And spoken … and spoken.
But one Player’s voice rose above all. So, Chambers Bay architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. finally has his defense of the course in an exclusive interview with GOLF.com’s Joe Passov.
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To set the scene: Chambers Bay, site of Jordan Spieth’s electrifying victory in the 115th U.S. Open golf tournament, was a lightning rod for criticism throughout the run-up and then through the weekend, but, as GOLF.com noted, none was as cutting as Hall of Famer Gary Player’s: “The 79-year-old South African legend was in town being honored by the USGA for his U.S. Open win 50 years ago, but Player’s place at the podium turned into a bully pulpit, with Chambers Bay the target.”
During a Yahoo Sports podcast, Player called Chambers Bay “one of the worst golf courses I’ve seen in my 63 years as a pro” and a “basically unplayable” course whose designer “had to have one leg shorter than the other.”
Mum to that point, Jones — with help from associate Bruce Charlton and former associate Jay Blasi — is credited with the design and offered his rebuttal, in general but also specifically to Player.
But the debate has become public, and when asked what he would say to Player’s face, Jones responded by describing the process.
And that course condition — dry, firm and not exactly camera-friendly during FOX’s broadcasts? Part of what the USGA wanted to showcase.
Beyond Player’s complaints, Jones, in fact, sympathized with players’ primary complaint: the putting surfaces.
But, in closing, Jones said there was a method to the contouring madness around the greens. And hope for the players’ Chambers Bay’s future.
