When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
Announced in February, the lads revealed that Tuesday at the U.S. Open was the first time they learned of the new system. My Golfweek item here.
No big deal since it's not like they found out Sunday as they were about to go home to rest up for a Monday 18-hole round. But given their attention to detail, it does speak to a certain level of focus and insular protection from the golf news world that is...fascinating. Layered.
Dom Furore's Golf Digest image of the Redan makes it easier to visualize how much better the hole would play from the left.
Since the last U.S. Open here, the Redan has become a household name. A brand. The children of North Berwick's original and still very much alive 15th hole has developed a cult following. There are even reverse Redans.
Labeled a Redan, Shinnecock Hills' 7th is a step-child at best. The hole shares almost none of the attributes making the original or the offshoots so much fun to play. (Ron Whitten does a nice job in this piece for GolfDigest.com getting into the Redan's background, its history at Shinnecock and the ideal playability. An accompanying Dom Furore photo also beautifully shows how some faults of the Redan could be remedied by a move of the tee toward the left.)
It's been some time since I've seen the 7th and while it's probably great fun to play at certain green speeds or for late afternoon giggles, the controversial par-3 just doesn't quite match the rest of this stupendously sound work of architecture.
Since the 2004 U.S. Open, more short grass has been installed around the putting surface, which was also expanded by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. Yet walking around the green again and getting reacquainted, I find it difficult to see how the hole is a good test of skill or a fun one to play.
I raise all of this on the U.S. Open eve not to call out the hole in advance apology for the inevitable shenanigans, but to make sure after this week we are not lumping all other Redans in with the problem child.
There's one you don't hear every day at a major!
The Forecaddie with Tiger's remarks and his lodging efforts to stay closer to the course, with his yacht moving---fill in nautical term of your choice here because I sure won't dare--to Sag Harbor. He'll have to settle for his incredible yacht. Well, we hear it's incredible.
I was on the Golf Channel desk listening and not able to ask any questions. But I'm fairly certain I could have done better than some he got in his pre-2018 U.S. Open press conference.
Highlights I could find.
TIGER WOODS: Yeah. I've missed playing the U.S. Open. It's our nation's title. It's meant so much to me and my career and, obviously, the USGA, what it has done for golf.
This was, you know, the biggest event you could win growing up, win a USGA event. To have won it nine times is pretty special. So I'm looking forward to playing this week. I've really missed playing U.S. Opens, and this will be another fun test.
On the golf course...
THE MODERATOR: We're certainly glad to have you back here at Shinnecock this week. Can you talk about what it means to be back and your impressions of the course so far this week?
TIGER WOODS: It has changed a lot. From the two times I've played it previously, it's a lot longer. The fairways seem to be about twice as wide. It's a very different -- very different test, very different look. So many of the trees are gone.
The greens aren't quite up to probably speed yet, but they're right where they want them. And as the golf course dries out, this golf course is going to be another great U.S. Open test.
And on the putter, probably the key to his week.
Q. Tiger, by any chance, besides reps, have you done anything specifically to address your putting? And by any chance did Stricks take a look last night?
TIGER WOODS: No, Stricks didn't take a look at it. I worked on it pretty hard this past week. Just had to hit a lot of putts, just put in the legwork, and I was able to do that.
My stroke feels good, and we're back on old bumpy poa. So hopefully hit good solid putts and see what happens.
Tournament saved, but without mention of the Houston Golf Association's involvement, there is more than a tinge of sadness to this U.S. Open week announcement.
Astros Foundation and PGA TOUR announce five-year partnership for the Houston Open
HOUSTON and PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The PGA TOUR, the Astros Foundation and its Board of Directors, led by Astros Owner & Chairman Jim Crane, announced a five-year partnership for the Houston Open beginning with the 2019 event. The Astros Foundation will operate the event and serve as the host organization.
The commitment to the Houston Open from the Astros Foundation, with the support of a consortium of local sponsors, is in place through 2023. The 2019 tournament will be conducted at the Golf Club of Houston during the fall portion of the PGA TOUR’s 2019-20 FedExCup Season with a $7.5 million purse and 500 FedExCup points awarded to the winner.
