US Open to be tougher test than Pebble Beach

Fun is rarely associated with the U.S. Open.

It is called the "toughest test in golf,'' and the 101st version that will be staged next month at Southern Hills figures to be just that, especially after how Tiger Woods ridiculed par a year ago in his record-setting victory.

It would seem the U.S. Golf Association is poised to strike back. When Johnny Miller closed with a record-low 63 to win at Oakmont in 1973, the following year at Winged Foot was so brutal that Hale Irwin finished at 7-over 287 -- and still won by two strokes.

So, what to expect at Southern Hills?

There will be a par 4 that measures 491 yards, which by USGA guidelines is a par 5 anywhere except a U.S. Open. The only par 5 on the front nine has been stretched to 655 yards, making it the longest hole in U.S. Open history.

The 18th, already one of the most difficult closing holes in championship golf, has a new tee box behind a small stream that adds 20 yards. It will play even longer than its 465 yards because the approach is to a steeply elevated green.

"We've taken one of the hardest finishing holes for a U.S. Open golf course and made it harder,'' Tom Meeks of the USGA said smugly Monday during a preview of Southern Hills.

To really make the players suffer, all the USGA has to do now is grow the Bermuda rough deep enough to hide small children. That's how it was at Olympic Club in 1998, at Congressional the year before and at just about every other one Meeks can remember.

But that's not what the USGA wants.

The blue coats have loosened their ties and taken some of the starch out of their belief that a chance at birdie ends as soon as the ball leaves the fairway.

Gone are the days when the only decision to make when a tee shot found the rough was to hit sand wedge or pitching wedge, and the only shot around the green was to open the face of a lob wedge, take a full swing and hope the ball found the putting surface (and stayed there).

"The last thing we want is players hitting sand wedge out of the rough,'' said Meeks, the man responsible for setting up the U.S. Open course. "What we want to do is challenge a player to try to hit the ball on the green with a shot he doesn't have control of.''

The idea started at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina, the Donald Ross gem with the domed greens and closely cropped chipping areas. The USGA figured par stood a greater chance if players were tempted to fire at greens and missed them in the wrong spot.

It worked, as the late Payne Stewart was the only player to break par.

And everyone had a good time.

"That was a great Open,'' said Tom Lehman, even though he finished in a tie for 28th and ended his streak of four consecutive U.S. Opens playing in the final group.

David Duval, No. 1 in the world at the time, shot 75-75 on the weekend and had a blast.

"My favorite one has been Pinehurst,'' he said, "because you got to play.''

The USGA decided to keep the rough at a moderate length the next year at Pebble Beach, enabling fans to see one of the most spectacular shots ever hit -- Woods's 7-iron from 200 yards out of the rough, over a cliff and onto the par-5 sixth green.

Not surprisingly, Woods likes the idea of rough that provides for a little imagination.

"It allows you to gamble and to have a chance of doing something rather that just hack out and wedge out, try to make par from 40 or 50 yards,'' he said. "It gives you that added risk factor that can lead to higher scores. You can go for it and make even worse mistakes using a longer club. It just makes the U.S. Open a little bit more fun to play.''

The USGA has stolen another page from Pinehurst by creating chipping areas, replacing dense rough with closely cropped grass to the left of the second and 11th greens, and to the right of the signature 12th hole at Southern Hills.

Thanks to Pinehurst, the toughest test in golf no longer is in danger of becoming the most boring test in golf.

Is that a trend?

"I hope so,'' Meeks said. "The golfers, whether they won or lost, loved the setup at Pinehurst. They liked what we did. At least they had a chance to play.''

While the U.S. Open fancies itself as the toughest test in golf, the USGA often relies on another slogan. It is not trying to embarrass the world's best players, only identify them.

Somewhere along the way, it finally figured out that every aspect of a player's game should be identified before the U.S. Open trophy is presented. Accuracy off the tee. Clutch putting on firm greens. Creativity with chip shots.

And a chance out of the rough

Email this page to a friend | Return to top of page