As many golfers had hoped, Rory McIlroy redeemed himself from the Masters meltdown and won the US Open in spectacular fashion. At the same time, the good folks from Guinness made a few extra bucks at the pubs in Rory’s hometown of Hollywood, Northern Ireland. Congratulations Rory.
Although not up to the withering pace set by McIlroy, several notable performances were recorded in the final round including Kevin Chappell (-5), Peter Hanson (-4), Carl Schwartzel (-5),and Louis Oosthuizen (-4). And lets not forget Sergio Garcia who hung in with a –1 for the day to finish at –5 and tied for 7th. Jason Day (-3) continued his excellent play to end at second place at –8, 8 strokes off McIlroy’s 16 under par finish. Happy father’s day Mr. McIlroy!
Our wrap up post features some environmental shots from the US Open, and a creative conceptual shot as the title photograph (top of the page). While at the Tuesday practice round, I tried to make several unique photos that capture the game while moving to the abstract. This was the best of my efforts. The shot was made by increasing aperture to f/32 and decreasing the shutter speed to 1/28 while shooting at a focal length of 200mm. This is an example of breaking the rules – intentionally. Without the context of golf, this photograph is undecipherable. However, in the context of the US Open, the imagination kicks in and makes it understandable.
One of the things I truly enjoy about the US Open, and the PGA tour in general, is the way players are treated as they should be – it is a pure meritocracy. Rory was cheered with abandon. All the players, regardless of their country of origin were welcomed warmly and applauded for their performance. Golf seems to break down boundaries not seen in other sports. Golf fans appreciate excellence. Period.
If you have not been following along with my posts from the US Open, here is your chance to go back and see some photography of select golfers you may enjoy.
- Miguel Angel Jimenez
- Phil Mickelson
- Dustin Johnson
- Sergio Garcia
- Ernie Els
- and finally, some black and white photography from the 2011 US Open
I hope you have enjoyed the photography from the Us Open. The Open has certainly inspired me. I played at Patuxent River Naval Air Station’s Cedar Point golf course over the weekend with three excellent scores (all things are relative). I shot 80 on Friday, 81 on Saturday, and had a great father’s day gift on Sunday – a 77. These scores will not make the cut on the PGA tour, but my golf buddies will be sure to enjoy this – my handicap will be suffering for some time as a result of these scores. Less money in my wallet, and more in theirs.
Have fun, and go make some great photography.
Craig
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