The U.S. Senior Open ended last Sunday with Fred Funk shooting a record 20-under par at Crooked Stick. That is right, 20 under. The Stick was defenseless in this birdie fest.

Don’t get me wrong, Fred played great. When in trouble he played smart and he putted very well. But I have to tell you that the players did not see the real Crooked Stick.

I went to the tournament on two days and I have to say it was not set up to produce high scores. I am going to say that maybe the fairways were too firm and the pins were maybe a little benign for the last day, but in the end these “seniors” were hitting 300-plus yard drives on a course that was to be the longest in Senior Open history.

I have a soft spot for Crooked Stick and its members as I was an assistant there back in the day and I know firsthand how hard that course can be. To me, the rough did not look rough, it looked very manageable.

Each year the Stick hosts the Pete Dye Cup Pro Am, which brings in pros and top amateurs from around the country for a two-day tournament. And trust me, we don’t get 30-40 yards of roll on our tee shots. As Fred Funk said, “This week I felt like one of the big boys with my tee ball.” That just may say it all.

Don’t fret when the BMW Championship rolls into town in 2012 with Tiger and the rest of the top players in the world. Crooked Stick will be a lot meaner with nasty rough, slick greens and softer fairways.

Next item concerning the Open: The Crooked Stick members, volunteers and the community of Carmel need a standing ovation on what was a first-class event that they put on last week. It was very impressive. The hospitality tents were full, the concessions were laid out perfect and overall it had a warm Hoosier, friendly feeling. They got people in and moved around the course and the attendance was impressive.

Now onto happenings at the Brickyard: The Challenge Cup matches are here today (Thursday) with the amateurs against the professionals in a 36 hole Ryder Cup style format. I tee it up here in about hour so I need to get warmed up.

Want to let everyone know that we will be adding some features and specials to our website here in the very near future so don’t forget to book your tee time online.

Till next week, get out enjoy the weather and play some golf!