State Of The Game 95: Previewing The 2019 U.S. Open

Rod and Mike and I talk all things Pebble Beach, the U.S. Open and the big week in Northern California. The iTunes option or, wherever fine pods are streamed or you can listen below…

Pebble Beach Flyovers: Seventeenth And Eighteenth Holes

By 2010 the 17th green had devolved to the point players were intentionally placing their tee shot in the bunker, then taking the chances with an up-and-down. As I recall—please tell me if you think otherwise—the hole was cut left on this hourglass green all four days.

Here was a then and now view of 17 (1929 vs. 2010) that I posted from the U.S. Open.

Since then the green was remodeled and is significantly more playable and interesting than last time we saw U.S. Open conditions here. It’s always one of the most difficult holes to gauge the wind’s effect in U.S. Open conditions due to the grandstand by the green and more protected tee area.

I am not sure what to expect of the famous closing hole this time around since players were regularly reaching the hole in August’s U.S. Amateur. The fairway has been narrowed significantly and forces tee shots to hug the cliffs, with the fairway bunkers now protected by rough.

The layup isn’t much to worry about without the overhanging tree of yesteryear, but the 70-foot tall replacement can be a killer if a player goes for the green and leaves a shot out to the right. Still, expect players to try and get as close to the green as possible if they hit a good tee shot.

What Could Go Wrong? Stevie's Back! On...Jason Day's Bag

I could see scenarios where this jump-starts Jason Day’s year.

Visions of less appealing scenarios also exist.

G.C. Digital (damn him, or her!) got the confirmation from Day.

90 Years Later: The 1929 U.S. Amateur As One Of Golf's Seminal Events

1929 US Amateur Program, painting by Maurice Logan, digital restoration by Tommy Naccarato

If there was one event I could go back and experience, I now believe it’s the 1929 U.S. Amateur. Sure, ‘13 at The Country Club and the 1930 British Amateur at St. Andrews come to mind, as does 1960 at Cherry Hills. But after going back and revisiting everything that went on in advance of the 1929 U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach and what that event meant for west coast golf, U.S. Opens at Pebble Beach and even the Masters, I try to make the case for ‘29 in this Golfweek story.

I mention this because this year marks the 90th anniversary and as the U.S. Open arrives at Pebble Beach, celebrating its centennial, this amateur was the event putting the course and region on the map. I also bring it up since the first amateur at Pebble Beach was always a footnote, lazily written off as the amateur Jones lost during an incredible 1-1-2-1-1-Rnd32-1 stretch.

Some of my favorite golf photos are in this USGA gallery of the 1929 event.

Pebble Beach Flyovers: Fifteenth and Sixteenth Holes

With the awkwardness of an elevated tee aiming you right, prevailing wind in your face or quartering, and out-of-bounds down the right, even today’s launchers are discouraged from attempting to drive over the fairway pot bunker 290 away.

Besides, just hitting the fairway still leaves a wedge or sand wedge approach and a great birdie opportunity, so why bother?

The line off the tee here is crucial. A tee shot played too far left can lengthen the approach yardage significantly, especially since this is likely another iron or hybrid off the tee. And with the sandy area in front (once a more menacing barranca) tee shots in the left rough will be faced with a decision on how to approach the green.

Definitely one of the most difficult putting surfaces at Pebble Beach to gauge how an approach reacts and in reading putts.

Getting In The Mood: 1982 U.S. Open Film, My US Open With Watson

The cheese factor is high, with a strong late 70s influence in hair, music and kitsch factor, which makes this 1982 U.S. Open film so much fun. It has a happy ending too. And how about PSA for the member’s program!

And here’s a great fast-forward to the present day with Watson talking about ‘82 with highlights.

Pebble Beach Flyovers: Thirteenth And Fourteenth Holes

I’ve always had something for 13 given it’s simple, but timeless strategy: hug the huge left bunker, get a great view and stance for approach the steeply-pitched Alister MacKenzie green from 1926.

Bail out right and the view stinks, the angle isn’t great and the stances vary. The bunkers down the right were suggested by the USGA’s Tom Meeks and should be filled in at the first opportunity. Like the third hole, the player should be lured to bail out, not deterred by sand.

The green has been remodeled since the last U.S. Open and certain functions much better. It still gives players fits with its steep pitch.