“Our team is committed to the continued growth of the Houston Open and making a positive impact in the city of Houston,” said Astros owner and Chairman Jim Crane. “The Astros Foundation has always committed to giving back to our community. The funds raised through this tournament will allow us to continue our commitment to serving the people within our county and city and help improve our parks.”
“The PGA TOUR has a rich history in Houston dating back to 1946, and we’re thrilled to share this great news today regarding the Houston Open,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “The event has always made a significant charitable impact by virtue of tremendous partners and outstanding community support, and thanks to the Astros Foundation and Jim Crane, these works including support of The First Tee of Greater Houston will continue.”
The Houston Open was first played in 1946, with the inaugural event captured by Byron Nelson at River Oaks Country Club. Winners in the 72-year history of the event include World Golf Hall of Fame members Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Jack Burke, Jr., Bobby Locke, Cary Middlecoff, Gary Player, Curtis Strange, Payne Stewart, Fred Couples, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson. One of Houston’s premier sporting events, the tournament has also made significant contributions to the Houston community, raising nearly $69 million (through 2017) for charitable causes.
Ian Poulter won the 2018 Houston Open at the Golf Club of Houston, the tournament’s home since 2003.
House is reserving the right to hear out player press conferences and to see how the course evolves. Given the huge leaps in firmness and speed since Saturday that I've seen, a wise call.
Still, we recount (briefly!) our weekend golf, the Southampton scene and preview the 2018 U.S. Open from Shinnecock Hills. As always, thanks to our friends at Callaway, Ogio and Odyssey for the support and this week's 40% off code for a sweet Ogio laptop backpack!
It took him to get rolling thanks to some loud sounds and the usual ebb and flow of conversation. But Phil Mickelson's Monday press conference ultimately yielded all sorts of fun stuff. The runner up here in 2004 is a favorite again this week.
I summarize the session's key moments here for Golfweek, including his plans to go off property until Thursday.
Mickelson is not making changes to his bag that are course specific, notes David Dusek.
Eamon Lynch with the age old question for Phil and the U.S. Open, which Lefty answered well Monday.
There were two answers in full I thought were worth your time. The first came in response to a question I asked about the course since he was last year. Check out what he says about his notes for the course and what he documents.
PHIL MICKELSON: So the notes that I had in 2004 are all accurate. In fact, they were 100 percent the same from 2004 as they are today. But the notes that I took weren't precise, like this putt breaks X amount. The notes were that you must stay here for this pin, you must go here for this pin, the odds of getting up and down from this spot are 50 percent, 10 percent.
So it just guided me on where I need to be for different pin placements and how I want to attack the hole, and that stayed the same from 2004.
Odds!
The other answer involved the 2004 setup. This about says it all and should be noted for those who struggle with the USGA's direction. There are tournaments not fitting the setup idea of some, and there are tournaments where the outcome is tainted. In answer to ESPN's Tom Rinaldi asking about the value of protecting par.
I think it's a very fine line, and it's not a job I would want. And I know that the USGA is doing the best they can to find that line, and a lot of times they do, and sometimes they cross over it, but it's not an easy job. It's easy for all of us to criticize.
The difficulty is, when you dream of a championship as a child -- whether it's U.S. Open or the Masters, whatever event -- and you dream of winning these tournaments as a child and you work hours and hours and you fly in days and days and do all this prep work, and then you are left to chance the outcome, as opposed to skill, that's a problem. That's the problem that I have with it.
For instance, Saturday in 2004, the barometer for watering the 7th green was did anybody make double or triple? So if nobody double or triple bogeyed in the group in front of you, the green did not get water. If your group made a double or triple, the green got water for the group behind you.
That type of chance is -- it bothers me, given that we put so much into this tournament and the dreams and the hopes. And to have it left to something like that is disappointing. But I don't mean to discount anything, because I know what a tough job it is to find that fine line.
