Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
No identity crisis for Winged Foot
Players expect course to play tough, as usual
MAMARONECK, N.Y. — Waiting for the green to clear ahead, Sergio Garcia looked behind him at the five holes he played Wednesday at Winged Foot and recited a list of clubs that rarely come out of his bag.
A 6-iron into the opening par 4. A 5-iron on the next hole. He had just finished the fifth hole, where he smoked a driver and had 4-iron into the green, pin-high and about 35 feet to the left.
That’s just getting to the green. Patrick Reed stood in deep rough about a yard beyond the green on the first hole, hit a gentle flop and watched it roll down a ridge, feed over to another slope and run off the front of the green.
Welcome to Winged Foot, and a U.S. Open that needs no introduction. Narrow fairways. Thick rough. Tough greens. It’s a simple formula that for years defined the American championship, one that has been missing in recent years by trying new venues (Chambers Bay and Erin Hills) or getting gentle weather (Pebble Beach).
And there were times when the USGA tried to influence the degree of difficulty, such as the pin positions and green speeds on Saturday at Shinnecock Hills.
None of that appears necessary at Winged Foot, the century-old design that has yielded only two 72-hole scores under par in the five U.S. Opens it has hosted since 1929.
“Something would have to go seriously wrong to get into the realms of goofy golf,” Rory McIlroy said.
No one expects the winner to break par this week, even with the move from June to September, and no one expects the USGA to have to do much to tinker with the course.
And no one summed up the test better than John Bodenhamer, the senior managing director of championships for the USGA and the person in charge of setting up the course.
“We will let Winged Foot be Winged Foot,” he said.
His comment was inspired from digging through history of U.S. Opens at Winged Foot. A reporter wanted to know if the USGA was going to toughen the course in 1929. Bodenhamer cited this reply from course architect A.W. Tillinghast:
“We’re not going to outfit Miss Winged Foot in any different way than she otherwise would be. No fancy clothes, no special jewelry ... just wash her face up for the party, and she’ll be good enough.”
The final dress rehearsal was Wednesday. Tiger Woods out first in the morning dew by himself, gearing up for a course where he’s 18-over par in six previous rounds — four at the 1997 PGA Championship, two at the 2006 U.S. Open, the first time he missed the cut at a major as a pro.
The measure of a difficult U.S. Open for years was how loudly players complained. Jack Nicklaus always talked about ruling players out when he heard them griping.
But that’s the highest compliment Winged Foot can receive. It tends to produce the highest scores and fewest complaints.
“We have seen a couple of U.S. Opens where it might have gotten away from them,” said Webb Simpson, who won at Olympic Club in 2012. “... But you’re not going to have that here at Winged Foot. Whoever wins on Sunday is the best golfer here for the week.”