At 380 yards into the wind back in 1929, it was also seen as a long iron approach hole.

The 13th will feature a new tee this time around. For what it’s worth, players in last summer’s U.S. Amateur were not shy about bailing out way left.

At 580 yards the 14th can play seemingly a hundred yards longer to into the wind and uphill. It’s 330 to carry the bunkers and hard to do visually from the tee. The lurking OB right, with the wind in from the left, doesn’t help, either.

This green has been remodeled since the last U.S. Open and should function better, though without an attempt to restore the old lost front right pin, will be a bit one-dimensional again. The removal of a short grass chipping area left of the green this time around should encourage a few players to attack the green in two after a long drive.

U.S. Open Viewing Tip Sheet And What To Expect From Pebble Beach

Your most vital piece of information sits above, with the Fox schedule with ET times. Look at those prime time windows. Have I mentioned that California U.S. Opens are just better? Oh, anyway…

The Forecaddie previews a new twist on Toptracer technology from Fox Sports next week. Sounds like we will need players to go for the 14th green in two if we want to see in all its glory. And the live drone should be great fun getting the seagulls view of the action!

Golf Channel will provide plenty of programming as well, starting with Monday’s World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony followed by Morning Drive and Live From the U.S. Open coverage all week. You will note in their release my name attached to two features: one on poa annua and another Chandler Egan’s 1929 redesign of the course and whether it needs to be restored. I hope you enjoy the pieces and I’ll do my best to make sure to preview when they will air.

It’s going to be a stellar week from the Monterey Peninsula!

For Immediate Release from Fox Sports:

FOX SPORTS CONTINUES PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY EVOLUTION 
FOR 119TH U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

Tethered Drone, Operates from a Boat off the Northern California Coastline,

To Offer Unique Views of Pebble Beach

LOS ANGELES – FOX Sports continues its industry-leading production technology development, with additions and upgrades in place for its coverage of the 119th U.S. Open Championship from Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif., from Thursday, June 13 to Sunday, June 16 on FOX, FS1, FOX Deportes, FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports App.

"We are planning our most comprehensive and technologically advanced U.S. Open to date, matching the excitement level surrounding the championship being held at iconic Pebble Beach,” said Zac Fields, SVP Graphic Tech & Innovation, FOX Sports. “We’re constantly improving the viewing experience of this great event and the FOX Sports team is excited to offer viewers more dynamic experiences from the golf course than ever before.” 

FOX Sports remains at the forefront of ball-tracing technology in 2019, as the network equips the tee box on all 18 holes with Trackman radar technology. Nine holes are equipped to show viewers a standard ball-trace over live video, with enhanced club and ball data. The remaining nine holes will display Emmy-nominated FOX FlightTrack, a live trace over a graphic representation of the golf hole, offering more perspective to the viewer. All 18 holes will have the ability to insert a real-time live carry distance. 

Three roaming wireless RF tracers will work to provide ball tracing on approach shots. There will also be FlightTrack for fairways shots on two holes, Nos. 6 and 14. New this year will be a mobile tower camera equipped with Toptracer technology, also positioned on No. 14, allowing for more dynamics within the shot. Unlike most tracer shots, where the camera must remain still, this camera will allow FOX Sports to pan, tilt and zoom to see the ball as it comes towards the camera. 

Just a few weeks ago, FOX Sports’ Shane Bacon and Joel Klatt played a round at Pebble Beach and discussed No. 14’s difficult approach and tough green, offering insights on what to expect from the pros at the U.S. Open: https://vimeo.com/340574507

FOX Sports’ image capture continues to evolve at the U.S. Open, with the most 1080p HDR cameras in place for any live event in the U.S. ever, placing over 50 cameras across the course, and in each tower camera and blimp to help capture the stunning beauty of Pebble Beach. 

Alongside this technology is the new penalty area camera system, which houses three cameras for over 210 degrees of capture alongside the out of bounds markers at holes Nos. 4 and 5.

As FOX Sports has done since its USGA debut in 2015, live replay coverage of the event continues to capture every camera across the course simultaneously with 178 record channels and 54 playout channels. 

A Pebble Beach first, FOX Sports will deploy a live tethered-aerial drone camera to be launched and operated from a boat along the coastline at Pebble Beach, giving the viewer unique live action on the course.

