NEWS FEATURE
Next up:
Pinehurst No. 2
USGA, U.S. Open
set to 'set up' venerable
Ross course for 2005
By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer
PINEHURST, N.C. (June 23, 2004) - With the controversy over the hockey rink that was the 17th green at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club still stuck in its craw, the USGA now turns its attention to the Sandhills of North Carolina and Pinehurst Resort. The 2005 U.S. Open will be contested on the resort's famed No. 2 course, a Donald Ross design that last hosted the event in 1999.
The ink had barely dried on Retief Goosen's victory check when the usual lineup of questions were posed regarding the USGA's plans for setting up No. 2: How fast will the greens roll? How long with the rough be grown? Will level par over four days be a respectable showing?
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These questions and more, and we're a full (as of this writing) 356 days away from the first tee shot in 2005.
To a man, the players felt No. 2 in '99 was one of the fairest Open setups in recent years. The winning 72-hole score was 1-under par, posted by the late Payne Stewart in a one shot victory over Phil Mickelson. Rain and cool temperatures the day before the tournament started dampened the course and tempered No. 2's famous turtle shell greens. When the Open got underway, greens were rolling around 10 ½ on the stimpmeter. By the end of the week, speeds were approaching a brisk yet manageable 11 ½.
It stands to reason the USGA would attempt to replicate the success of '99 in 2005. It makes even more sense considering the flak the organization has taken recently over what many feel are unfair green speeds. In 1998 the 18th green at the Olympic Club sent putts rolling backwards off into the fairway. The 18th green at the 2001 Open at Southern Hills was so severe it had to be mowed at a different height than the other 17.
And then there are the greens on the seventh and aforementioned 17th at Shinnecock Hills. Both surfaces were the subject of some blistering comments from Jerry Kelly, Tiger Woods and a handful of other players.
Woods,
after wilting with a final round 76, called the setup at Shinnecock
"out of control" and "unfair." Kelly implored the USGA to, "Get
off your high horse and be good to the game," and added, "A great
golfer will win the Open, whether it's 12 (under par) or whether
it's even."
But the men and women in blue don't appear to be backing down. Not from the players and not from fans and media who've blasted them. As proof, Pinehurst No. 2 superintendent Paul Jett says USGA officials have already instructed he and his staff to have No. 2's greens rolling 11 ½ on Monday of the tournament week.
"I think it will actually be better than '99 because we can get them around 11 ½ and then keep them that way for the entire tournament," says Jett. "In '99 we started them out at 10 ½ but then we had to gradually work them up. We think we'll be able to maintain consistent speed and conditions all four days."
How will this compare with Shinnecock?
According to PGATOUR.com, the USGA had Shinnecock Hills superintendent Mark Michaud cut the greens to roll 12 ½ on Monday, June 14. With the brisk winds that kicked up over the weekend and the lack of rain, many of the course's greens were rolling over 13 by Sunday. The average green size at Shinnecock Hills is 5,700 sq. ft. - fairly typical of the courses on Tour and just slightly smaller than No. 2's 6,000 sq. ft. average.
In the end, it could come down to the weather. If it remains dry throughout the week next year, No.2's greens could run nearly as fast as Shinnecock's did this year. If conditions mimic '99, speeds could hold steady around 11 ½ or 12. One thing is for sure: Central North Carolina isn't exactly coastal New York, so the USGA and Pinehurst won't have to deal with any rogue greens made worse by stiff ocean breezes.
"Shinnecock was radical, but you could see a similar situation at No. 2 under the right conditions," says Clyde Johnston, past president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. "You also have to consider that the greens on No. 2 are already some of the most severe in the world, U.S. Open or no U.S. Open. But the wind's not going to blow in Pinehurst the way it blows in South Hampton. I think you'll see a fair setup."
That setup will include narrower fairways and some additional length, according to Jett.
"The fairways will be 24-28 yards wide whereas in '99 they were 28-32," Jett says. "We've lengthened five holes and added about 100 yards. We're also replacing the sand in the bunkers so the course will have a fresh look."
Pinehurst Notebook
Think Pinehurst Resort isn't jacked up about hosting the 2005 U.S. Open? The resort started the official countdown - 356 days and counting - on June 23. Employees gathered on the front lawn of the historic Carolina hotel to give a faux wave of welcome to the anticipated 45,000 spectators expected to visit daily during next year's U.S. Open. The championship dates are June 16-19, 2005. The USGA's general public ticket lottery began on June 23.
Registration information can be found at usga.org. Irrigation improvements on the No. 3 course are complete and the No. 6 course recently went under the knife and will reopen in December. Both courses will sport new Penn G-2 bentgrass greens - the turf standard for all eight resort courses . according to Resort officials, plans for a new ninth course have been shelved for the time being in order to tend to U.S. Open preparation.
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Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.
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