James Sugrue will take relaxed approach to US Open and Winged Foot's 'silage' rough
James Sugrue of Ireland watches his tee shot from the 13th tee box during Day One of the 148th Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Portrush, Co Antrim. Picture: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
James Sugrue is not one for putting heavy expectations on his shoulders. The 2019 Amateur champion was relieved to hear a similar mindset delivered by four-time major championship winner Rory McIlroy.
It’s a perspective that should come in handy playing his first US Open on a Winged Foot course with a reputation for terror.
“I just want to enjoy myself and when I do enjoy myself I play my best golf,” Sugrue said Wednesday.
A Zoom call set up for the Golfing Union of Ireland’s National Panel during lockdown presented McIlroy’s sage counsel to players and coaches back home. His advice – don’t put yourself under too much pressure; the worst thing you can do is miss a cut and it’s not the end of the world.
“I was thinking what he was thinking but almost afraid to say it because I didn’t want people thinking I didn’t care,” Sugrue said. “But when I heard Rory say it, it kind of gave me a bit of confidence to know the best player in the world can think that so I can think like that myself.”
His healthy perspective was reinforced by the news from home that Pat Smullen, one of Ireland’s greatest jockeys, had died at 43 of pancreatic cancer.
“Things like that show you there’s more to life than just golf."
Sugrue arrived in New York 10 days early to familiarise himself with the lush conditions at Winged Foot.
“I just can’t wait for it to get started. I feel like I’ve been here a long time for a tournament,” he said.
He had spent a few days a week at home trying to prepare himself at Adare Manor and its stellar facilities attempting to replicate conditions he’ll encounter at courses he’ll face at Winged Foot and in November at Augusta National.
“It’s as close as you can get in Ireland to what they have out here,” he said.
Yet even playing some New York area gems like Garden City and Essex Country Club last week could not fully prepare him for what awaits on the West Course with regards to the rough.
“Silage is probably a decent word to describe it,” Sugrue said of the lush grasses hugging the fairways and greens. “It is thick and there’s lots of it. Pretty crazy.
He spent much of Tuesday working with a Titleist rep to get the settings for his new driver worked out. It’s the first new driver in his bag since the Amateur. “I’m hopeful that it’ll behave this week – it has to,” he said.
“It should be good viewing for you at home back on your couch watching us hack it around.”
Sugrue drew a tasty grouping for the opening two rounds, playing with England’s Lee Westwood and twice Masters champion Bubba Watson at 5:54 p.m. (Irish time) off the 10th tee on Thursday and at 12:34 pm off the first on Friday morning in New York.
“Two world-class players, great draw for me,” Sugrue said, lauding Westwood’s tee-to-green consistency and Watson’s fun, imaginative style.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what (Bubba’s) like first hand.”
Sugrue didn’t set up any marquee practice matches this week, preferring to go out first thing in the mornings alone with his caddie and coach – the only approved members of his travel party because of the COVID-19 restrictions.
He is disappointed his parents and close friends weren’t able to be in New York with him to share in the once-in-a-lifetime experience of him being exempted into the majors as the Amateur champion.
“There was a lot of plans and dreams crushed, but thankfully I got here,” he said.
It will be similar when he returns for the Masters at Augusta National in November, when only one parent will be permitted inside to see the tournament.
“They haven’t decided yet,” he said of Michael and Margaret pitching magnanimous gestures back and forth as to who will attend and who might hang around outside the gates of Augusta for a holiday.
As for a possible winner and score this week, Sugrue wouldn’t lay that burden upon himself.
“Maybe Xander (Schauffele),” he offered. “Six-over.”
It needed a waiver from the USGA just to get to on the plane for New York and three Covid-19 tests to enter the US Open bubble but it will be worth the effort when Mallow professional Michael Collins watches his protegé James Sugrue tee off alongside Bubba Watson and Lee Westwood at Winged Foot today.
The pandemic has meant that 2019 Amateur champion Sugrue is only now reaping one of the rewards of his victory at Portmarnock 15 months ago but his long-time coach is on the same page as the 24-year-old in taking the prolonged wait with a pragmatic pinch of salt.
“He’s going okay,” Collins said of Sugrue when speaking to the yesterday from New York. “He’s here and he doesn’t talk about any frustration the same way others do.
“So he’s here, he’s happy and he’s ready to go. The driver looks really good, even better than before so all the different things are in place and he’s comfortable enough on the greens here so far and his chipping and short game is very sharp but look, it’s a major championship, okay it’s his second one but there’s been a big gap between first and second so you’d be hopeful but ultimately the golf course is playing, I’d say to a par 74, 75 maybe.”
Sugrue’s major championship debut came at the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush but his exemption to the 2020 Masters is on hold until November and his US Open debut has been delayed three months from June. Collins believes it will have been worth the wait.
“It’s an amazing place,” he said of Winged Foot. “The course is pretty impressive, very long, very tight.
"If you navigate your tee shot, there’s a very long second shot, and if you navigate that bit you’ve extremely slopey greens. They’re relatively receptive currently but they have the Sub-Air here where they can just draw the moisture out of it and very quickly firm everything up. Luckily that won’t be James’s issue because he has a high ball flight and so he can stop the ball on any kind of surface.
“It will be chipping and putting will be the things that it will probably change the most but the slopes can help you as well if you know where your pins are and you’ve done your recon you can use the slopes to get the ball to the hole. Mind you, it will take it away if you get it wrong. So it’s just been a case of trying to figure things out, rolling balls around, hitting it in different directions and seeing where the ball ends up.
“The rough is rough. It’s official rough, capital letters R.O.U.G.H! But it won’t worry James anyway because he hits it straight enough and wouldn’t be going over there but it’s definitely a US Open and that’s what should be expected and you’d prefer it that way to be honest because I think it would suit James more than having just a bomber’s parade.
“He and Conor (Dowling, Sugrue’s caddie) are a good team to be fair, on and off the course. Conor knows his game as good as anyone because he plays a bit of golf with him and that’s a good combination when you’re looking down the barrels of one of the hardest places he’s played in his life.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
