After soft(ish) opening, take a deep breath - the real Winged Foot is coming

MAMARONECK, N.Y. – Earlier this week, Justin Thomas called Winged Foot’s West Course “a different kind of fun.” Emphasis on “different.”

If the 1974 national outing on the West Course was the “Massacre at Winged Foot,” the first lap of the 2020 edition felt more like the softer side of A.W. Tillinghast’s creation.

For three practice days, nearly every player not name Justin Thomas warned of thick rough, fast greens, wild slopes and crushing spirits. Even the USGA’s top setup man, John Bodenhamer, offered a thinly veiled threat of letting “Winged Foot be Winged Foot,” the implication being that there’s no need for bells and whistles when you’ve got a thoroughbred.

This is, after all, where Hale…