We have an agreement! Details are sketchy still but interesting and fun to see the USGA getting in the golf course creation business.
USGA and Shinnecock Nation to Build Oscar Bunn Golf Facility
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (June 11, 2018) - The USGA and the Shinnecock Nation have released a joint public statement today, confirming their shared commitment to a successful U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club this week.
The statement is as follows:
The USGA and the Shinnecock Nation share a long history that began in 1896 with the start of our relationship and will again be celebrated during the 2018 U.S. Open.
The leadership of both organizations has worked together for several months to identify opportunities to recognize the Shinnecock Nation’s contributions to the golf course, honor its heritage and engage its members in the championship.
The USGA will not only engage the Shinnecock Nation in various ways during the championship but will also provide a lasting tribute with the development of the Oscar Bunn Golf Facility, which will offer a place for Shinnecock golf enthusiasts and juniors to learn to play the game and enjoy it for a lifetime.
“We sincerely appreciate the USGA’s efforts to work with the Shinnecock Nation with this year’s U.S. Open. We are very proud of the history we share and are excited to welcome the championship this week,” the Shinnecock Nation Tribal Council said in a statement today.
“It is our hope that this effort binds the community in a meaningful way, honoring the past while providing opportunity for future generations to connect with the game we all love. We share a mutual respect for the game of golf, the U.S. Open and its impact to the community since 1896,” said Craig Annis, USGA head of communications.
In addition, the Shinnecock Nation will offer parking opportunities to fans wishing to park on their territory and will provide a shuttle back and forth from the parking lot to the U.S. Open. Fans can enter the lots off Montauk Highway by the Shinnecock Museum using West Gate Road, Southampton, NY. Parking intake hours are 5:30am – 2:00pm Monday through Wednesday, with shuttles running until 9:00pm for return car pick up. Thursday through Sunday parking intake hours are 5:30am – 4:00pm and shuttle buses will run back to the parking lots until 9:00pm.
Here it is, the big finishing stretch and also two playoff holes should we get that far.
The par-5 16th has been lengthened by 74 yards due to climate change and maybe the optimization of launch conditions. At 616 yards this beautifully bunkered three-shotter features one of Shinnecock's most confounding greens.
The 180-yard 17th features a light-bulb shaped green pleasing to a right-to-left shot, offset by prevailing winds from the left. There is a juicy new back left hole location since the last time the US Open visited here.
For full coverage of the 118th U.S. Open Championship, visit usopen.com.
The closing hole is 485 yards with and uphill approach shot. Take a close look at the flyover when it pauses at the 18th green and you can see a small circle showing the previous green dimensions.
I didn't see much coverage of the final Shot Clock Masters numbers, so here they are from the European Tour.
Note the scoring improvement...
European Tour Chief Keith Pelley talked about the response of players, social media and referees:
🗣️ Keith Pelley on the #ShotClockMasters pic.twitter.com/suppeGjKRc
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) June 10, 2018
I'm not sure what's more fascinating here, the Golf Journal (RIP) brand revival or the USGA taking on the 7th hole and overall moisture level issues from 2004 at Shinnecock.
We at Golf Channel will be doing our own feature to air in prime time pre-tournament and I wrote this item for Golfweek's June issue should you wish to relive the events.
Here is Golf Journal (RIP)'s take:
We're live and running (slowly) to a monumental U.S. Open return at glorious Shinnecock Hills.
I've got some fun Golfweek and Golf Channel duties this week thanks to this marvelous William Flynn design "polished" by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw.
This being the 10th anniversary of most people's favorite U.S. Open, Bob Harig of ESPN.com and Steve DiMeglio of USA Today file terrific oral histories of that amazing performance by Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate. Even if you're locked in Shinnecock, bookmark this one for later reading.
DiMeglio's filing can be read here.
With all eyes on Tiger, David Dusek crunches the numbers for Golfweek and says it'll come down to the short stick for Woods.
Corey Pavin relives the greatest shot of his career and one of the very best in a U.S. Open, the famous four-wood to Shinnecock's 18th. Nice work here by John Strege.
