Day at the Beach? Not for Open field
Pebble expected to be another difficult test in 2019
Next year, the sprawling and tumultuous show known as the U.S. Open heads west — back to the picturesque little track along the Monterey Peninsula coastline.
And if the wind blows, Pebble Beach could become just as fearsome and nasty as Shinnecock Hills.
Brooks Koepka’s victory Sunday put Pebble on the clock. Less than one year from now, in June 2019, the Open returns to Northern California for the first time since Webb Simpson won at the Olympic Club in 2012.
If the five previous Opens at Pebble taught us anything, it’s this: Do not be deceived by the scenery or modest yardage. Pebble Beach might not be especially long, but it’s plenty strong.
In the past two U.S. Opens held there, exactly one player finished below par. And that guy wasn’t even human: Tiger Woods won at 12-under in 2000, comically beating the field by 15 shots in the single greatest performance in the game’s history.
Or consider the most recent Open at Pebble, in 2010. Graeme McDowell won at evenpar, wobbling home in 74. Third-round leader Dustin Johnson, then a rising if mostly unheralded player, imploded with a finalround 82.
Or take the 1992 Open at Pebble. Tom Kite survived a brutal, wind-whipped Sunday in which only four players broke par and no fewer than 19 posted 80 or worse. Kite ultimately won at 3-under.
So, yes, history suggests Pebble will protect the identity of America’s national championship.
This cachet, as the hardest test in golf, took some hits in recent years. Problems with the greens became the dominant story
line in 2015 at Chambers Bay, outside Tacoma, Wash.; a rules furor involving Johnson distracted from his win in ’16 at Oakmont, near Pittsburgh; and last year Koepka led the stampede around Erin Hills, in Wisconsin, at 16-under.
Amid more controversy last week at Shinnecock, in suburban New York, at least the scores seemed Open-like. This time, Koepka won at 1-over.
“The traditional U.S. Open you saw as a kid, where par was a good score, that definitely ruled the day,” Danny Sink, the USGA’s Director of Open Championships, said this week.
Erin Hills measured more than 7,700 yards, but no ballpark is big enough to contain today’s power hitters. Shinnecock was more than 7,400 yards, and yet what truly tormented the players was unpredictable wind, crazy-fast greens (too fast at times) and gnarly fescue bordering the fairways.
Pebble Beach barely nudges past 7,000 yards, proving length is not essential for a classic, rugged U.S. Open venue. And if the old maxim is true — you can judge the quality of a course by its list of winners — then Pebble’s reputation is justified.
The five Open champs there are Jack Nicklaus in 1972, Tom Watson in ’82, Kite in ’92, Woods in 2000 and McDowell in ’10. That’s three of the best golfers ever (Nicklaus, Woods, Watson), another Hall of Famer (Kite) and a solid, workmanlike player in McDowell.
Now the countdown begins anew, to another national championship.
“One year out is obviously a big milestone for us,” Sink said. “We’ve had people on site at Pebble for more than a year now, prepping for the 2019 Open. This is really happening now.”
Sink, who is based in the Bay Area, ran the Open at Olympic in 2012 and the one at Chambers Bay three years later. He mostly coordinates outside-the-ropes matters, including transportation and the “spectator experience.”
That means finding ways to move thousands of people — Sink estimated next year’s attendance will exceed 200,000 for the week — around Pebble Beach, a compact layout tucked against Carmel Bay and the Pacific Ocean. This is no easy chore, especially in congested areas such as near the No. 3 green, No. 4 tee and No. 17 tee.
“We really want to make strides in how fans get around the course,” Sink said. “There are certain pinch points, and we’re also trying to provide space to view golf.”
They will view the world’s best players grinding out pars, not piling up birdies. That’s perfectly fine. The U.S. Open is not supposed to be easy.
Mickelson fallout: Phil Mickelson finally offered a full apology Wednesday, four days after his bush-league move during the third round of the Open at Shinnecock (see Names & Faces, page B2).
Too late, really. Mickelson’s strange antics — jogging after a putt he hit too hard on No. 13, then smacking it again while the ball was still moving — earned him a two-stroke penalty. USGA officials should have disqualified him, but they no doubt considered Mickelson’s star power in making their decision.
Just as troubling was Mickelson’s “explanation” after he completed Saturday’s round. He suggested it was a calculated move and defended his right to take advantage of the rules, even if he intentionally violated one of the game’s fundamental principles. That’s a bad look, especially from a player of his stature.