In addition to its television broadcast and featured groups and holes streams, this year FOX Sports introduces a new “USGA Practice Tee” channel, which is focused on the driving range and uses Toptracer Range technology for added insight as players warm up. Fans at Pebble Beach will see players’ shots being traced on LED boards at the range, while the broadcast and all streaming channels will be able to go into greater detail on swing technique, ball flight and more. Streaming feeds are available on FOXSports.com, the FOX Sports App, DirecTV and USGA.org.

Continuing to develop elements in augmented reality (AR) that offer viewers greater context, FOX Sports will be using various shots from multiple blimps and cranes to layer graphics on top of video, including, but not limited to, wind direction and speed, player on-course location and course statistics.

In addition to the new “USGA Practice Tee” channel, the “Featured Holes” channel gets an upgrade for 2019. Data from Trackman units on these holes will be displayed on the streaming feeds in real-time. Viewers will see data for live shots along with more advanced statistics throughout the championship.

In preparation for this week’s event, multiple days of aerial production drone flights were completed last week, capturing unique images from each of the 18 holes.

Staff & Support

• 455 technicians

• 72 support staff

• 66,000+ man-hours over 15 days

• Field Support

  • 51 miles of multi-strand fiber optics (over 1,872 miles of actual fiber connectivity)

  • 912 strands of fiber optics available across the course

  • IP Networking

    • 1,056 1Gbps Ethernet ports distributed across the course

    • 28 managed network locations

    • 94 distinct managed networks

    • 6 Gbps of Internet data managed

    • 78 Gbps of broadcast data managed

• Cameras

  • 121 Total Cameras

    • 18 – 1080p wireless cameras

      • 6 – 1080p HDR wireless cameras

    • 52 – 1080p HDR cameras

    • 12 – 100x lens-based cameras

    • 19 – 95x lens-based cameras

    • 5 – Xmo High-frame-rate cameras (4,000+ fps)

    • 2 – Sony – 8x – High-frame-rate cameras (480fps)

    • 4 – Cinematic Cameras with FOX Films look

    • 3 – RF Tracer cameras

    • 2 – Mini portable robotic cameras

    • 75’ Strada Camera Crane

• Audio

  • 12 audio consoles

  • 232 microphones across the course

    • 8 RF announcers

    • 18 hole microphones

    • 20 RF walking microphones 

• Replay / Post Production

  • 178 Record Channels

  • 54 Playout Channels

  • 768 TB real-time storage

  • 5 Edit Bays

Tee Times Are Out For The U.S. Open: The Highlights

You can see the full list at USOpen.com, and remember the TBD’s will be filled by alternates unless there are additions to the field via the RBC Canadian Open or world top 60 Sunday night.

Some that got my eye…

119th U.S. Open Championship

June 13-16, 2019

Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links

 All Times PDT

Thursday (June 13), Hole #1 / Friday (June 14), Hole #10

6:45 a.m. / 12:30 p.m. – Sam Saunders, Atlantic Beach, Fla.; Carlos Ortiz, Mexico; Marcus Fraser, Australia 

7:18 a.m. / 1:03 p.m. – Scottie Scheffler, Dallas, Texas; (a) Matt Parziale, Brockton, Mass.; Nick Taylor, Canada 

7:40 a.m. / 1:25 p.m. – Haotong Li, People's Republic of China; Bubba Watson, Bagdad, Fla.; J.B. Holmes, Lexington, Ky. 

8:24 a.m. / 2:09 p.m. – Cameron Smith, Australia; Matthew Wallace, England; Xander Schauffele, San Diego, Calif. 

Thursday (June 13), Hole #10 / Friday (June 14), Hole #1

7:51 a.m. / 1:36 p.m. – Jon Rahm, Spain; Marc Leishman, Australia; Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland 

8:02 a.m. / 1:47 p.m. – Justin Thomas, Louisville, Ky.; Kevin Kisner, Aiken, S.C.; Bryson DeChambeau, Clovis, Calif. 

8:13 a.m. / 1:58 p.m. – Dustin Johnson, Jupiter, Fla.; Phil Mickelson, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.; Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland 

8:24 a.m. / 2:09 p.m. – Hideki Matsuyama, Japan; Sergio Garcia, Spain; Tommy Fleetwood, England 

Thursday (June 13), Hole #1 / Friday (June 14), Hole #10

1:03 p.m. / 7:18 a.m. – (a) Austin Eckroat, Edmond, Okla.; Alexander Noren, Sweden; Charles Howell III, Orlando, Fla. 

