Pinehurst, the host of the
1999 and 2005 U.S. Opens, will soon begin construction of a ninth course. The
news came Tuesday as officials formally reopened a redesigned No. 4 course.
No. 4, first opened in
1919, was designed by noted golf architect Tom Fazio in an effort to give Pinehurst
a layout that could rival the No. 2 Course. The Donald Ross masterpiece was the
site of last year's U.S. Open and will be the site of the 2005 Open.
Groundbreaking for No.
9, to be the focal point of a separate golf village, will be held in the fall.
It will be designed by Rees Jones and possibly opened in 2002.
The course will be built
on a 275-acre tract of land in Aberdeen, just outside the town limits.
Pinehurst officials said
there's no need to stop at No. 9.
Pat Corso, president and
chief executive officer of Pinehurst Inc., said the tract is large enough for
three courses.
"There's no timetable on
getting to the 10th, 11th or 12th golf course," he said. "The site we've chosen
will probably give us three golf courses, but No. 11 could be 10 years down the
road."
