If you’re worried about these US Open greens, you shouldn’t be

SOUTHAMPTON, NY – If you were worried about whether Rory McIlroy, the reigning Masters champion, would find the right golf partners for Wednesday afternoon’s tune-up, here on the eve of the sixth round of the US Open at Shinnecock Hills, you can stop worrying.

McIlroy left the 10th hole after 2:00 p.m., playing with Mason Howell and Hamilton Coleman. Both are 18-year-old Georgia natives who will be matriculating at the University of Georgia at the end of the summer, where they will be living. Both had travel bags as big as Rory McIlroy’s bag.

The two chatted easily with McIlroy, 37 and headed to the Golf Hall of Fame. Both are McIlroy’s game of swing speed and ball speed and approach speed. If they were threatened at all, there was no outward sign of it. McIlroy nodded as Coleman, who looks to weigh 138 pounds, smashed a driver from the 10th. Coleman nodded like this – practicing with one of the best golfers in history – is a daily practice. Children these days. Children!

Waiting to play the hole, McIlroy began to do the bouncing ball thing, turning the face of his wedge into a trampoline, bouncing his ball over and over again on its scoring lines until one bounce came off him. McIlroy watched as his ball went straight into his golf bag, falling straight down with a quick and loud thud. He laughed out loud and he and his player, Harry Diamond, began taking clubs out of the bag, in an attempt to get the ball back, before giving up. McIlroy reached out for the new ball.

All the while, Howell continued to develop his own style of bowling, putting the ball in his face whenever he wanted. A magic trick, really – fun games, on the eve of the US Open. Howell wore an embroidered belt with ANGC written on it. Namely, Augusta National Golf Club. In April, Howell played in his first Masters, earning a place in the field, and a place in Rory McIlroy’s Thursday-Friday triple, as the US Amateur champion.

If Mason Howell and Hamilton Coleman are the two faces of American beginner golf in the next few-three years, American beginner golf will be in a good place, with skill, confidence, a do-it-right ethos. In case you are worried about it. Rory McIlroy refused to join these children, half his age, because of the accident.

If you were worried about the quality of the greens, here at Shinnecock Hills, based on Michael Kim’s comments or anything else, don’t be. The Korean-born golfer, who is active on social media, described the green as “spongy” and “very bumpy” and labeled with “ventilation holes” in a post on Tuesday. The greens weren’t cool on Wednesday afternoon, and Rory & Friends rolled around. They had no lumps. The youth was rolling one putting putt after another. The green was dotted with black cast ventilation holes. They’re not going to do anything about a well-struck putt at the end.

These beautiful and slanted plants by William Flynn here are a variety of colors, as exposed greens in windy areas near open water often are. You can see the shades of poa and rye and bent green, as well as ventilation dots. These are not Oakmont greens or Augusta National greens. They are Shinnecock greens and are very suitable for testing.

If you were worried about the USGA and how it would handle the demands of putting the US Open on an exposed and hilly course with four days of windy weather, don’t be. First, golf is an outdoor game (with due respect to the indoor TGL) and weather challenges are important parts of the game. In addition, the current regime of the USGA – the president, Kevin Hammer, whose father was the club’s professional; CEO, Mike Whan, a golf success as acting commissioner of the LPGA; John Bodenhamer, who runs the USGA’s championships and binge-watched Shinnecock Opens to learn what he could do – is free to slow down the green and keep the green moist in the name of keeping balls on the green in the air.

In other words, we’re going to get 72 holes of golf, over the next four days, and it’s going to be good, which means it’s going to be interesting. So don’t worry. As the children say, or are used to, all is well.

Michael Bamberger welcomes your comments at Michael.Bamberger@Golf.com