1:14 p.m. / 7:29 a.m. – Thomas Pieters, Belgium; Chesson Hadley, Raleigh, N.C.; (a) Stewart Hagestad, Newport Beach, Calif. 

1:25 p.m. / 7:40 a.m. – Paul Casey, England; Patrick Cantlay, North Palm Beach, Fla.; Lucas Glover, Jupiter, Fla. 

1:47 p.m. / 8:02 a.m. – Francesco Molinari, Italy; (a) Viktor Hovland, Norway; Brooks Koepka, West Palm Beach, Fla. 

2:09 p.m. / 8:24 a.m. – Jordan Spieth, Dallas, Texas; Justin Rose, England; Tiger Woods, Hobe Sound, Fla. 

Thursday (June 13), Hole #10 / Friday (June 14), Hole #1

12:30 p.m. / 6:45 a.m. – Nathan Lashley, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Renato Paratore, Italy; Lee Slattery, England 

12:41 p.m. / 6:56 a.m. – TBD; Collin Morikawa, La Canada Flintridge, Calif.; Aaron Wise, Las Vegas, Nev. 

1:36 p.m. / 7:51 a.m. – Luke List, Augusta, Ga.; Lucas Bjerregaard, Denmark; Branden Grace, South Africa 

1:47 p.m. / 8:02 a.m. – Webb Simpson, Charlotte, N.C.; Adam Scott, Australia; Matt Kuchar, Sea Island, Ga. 

1:58 p.m. / 8:13 a.m. – Byeong Hun An, Republic of Korea; (a) Devon Bling, Ridgecrest, Calif.; Matthew Fitzpatrick, England 

Pebble Beach Flyovers: Eleventh And Twelfth Holes

Back in 1929 this well-bunkered green was created think of 3 iron approaches, now of course it’s little more than a flip wedge for the players who hit driver. Probably the smallest and least-functional green on the property due to hears of flying sand shots and faster green speeds, the 11th is down to about 100 square foot area to place holes at the traditional U.S. Open pace.

The overall architectural deterioration here gives critics of the inland holes very reasonable ammunition in making their case against Pebble Beach. It doesn’t have to be that way.

The fairway contour has been significantly reduced since this flyover and hugs the right this time around:

The par-3 12th is another odd one when the U.S. Open comes and firms things up. The bunker face is at its highest and most penal on the right portion where most daily-fee golfers have hit the ball over the years. It’s a pretty common sign of age and should have been addressed long ago since it discourages a direct shot at the center hole locations, while the more left the pin goes, the more accessible it becomes all due to the bunker face build up.

There can be a bit of a Redan component here but the opening is so slight that modern players seem to just take their chances getting up and down from the front bunker or from the rear rough. The green has also lost many great wing hole locations due to a square footage deterioration.

Remembering Samuel Morse And His Insistence On Golf Along The Cliffs

Many names will bandied about next week during the U.S. Open, but only one is genuinely and only the reason we will be enjoying another national championship at Pebble Beach.

Founder Samuel Morse is profiled by Jim Nantz in this excellent Golf Digest piece on the great man’s vision, life and a fun cocktail hour chat with his late daughter.

Oh, and we should remember his lender too, particularly with the Wodehouse name and bank.

In his grandson Charles Osborne’s fabulous 2018 biography, Boss: The Story of S.F.B Morse, the Founder of Pebble Beach, he talks of how Morse in 1918 was riding his horse, Moonlight, around Pebble Beach, imagining what it could become, when he was called to a meeting with Crocker, in which he revealed his desire to have Crocker help with financing so Morse could make the purchase himself. Crocker demurred because he didn’t want to essentially be both seller and buyer. Morse struck out on his own and a short time later obtained the $1.3 million financing through a bond offering arranged by Herbert Fleishhacker of the Anglo California National Bank in San Francisco.

One other important note about Morse: legend says that Jack Neville’s first routing for Pebble Beach featured homes on the clifftops, golf holes inland. He was doing what any sensible real estate man would do, but Morse declared the golf took priority, otherwise the entire development would not succeed. Lewis Lapham explained this for GolfDigest.com back in 2010.

