Plus Fours: Rickie Pays Tribute To Payne

Nice touch from Rickie Fowler who went off script to pay tribute to Payne Stewart in round one of the U.S. Open.

The first image Tweeted by Pinehurst's team:

.@RickieFowlerPGA, you have won our hearts. #PAYNE #tbt #KnickersAtPinehurst pic.twitter.com/IfRNNI6N8H

— Pinehurst Resort (@PinehurstResort) June 12, 2014

Classy: Thistle Dhu Is Kids-Only Putting During U.S. Opens

The USGA has really taken their presentation of the grounds at Pinehurst up several notches from past Opens, with many subtle details to best reflect the values of the resort and the local aesthetic. The white horse farm fencing is an especially classy touch and a common site in these parts.

But without question the biggest spectator hit so far is the kids-only, First Tee of Sandhills-staffed Thistle Dhu putting course built by the resort last year and only available to the kids this week.

Pinehurst Ready, Fire Crews On Standby?

If you've been paying even slight attention, you know Pinehurst is tough and ready to go.

But as I note for GolfDigest.com's The Loop, it appears the setup has been taken to the edge in anticipation of rains that haven't come. There is more in the forecast tonight, but so far the forecasts have been just off.

Essentially, Pinehurst is a little inflamed and a little water won't hurt, which is not something you hear too often at a U.S. Open. Those of us selfishly wanting to see a successful U.S. Open won't mind seeing an anti-inflamatory to keep the golf sane and the tournament about the players displaying their skill. That said, these are the hot spots to keep an eye on.

Update on 2014-06-12 04:13 by Geoff

**Geoff Ogilvy gives it his thumb's up, which is always worth something to us architecture geeks.

From a report in The Age:

"If you don't use your brain you have no chance," he said.

"The greens are a bit more extreme but the feeling of the grass and the feeling of the shots you hit and the way it looks and presents is very Melbourne-like so there should be an advantage to the Australians and anyone who has played a lot in the sandbelt."

Oh Ko: Fluff To Loop For Lydia In Women's U.S. Open

Ryan Lavner of Golf Channel reports that Mike "Fluff" Cowan will caddy for Jim Furyk and Lydia Ko in back to back weeks at Pinehurst No. 2.

From Lavner's report:

"Cowan said they (he and Ko) were connected through K.J. Choi’s manager with IMG. Cowan said that he’s never met the 17-year-old phenom, and conceded that he doesn’t know much about her other than her age.  
Ko, No. 3 in the Rolex rankings, has yet to find a stable caddie on the LPGA circuit, going through at least a half dozen this season, including her father, Hong.

Cowan hasn’t caddied in a women’s event since he looped for Michelle Wie at Kingsmill in 2004.

Ko has been moving through her fair share of caddies this year, and while this is obviously a one-off move, it's pretty clear she's not sold on the importance of a stable player-caddy partnership!

The Artistry Of Pinehurst's Transitions

Even though I was here in February, the look and conditions of Pinehurst No. 2 exceeded my highest expectations Monday, which I noted with Gary Williams on Morning Drive.

The sandy areas of Pinehurst No. 2 are rightfully getting all of the attention because of the way they've transformed the look here.  The recapturing of sand, interspersed with thousands of plantings, gives the impression of weathering and maturation even though it's only been a little over two years of growing time. (Toby Cobb spearheaded this effort for Coore and Crenshaw and deserves great credit for such an artisinal touch in the planting, followed by deft maintenance by the No. 2 crew).

(Click on image to enlarge)But after walking the course again Monday of U.S. Open week, attention should turn to the transition zones from fairway to the sandy scrub. They should not pose a rules issue but these transitions will be noticed in HD, perhaps to a point that people think it's poor maintenance by super Kevin Robinson and crew. The opposite is the case: the pine scrub areas are the work of a master maintenance and irrigation design team.

To create a gentle shift from fairway to scrub takes artistry on a scale we rarely experience. How many times have you played a course lined by native areas, only to find the first five to ten feet more dense than areas well off the beaten path? All because of faulty irrigation design sending overspray into those natives. This is traditionally driven by the weird obsession with covering every inch of a property in irrigation "coverage," even at the expense of playability.

Pinehurst's return to a single row of irrigation heads that reduced the number by 700, has been key to the impressive playability of the transitions. The lack of a sharp contrast between fairway and scrub is beautiful to those who love their golf natural, though the look of the occasional exposed sand where there "should" be fairway may prompt cow pasture lines in 19th holes across the land. But we'd rather see a transition of sand and grass than tall stuff just off to the sides of play. The look also exudes naturalness. History tells us that the more natural a course seems or looks, the more we accept the arbitrary nature of things such as "waste" hazards.

So if you hear people criticizing the brown and rugged Pinehurst, remind them that it's all about accentuating the playability of Donald Ross's design. Even if the initial impression may not seem like the lush beauty that golf grew addicted to, to some of us the imperfection is just perfect.

Video: Even The King Is Dying To Play No. 2 Again

As the lowly media hotel WiFi grinds to the inevitable screeching halt, I was unable to watch this video of Arnold Palmer talking about the new/old look Pinehurst No. 2, but I hear he is so impressed by what he saw that he wants to tee it up.

The speeds here are so slow—they don’t call it the Microtel for nothing—that I can’t even get a YouTube video to play. One can imagine what all of my peers are doing with their Internet connections.

Anyway, The King: