From ‘The Greatest Game Ever Played’ to the “the most disgraceful and disgusting moment in the history of professional golf”, Brookline has witnessed both ends of the golfing extreme.
The former is the title of a book and film telling the amazing story of amateur Francis Ouimet, whose house overlooks the 17th green, and hCis 1913 US Open victory over British greats Harry Vardon and Ted Ray.
The latter is how Europe vice-captain Sam Torrance referred to the scenes on the 17th green during the 1999 Ryder Cup after Justin Leonard’s long birdie putt sparked wild and premature celebrations as his opponent, Jose Maria Olazabal, waited to take his own putt to keep the contest alive.
That was the culmination of a hostile week which saw Colin Montgomerie’s father leave the course due to the amount of abuse his son was receiving, while captain Mark James reported that one spectator had spat at his wife.
Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia are the only players from 1999 in the 156-man field for this week’s 122nd US Open and, while similar scenes are certainly not expected, both men have reason to be wary of the famously raucous Boston fans.
Garcia has long been a target for US crowds for a variety of reasons, while Mickelson has become the figurehead for the Saudi-backed LIV Golf events which Rory McIlroy believes are “fracturing” the game.
Mickelson’s comments that he was fully aware of Saudi Arabia’s “horrible record on human rights” but that he was using the threat of a breakaway to “reshape” how the PGA Tour operates cost the six-time major winner a host of sponsors and sent him into self-imposed exile.
Yet four months later, after missing the Masters and the defence of his US PGA title, Mickelson re-emerged at the first LIV Golf
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