SOUTHAMPTON, NY – BSsaid golf to Sam Stevens.
BS to this, which Stevens stated on Thursday:
“I haven’t been playing that well in the last month or so – I’ve had a really crappy attitude to be honest, which makes golf a lot more difficult.
“So I have a week at home last week and I just focused on trying to stay positive and enjoy it a little bit more.”
And BS on this, which Stevens announced on Friday:
“Yeah, so, like the last four weeks, I think starting at the Truist, I had a terrible stay at the Truist. Then I think the PGA was the next week, and it was just the same thing. I just kind of get in bad shape and kind of be a disgrace when I don’t need to be. I’m only 29, so maybe I don’t need to be bitter about things yet.
“Yeah, I mean, I think just the conversations happen every week for the last month or so. Then I’ve had some good conversations with my wife over the last week. I was home last week during the Canadian Open and I just tried to relax a little bit and try, again, to have a little better perspective than I’ve been.”
Sounds great – after shooting a two-under 68 Shinnecock Hills Golf Club during Thursday’s first round US Openthen follow up with a 69 during Friday’s second round, leaving you in a tie for second heading into Saturday. But what happens when Shinnecock Shinnecocks?
As he did on the 10th hole, a down-the-hill-then-back par-4. Up until that point, Stevens was moving well. Birdie on 1. Birdie on 5. Two back of the lead. He was then three over as his approach shot on 10 dropped over the green and he was disappointed.
Then Stevens was four back after a bogey on the par-3 11th, which has confounded players since it was conceived; Lee Trevino once labeled it “the shortest par-5 in golf.” Stevens’ putt went right off the slope to the front of the green, ended up right on top of a greenside bunker, and he couldn’t get a par.
He couldn’t either on the par-4 12th, chasing a putt that sailed right, then a three-putt. Boges back to back. Goodbye, positive conversation. That long mental reset, which the 29-year-old pro said he used after a fair, if unspectacular, start to the PGA Tour season.
Hello again, curmudgeon.
About an hour and a half later, he laughed at the thought. Not so fast. And maybe don’t be too quick to crown Wyndham Clark, who directs Stevens and three others from six going into sunday.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s been tested all week,” Stevens said. “But I think I said that earlier in the week; it’s almost easier for me knowing that the course is playing so hard to accept the fact that you’re going to be a cheater.
“Like 10, I don’t hit my wedges very high, and I’m hitting straight up the hill and it’s the opposite. I don’t know if I could hit that wedge on the green if I hit it perfect, and I hit it really well. So I wasn’t too frustrated about it.
“Then 11 is a brutal hole. Everybody kind of knows that. Didn’t hit a good shot and made a bogey.
“Twelves, I’m crazy,” I sliced, and that’s something I’ve been doing for a good part of the day.
“Like I said, it’s just easier to know that a bogey isn’t going to kill you. If you can contain the damage and take a look at yourself a little bit, you can right the ship and hang in there, and I felt like I did a good job of that.
“The real test is just to do that throughout the tournament when I have 18 holes left.”
About them. On Sunday, perhaps Stevens can show how he played his last six holes on Saturday; after three straight bogeys, he made six straight pars when most everyone else was scrambling to get back to the club unscathed. This week, Stevens is also second in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, perhaps the most important stat to excel at Shinnecock, where green placement is everything.
Stevens is also calling out some of the words of his wife, Kelsey. A week ago, they talked about work. And that you want to be a productive worker. But it’s just work. Stevens then processed that thought in his head.
“At the end of the day,” he said, “I have four kids. We live close to family.
“We have a pretty simple life and a very blessed life. I get to play the PGA Tour, which is what I’ve always wanted to do.
“It wasn’t anything shocking. It’s just a little recognition of how lucky I am and I let that attitude dominate my thought process instead of looking at the things I’m worried about, whether it’s my game or — yeah, whatever it is. There’s a lot to be upset about, but it just helps.”
And that’s not BS
“It’s a fun week,” Stevens said. “It’s always good to play well and it’s fun. I can’t remember where I was going to start the last round last year at Oakmont. I was probably 15th or 20th, but at the time it was a pretty big deal to me.
“Now this feels like a big deal, but I feel – I’m just excited to play, which is a good place to be. Again, if I have the right perspective, I think every week should mean something, whether it’s good or bad. This week has been good, so it’s been nice. I hope I play well tomorrow. We’ll see what it means after tomorrow.”
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