Okay, guys, so today I wanna talk about the 2004 U.S. Open. Man, what a wild ride that was. I remember it like it was yesterday, even though it’s been, what, almost 20 years? Time flies when you’re having fun, right?
So, picture this: It’s June 2004, and I’m glued to the TV, watching the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. Now, I’m no pro golfer, but I love the sport, and this tournament was shaping up to be a real nail-biter.
First off, I had to find a decent stream to watch it. And trust me, back then, it wasn’t as easy as it is now. I went through a few links, messed around with the settings, and finally got a somewhat stable picture.
I kicked off the whole thing by setting up my snacks and drinks. Gotta have the right fuel for a major tournament, you know? Chips, some soda, the works. I even made a little leaderboard on a piece of paper to keep track of the scores, old school style. It felt like I was right there at Shinnecock Hills.
The first couple of days were pretty standard. You had Phil Mickelson and Shigeki Maruyama leading the pack, playing some great golf. They were six under par, which was impressive. I’m thinking, “Alright, this is going smoothly.”
But then, the tournament officials decided to make things interesting. They stopped watering the course. I guess they wanted to toughen it up or something. I remember thinking, “Oh boy, this is gonna get tough.” And boy, was I right.
- Day 1 and 2: Phil and Shigeki are killing it.
- Day 3: No more water on the course.
Day three was a whole different ball game. Scores started going up, way up. I watched as the course went from challenging to downright brutal. Even the best in the world are struggling. It was like watching a survival show instead of a golf tournament.
The Final Day
And then came the final round. Oh man, the final round. It was brutal. Not a single player was under par. Can you believe that? The average score was 78.7! It was crazy. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I’m pretty sure I didn’t blink for five hours straight. I felt bad for those guys out there, though. It looked like torture.
But in the end, it was Retief Goosen who came out on top. He won his second U.S. Open title, beating out Phil Mickelson by two strokes. I gotta give it to him, he kept his cool when everyone else was losing theirs.
Retief Goosen won his second U.S. Open, two strokes ahead of Phil Mickelson.
I remember feeling exhausted after it was all over, like I had played the whole tournament myself. I celebrated Goosen’s win with another soda and went to bed with a smile. The 2004 U.S. Open, that was one for the books. What a day, what a tournament!
It just shows you, golf is a crazy game. Anything can happen, especially at a major. I will never forget that. And Shinnecock Hills? That course is a beast!
