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Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson were among the players who considered a boycott of the US Open, according to a report in Golf Digest.<\/p>\nRory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson were among the players who considered a boycott of the US Open, according to a report in Golf Digest.<\/p>\n
The tournament has been beset by problems in recent years and tournament organizers, the USGA admitted they went \u201ctoo far\u201d with the set up of Shinnecock Hills last year after only three players broke par in the third round.<\/p>\n
In 2015, the greens at Chambers Bay were likened to \u201cputting on broccoli\u201d by Henrik Stenson and Gary Player felt the course was designed by \u201ca man who had to have one leg shorter than the other\u201d.<\/p>\n
But it was the bizarre rules decision – or rather indecision – which left the eventual winner Dustin Johnson, other players, officials and spectators unsure of what his score was with just seven holes to play in 2016, which reportedly prompted talk of a boycott.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had about 10-15 guys who were willing to sit out after 2016,\u201d Golf Digest quotes a winner of multiple PGA Tour titles as saying. \u201cSome of them were big names – Dustin was one, Rory was another.\u201d<\/p>\n
A player identified as a major champion and former world number one is quoted as saying: \u201cI was prepared to do it. Absolutely\u201d.<\/p>\n
Players spoke to the magazine on condition of anonymity, and another added: \u201cI figure we needed about 25 guys, and I think we could have gotten there based on what I was hearing from players.<\/p>\n
Really, just one would have done it, but Tiger (Woods) wasn\u2019t playing at the time. Without us, they (the USGA) don\u2019t have a tournament.<\/p>\n
Players were also dissatisfied with the distribution of money from the USGA\u2019s television deal with Fox, which began in 2015.<\/p>\n
A winner of several PGA Tour titles is quoted as saying: \u201cI still don\u2019t know where [all the additional money from Fox] goes. I\u2019ve tried a thousand times to get an answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe USGA is making about 100million US dollars a year that we know about, that\u2019s just US TV revenue, not international TV money, merchandise and sales and so on.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you can show us how you\u2019re using that money to grow the game, we\u2019d be all about it. But they haven\u2019t shown us that.\u201d<\/p>\n