119TH UNITED STATES
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
Working as Fox Sports’ on-course reporter,
Strange walked the final round with Brooks
Koepka last year as he secured his second
straight U.S. Open title.
Koepka’s chance to actually win three in
a row this June at Pebble Beach.
Looking back, Strange says that’s
why he also allowed himself a wisp of
that same dream in 1990 at Medinah.
“I actually was stupid enough to think
I might have a chance to do this,” Strange
says. He was not on the leaderboard until
his 68 on Saturday put him only two shots
behind co-leaders Mike Donald and Billy
Ray Brown going into the final round.
“Gosh, I was so anxious Sunday,” he
says. “I wasn’t playing my best, and I
wasn’t as confident as I should have
been. I just didn’t know if I had the
game to pull it off.”
It was apparent early that he did
not. Strange bogeyed the par-3 sec-
ond, a dispiriting start to a round of 75
that sank him into a tie for 21st behind
champion Hale Irwin, who beat Donald
in a playoff the next day.
Strange played in 10 more U.S.
Opens, most notably the 1994 edition
at Oakmont. In a proud last hurrah,
Strange shot 1-under par all four days.
He missed joining what became a
three-way playoff between Colin Mont-
gomerie, Loren Roberts and eventual
winner Ernie Els by one shot.
vsga.org
Today, Strange and his wife Sarah
split their year between North Carolina
and Naples, Fla., where Strange boats,
fishes and plays strictly social golf with
friends. His work with FOX for USGA
events, and early rounds at the Masters
for ESPN for whom he was once lead
analyst, coaxes him from that comfort
zone a few weeks a year.
He was thrilled by that involvement
last year, when he was able to person-
ally welcome Koepka into the circle
of seven.
Strange was originally slated to follow
the final group of Tony Finau and Daniel
Berger. But Sunday morning, his FOX
Sports producer switched Strange to the
Koepka-Dustin Johnson penultimate
group on a hunch, and for the dramatic
possibilities that ultimately bore fruit.
The day ended appropriately, with
Strange the first reporter to interview
Koepka during the trophy ceremony.
“Do you know how special this is?”
Strange asked.
“I don’t, to be honest,” Koepka said
with a dazed smile.
Recalling that moment, Strange
chuckled at the memory.
“He’ll find out,” he said.
VENUE: Pebble Beach Golf Links,
Pebble Beach, Calif.
DATES: June 13-16
TV: Fox and FS1
DEFENDING CHAMPION:
Brooks Koepka
PAR: 71
YARDAGE: 7,041
PAST WINNERS AT PEBBLE BEACH:
Jack Nicklaus (1972), Tom Watson
(1982), Tom Kite (1992), Tiger Woods
(2000), Graeme McDowell (2010)
LOWEST WINNING SCORE:
Woods (-12)
HIGHEST WINNING SCORE:
Nicklaus (+2)
PLAYERS TO WATCH: It starts with
Koepka, who is vying to be the first
player to win three straight U.S. Open
titles since Willie Anderson in 1903-05.
Koepka showed he could win in different
ways, blistering Erin Hills to the tune of a
16-under 272 in 2017 before grinding his
way to a 1-over 281 last year at Shinne-
cock Hills. … A good portion of the field
is set through local and sectional qualify-
ing. The VSGA hosted a U.S. Open local
qualifier at The Federal Club in Glen Allen
on May 9. … In addition to Koepka, both
Tommy Fleetwood and Xander Schauffele
have finished in the top 10 at the U.S.
Open in each of the last two years. …
Woods and Nicklaus are the two players
to win a U.S. Open at Pebble Beach after
winning the Pebble Beach Pro-Am tour
stop earlier that year. Phil Mickelson, who
is still seeking his first U.S. Open title,
won that event in February.
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