's on to 12, a 499-yard behemoth that's the longest par 4 in Open history.
“I can't remember a tougher start than 10, 11 and 12,” Stewart Cink said. “You've got to respect the holes and know you may be hitting a wood with your second shot.”
Phil Mickelson considers the first six holes on the back to be the toughest stretch on the course.
“No. 12 is going to be very difficult,” he said. “It's difficult to reach in two, let alone think about making birdie.”
Mickelson will begin the tournament at No. 10 Thursday morning.
“It's very difficult to start on the back side here because you're starting right in the meat of the golf course,” he said. “You don't have an opportunity to get into a rhythm or a flow and feel confident.”
At least it's the same for everyone.
OLLIE'S DRIVER: The U.S. Open can be an ugly place if you're not hitting your driver well. That's what has Jose Maria Olazabal so concerned.
Olazabal, who hasn't had a top-10 finish in the Open since 1991, is working with instructor Butch Harmon to try to get his swing fixed by the time he tees off Thursday.
“I've been struggling, to be honest, the last three or four weeks with my driver,” Olazabal said Tuesday. “I am a little better today but I am not feeling as comfortable as I was early in the season.”
Earlier this season, Olazabal was crediting his improved play off the tee for wins in the Buick Invitational and Hong Kong Open and a fourth-place finish in the Masters.
The two-time Masters champion has always had a great touch around the greens, but he frequently sprayed drives off the tee before working with Harmon last year.
That will be a problem at Bethpage Black, where the fairways are tight and the penalties severe for missing them.
“You might just miss the fairway by a yard or two and all you have to do is just take the sand wedge and chip it out,” he said. “But that's the U.S. Open. It's going to be the same for everybody.”
NEW THREESOME: The U.S. Open traditionally groups the defending champion with the British Open and U.S. Amateur winners.
A change was required this year, however.
Retief Goosen, who beat Mark Brooks in an 18-hole playoff last year at Southern Hills, will tee off with British Open champion David Duval. But Bubba Dickerson, the U.S. Amateur champion, forfeited his spot by turning pro after the Masters.
So, the U.S. Golf Association turned to David Toms to fill out the threesome. He won the final major of 2001, the PGA Championship.
DIVOTS: Defending champions don't fare well in the U.S. Open. Since 1991, only one champion has finished higher than 40th when defending his title — Tiger Woods, who was 12th last year after winning in 2000. During that span, three defending champions missed the cut. ... The purse is $5.5 million, a $500,000 increase over last year. The winner gets $1 million. ... Nick Faldo, who received a special exemption, will be playing in his 60th consecutive major championship. His best finish at the Open came in 1988, when he lost to Curtis Strange in an 18-hole playoff. Faldo has been in the top 1- three other times.
• Complete golf coverage and Tristate golf course guide
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