Notebook: Smyth Sees Similarities To Links-Style Courses

By Alex Miceli

Hutchinson, Kan. - Des Smyth is not a household name in the U.S. 

He has only played on the Champions Tour for four years, finally breaking through last year with victories at the SBC Classic and Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf. Smyth also missed winning his first Senior Major championship, losing in a playoff to Tom Watson in last year's Senior British Open at Royal Aberdeen.

But Smyth, born in Drogheda, Ireland, is familiar with some of the greatest links golf courses in the world, and while Prairie Dunes is not near any oceans in the middle of Kansas, Smyth can see some similarities. What are some of them?

"All the bushes and the trees on what appears to be a links course," said Smyth.  "Royal Birkdale's a bit like that.  So when you're playing some holes, you think, ‘Wow, this looks like Royal Birkdale.'"

Smyth who shot a 3-over-par 73 Thursday, believes that if you avoid the rough off the tee, you have opportunities to run the ball up to the green, just like a links course. But you have to be in the fairway or the course turns into a penal American-style layout where par will be a good score.

Tom Watson, winner of seven majors, agreed with Smyth that Prairie Dunes has a links feel but wasn't in agreement for a different reason.

"Because of the elevation, the elevation of the greens, we don't play links courses with all elevated greens. We play all the par-3s here - they go uphill," said Watson. "And what it reminds me of is Muirfield. Where you got the 13th hole is a great uphill par 3.  And it's got that. Muirfield has got this flavor to it."

Short Stay

For a short time Mark Etue was on the leaderboard, starting the day 1 under par with a birdie on the 12th hole, his third of the day. Then the bottom fell out. Over the next 15 holes, Etue shot 22 over, including a 15-over-par 50 on his last nine. He shot 21 over. Etue, 50, qualified by winning a spot in a four-for-two playoff for his first U.S. Senior Open appearance.

After the 91, Etue withdrew due to a bad back.

Who's Old?

Age doesn't seem to be a determining factor early on in the U.S. Senior Open.  Of the 10 players that finished under par on Thursday, the average age was 55. Two players are 62, those being 1997 Senior Open champion Graham Marsh and Bruce Summerhays.

Only Japan's Massy Kuramoto, playing in his first Senior Open, is 50. The rest of the leaderboard is between 52 and 58 years old.