{"id":4021,"date":"2026-06-16T20:08:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T20:08:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=4021"},"modified":"2026-06-16T20:08:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T20:08:20","slug":"what-score-indicates-a-tough-test-in-the-us-open-the-modern-standard-suggests-under-par","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=4021","title":{"rendered":"What score indicates a tough test in the US Open? The modern standard suggests under par"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Adam Scott, of Australia, hits out of a bunker on the 18th hole during the first round of the Memorial golf tournament in Dublin, Ohio, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo\/Sue Ogrocki)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. \u2014 Even at Shinnecock Hills<\/a> , one of America\u2019s toughest courses preparing to host golf\u2019s toughest test, one has to wonder what Arnold Palmer might say about winning a U.S. Open<\/a> .<\/p>

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It was in 1960 at Cherry Hills when Palmer was seven shots behind going into the final round. Before heading to the first tee, where the King famously drove the first green, he turned to Bob Drum of the Pittsburgh Press and said: \u201cWhat if I shoot 65? Doesn\u2019t 280 always win the Open?\u201d<\/p>\n

Palmer shot 65, finished at 280 and won the U.S. Open.<\/p>\n

The standard has improved mightily in the six decades since then. Players have never been better equipped through all facets of technology. They are bigger and stronger. Yes, these guys are good.<\/p>\n

Good enough to break par, even at a U.S. Open.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what annoyed Tom Kite when he played the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. Kite made it through a 36-hole qualifier at age 54 and then made the cut. But he shot 84 in the final round, a day when no one broke par and the average score was 78.7.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got the best players in the world, and if they can\u2019t shoot under par, it\u2019s got to be out of control,\u201d Kite said that day. \u201cAny golf course should give up a 65, 66 or 67 every day. If it doesn\u2019t give up that kind of score, it\u2019s over the edge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Retief Goosen found a way. Someone always does. Goosen shot 4-under 276 to win by two over Phil Mickelson, who remains the only player to finish under par at Shinnecock without winning.<\/p>\n

Kite, however, raised an interesting point considering the standard of play, which is even greater now than it was 22 years ago.<\/p>\n

If players back in Palmer\u2019s prime felt 280 was good enough to win the U.S. Open, should it not be lower now? Scores have been coming down as long as golf has been played, part of the evolution of golf and other sports.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to say 280 doesn\u2019t always win the U.S. Open. Brooks Koepka won at 281<\/a> when it was last held at Shinnecock Hills in 2018, which was more a product of how the course was set up on a Saturday that got out of control. Mickelson featured that year, too, swatting a moving golf ball on the 13th green<\/a> in a bizarre protest.<\/p>\n

Given the stern test the U.S. Open should be, and considering the standard of the modern golfer, what kind of score should win barring unforeseen or overly harsh conditions?<\/p>\n

\u201cGenerally, I would say for a very hard golf course 5 to 10 under is a really good test of golf at the hardest level,\u201d Adam Scott<\/a> said Tuesday. \u201cI would think with the standard today the best player out there is going to beat par.\u201d<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean there isn\u2019t a premium on par. That\u2019s true at most U.S. Opens, depending on the wind and sometimes the rain. Rory McIlroy<\/a> holds the scoring record of 268 on a rain-softened Congressional course in 2011.<\/p>\n

\u201cGenerally speaking, they absolutely should break par,\u201d said two-time U.S. Open champion Curtis Strange, putting the score of a proper test somewhere between 5- and 7-under par. \u201cIf it\u2019s a fair, tough test, it should be under par.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andy North, another two-time U.S. Open champion, said a 275 or 276 \u201cand I\u2019d be really happy.\u201d<\/p>

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Geoff Ogilvy won his U.S. Open in 2006 at Winged Foot \u2014 another New York beast \u2014 and is the last player to win an Open without breaking par in any round. He finished at 5-over 285 and won when Mickelson made double bogey.<\/p>\n

Doesn\u2019t \u2014 pick a number \u2014 always win the U.S. Open?<\/p>\n

\u201cSeparating the field is a good test,\u201d Ogilvy countered. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t look at score relative to par. But it has to be stout.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aronimink was a stout test for the PGA Championship last month with its contoured greens and tough pin positions. But it lacked separation until the final day when Aaron Rai shot 65 and won by three shots<\/a> .<\/p>\n

\u201cPebble Beach in 2000 was perfect,\u201d Ogilvy said. \u201cBecause it found the best player in history playing the best he ever played.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was Tiger Woods winning at 12-under 272 \u2014 tying the scoring record at the time \u2014 and winning by 15 shots because no one else broke par. No one else was close in the game back then.<\/p>\n

The players are sure to be tested at Shinnecock, and it\u2019s a big test for the USGA, too. The last two times at Shinnecock<\/a> are remembered as much for what went wrong than who got it right.<\/p>\n

The seventh green had to be doused with water between groups in 2004 or they would have had to stop play. That was the day no one broke par and 28 players didn\u2019t break 80.<\/p>\n

The pin positions combined with baked greens and strong wind led to the debacle in 2018 on Saturday<\/a> . Tony Finau and Daniel Berger started 11 shots behind and wound up tied for the lead. The only three players who broke par finished before the leaders teed off.<\/p>\n

The USGA is being cautious this week, keeping Shinnecock and its exposed greens as hydrated as possible to account for strong wind anticipated later in the week. It\u2019s a challenge to get it right, especially after the last two times.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s hard to set a golf course up fairly and par would be the winning score today \u2014 maybe there are a few courses that can happen at,\u201d Scott said.<\/p>\n

Shinnecock comes to mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere the wind is the biggest factor. It\u2019s a bit more like an Open Championship, so I think that\u2019s to the USGA\u2019s advantage,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause they can have the wind determine a score, and it\u2019s not really on them and their setup.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season. AP golf: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/golf<\/a><\/p>

Read more Sri Lanka stuns New Zealand to dent Women\u2019s T20 World Cup defense<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Arnold Palmer once said a score of 280 always wins the U.S. Open<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4019,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat score indicates a tough test in the US Open? The modern standard suggests under par - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=4021\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What score indicates a tough test in the US Open? 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