The Forecaddie with a few early impressions of a noticeably green and lush Shinnecock.
Andy Johnson makes the case for Shinnecock Hills as our greatest major venue and arguably best overall design. Nice explanations here on the inconsistent wind directions and ground movement making this a masterful manmade manipulation of natural features.
As I wrote for the June Golfweek in recapping the events of 2004, the USGA just hasn't been the same since they lost control of Shinnecock Hills and injected themselves into the outcome.
They were coming off low scoring at Olympia Fields and folks wanted them to get their identity back to being the toughest test of golf. We all know how that turned out (we'll be examining this in greater detail Tuesday night on Golf Channel's Live From The U.S. Open in a feature produced by Dominic Dastoli and reported on by yours truly).
Fast forward to 2017 and the USGA wisely takes a cautious approach to Erin Hills where the wind can blow and the ground can dry out quickly. Mother Nature didn't cooperate, the course played wide and players hit the ball obscene distances.
Now everyone wants the USGA to get back to its old self, minus the gaffes.
Jack Nicklaus wants the old USGA back according to the Forecaddie.
So do all of Golf Channel's analysts who miss the strategy of having to hit down a very narrow fairway and pitch out of rough.
The topic even came up with Mike Tirico on Morning Drive Friday.
I have bad news: the old identity is not coming back nor should it in the way so many hope.
The identiy question stems from three different gripes folks have with the USGA.
--Venue Selection Division. The identity was lost with Erin Hills and Chambers Bay for many. Even though Shinnecock Hills is links-like in appearance, the designs of the aforementioned and their setup opened the USGA up to criticism. Yet both produced worthy champions and unlike 2004, there will never be a question about whether the outcome was tainted.
--Anti-progressive Setup Set. It's hard to believe folks are clamoring for the days or chip out rough 3 yards off the fairway while the drive 30 yards wayward finds matted down rough. Nor can I fathom how anyone wants to go to some of the game's greatest places only to smother out the best design features to match the U.S. Open setup "identity." As long as the players can carry a ball 300 yards or more and use wedges to hack out of rough, the old ideal isn't coming back.
--Mike Davis Disdain Marching And Chowder Society. If you do not fall into one of the first categories, chances are your desire to see the U.S. Open return to its old ways stems from simply not liking the role Davis has played in trying to move the U.S. Open into the new century while retaining some of the old identity. This group is generally made up of players and old guard USGA types who have magically forgotten the prominent course setup and rules role played by Joe Dey and Tom Meeks.
At 374 yards, the drive and pitch 13th only gave up 54 birdies last time around thanks to the few things that still give great players fits: few level stances, semi-obstructed views and another difficult green. A likely forced layup tee shot could change matters if the wind is helping.
One of the prettiest holes on the planet was once lined with shrubbery and now features a wide open look and also a new back tee stretching things to 519 yards. The uphill second to a green with no sense of any backstop should return some of the happy-with-par vibe to Shinnecock's 14th:
At 409 yards from an elevated tee, a layup tee shot sets up an approach to a green heavily protected by sand.
Shinnecock Hills lands in the top spot and poor Northwood brings up the rear, though the votes are based on the course prior to a recent rejuvenation.
More fascinating is how kind the panel is to Chambers Bay and Erin Hills given how much those two are criticized as U.S. Open venues. But the panel's job is to rate architecture, not tournament venue success.
It's still difficult to reconcile the new 2-hole U.S. Open playoff concept given the years of condescending lectures and reasonable logic behind 18-holes to decide a champion. Of course no one wants to return on Monday but 2 holes is such a puny number in contrast to the past or even the other majors and their three or four hole aggregates.,
As Dan Jenkins writes in the June Golf Digest, 15 of 33 playoffs would have seen different outcomes.
Sure, the hole sequences might have been different, but as His Ownself presents in grand fashion, some of the biggest wins in golf history would have been replaced by...wins.
So take your Ouimet in 1913, Jones at Winged Foot and your Hy Peskin-Hogan at Merion and put them in the trash bin!
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