Regarding Morse, you can seem some memorabilia related to his life at Golf Links to the Past (where Nantz details having bought some of Morse’s original paintings).

There is also a new biography of Morse available in the shop and listed at Amazon. I believe author Charles Osborne will be signing at some point during U.S. Open week.

But What About Those Wyndham Rewards Points, Brooks? Koepka Says Canadian Result Doesn't Matter

Well, doesn’t REALLY matter, if that makes the folks ponying up millions for the FedExCup and Wyndham Rewards chases. (I’d tell you the leaders, but I know you’ve been studying the races and it would be redundant).

Either, the point is, majors are really that all that matter to the stars. Good for the majors, good for the game, not so great for points chases. From Ryan Lavner’s GolfChannel.com story from the RBC Canadian where Brooks Koepka is tuning up for Pebble Beach’s U.S. Open.

“I could care less what happens,” he said. “I just want to feel good going into next week. As long as I can leave feeling confident, striking the ball very well, starting it where I want to, finishing where I want to, hitting some good putts ... it doesn’t matter if they do go in or not. I just want to feel confident leaving.”

Koepka has played the week before all four of his major victories, and he pointed to the fact that he’s won back-to-back U.S. Opens despite finishing 30th or worse in each of his tune-up starts at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.

“The result doesn’t really matter this week,” he said. “It’s just how I feel I’ve played. Am I hitting enough good shots and really finding a rhythm?”

But think of the points Brooks! For the children. And the VP’s whose bonuses depend on them.

Pebble Beach Flyovers: Ninth And Tenth Holes

Anyone who doesn’t stop and ponder their fortunate fate when on the 9th hole is missing out, as the view toward Carmel and beyond never gets tiresome.

That said, the 9th as a piece of architecture, has some issues.

Players in last summer’s U.S. Amateur were less than enthralled with the new 526-yard tee leaving an awkward decision. Many actually hit 3-wood and even a few irons late in the day, leaving their ball atop the hill instead of an undesirable hanging lie and stance. There is a definite advantage for bombers here to play the hole as it had been attacked before the latest tee was added to offset the amazing modern athleticism delivered by Trackman.

Originally the fairway spilled down to the right next to the ocean. It would appear the tees were positioned to hit into that fairway and a lovely spot exists to restore such a tee. But the hole would play very short in a world where players better manage their rest to hit the ball longer than the geeks of yesteryear.

Either way, the 1929 renovation of Pebble Beach by Chandler Egan appeared to present a far more interesting and complicated hole.

The USGA’s flyover:

The 10th is far less complicated but beautiful in the simple way it fits the landscape. It’s as demanding as they come but also sadly missing some great hole locations back left and front/middle right near the water’s edge.

The Thinking Behind Pebble Beach's U.S. Open Has Nothing To Do With The Patriots Logo, Really

Even though Pebble Beach Company CEO Bill Perocchi calls himself the “biggest Patriot fan in California” and worked with the agency developing this year’s U.S. Open logo, I’m sure there was not Patriots influence whatsoever in the crafting process. None!

According to Golf.com’s Jessica Marksbury, the Hooray Agency’s Steve Seghers was looking to design a logo that “captured the legacy, the commitment to national pride, and the passion of golf and sport enthusiasts around the world".

Apparently the “wavy embellishment” under the lone Cypress “represents the crashing waves off Pebble’s 7th and 8th holes, as well as the wing of America’s national symbolic bird, the bald eagle,” and NOT the Patriots logo.

Furthermore, Marksbury writes, “each stripe on the wave embellishment represents a year that Pebble Beach has hosted the U.S. Open. There are six total: 1972, 1982, 1992, 2000, 2010 and 2019.”

And it’s just a coincidence that the Patriots have won….drum roll please, six Super Bowls since 2002.

Getting In The U.S. Open Mood: 1972, Jack And Pebble

This is spectacular in so many ways, including out of the chute with stock 70s music and graphics. But gosh is there some fun viewing in here for those looking to get even more excited about the U.S. Open’s return to Pebble Beach.

And just to further the mood-setting, check out my Q&A with the late great Frank Hannigan from 2010 on some memories of early U.S. Open’s at Pebble: Bing Crosby asking for a cart, Vietnam war protesters on 18, etc…as only Frank can recall.