CHANGING COURSE
USGA learns from past mistakes, builds anticipation for return to Shinnecock Hills
I look forward to getting my teeth kicked in.”
— Keegan Bradley, upon qualifying for the U.S. Open
PHIL MICKELSON returned to Shinnecock Hills for the first time in 14 years and it’s a wonder he recognized the golf course. He had not been there since 2004, his third of what eventually would become six runner-up finishes in the
U.S. Open.
His memories went beyond the outcome to a classic venue so penalizing that 28 players couldn’t break 80 in the final round, leading to another chorus of criticism aimed at the USGA.
Bad memories have turned into anticipation. The USGA says it has learned from its mistakes. With a twist on a popular phrase in U.S. Open lexicon, it wants to identify the best player, not punish them. The fairways have been widened by some 15 yards. The collars of thick rough have been shaved, putting more emphasis on the skill of the short game. Along with adding 450 yards, the USGA has placed some new tees at angles. Officials think they have it just right. They hope so, anyway.
“I think it’s the greatest setup I’ve seen in a U.S. Open,” Mickelson said.
Those are powerful words from a frequent critic of the U.S. Open, only it’s not just Mickelson who can’t wait to get there. Everyone seems to be excited about the return to Shinnecock Hills, the links-styled course on Long Island and one of the five founding clubs of the USGA. Two of the last three U.S. Opens have been held on courses that were barely a decade old. That led Jack Nicklaus, whose name is on the gold medal awarded to the winner, to suggest the U.S. Open had lost its identity. Shinnecock Hills should help restore that.
Mickelson has another chance to add the one major that has eluded him. For Tiger Woods, it’s an opportunity to win a major for the first time in 10 years. Brooks Koepka is next in line to try to win back-toback, a feat that hasn’t happened at the U.S. Open since 1989. But there is as much pressure on the USGA as any player to avoid controversy — wide fairways and record scoring at Erin Hills, the Dustin Johnson ruling at Oakmont, more dirt than grass on the greens at Chambers Bay.
TIGER RETURNS
No one imagined when Woods limped off Torrey Pines in the 2008 U.S. Open to claim his 14th major that it would be his last one. Injuries to his leg and back and an implosion in his personal life contributed to his decade drought. This will be only his second U.S. Open in the last five years. Woods has gone five years since his last victory of any kind, though he has shown a powerful game that is capable of winning. He has played twice at Shinnecock — he tied for 17th in 2004 as he was rebuilding his swing, and he withdrew with a wrist injury after a 74 in 1995 when he was an amateur.
MICKELSON’S QUEST
Two of Mickelson’s best chances at the U.S. Open were at Shinnecock Hills. He had a oneshot lead when he stood on the 17th tee in 2004, only to hit into the bunker and made double bogey to finish two behind Retief Goosen. In 1995, he played the par-5 16th hole in 6 over for the week and tie for fourth, four shots behind. Mickelson, 47, only needs the U.S. Open to complete the career Grand Slam, and his hopes were renewed by winning earlier this year in Mexico City. History is not on his side. No one older than 45 has ever won the U.S. Open.
NOT SO SEVENTH HEAVEN
USGA chief executive Mike Davis all but guaranteed there would not be a repeat of the fiasco on the par-3 seventh green. The sloped green was so dry and baked out that balls that landed on the green didn’t stay there. The first group to play it Sunday each made triple bogey. It got so bad that officials had to spray the green with water before every other group teed off to keep it playable. Davis says the communication between the staff and maintenance crew is better now, along with having devices that better measure such elements as firmness. “We’re happy that we have a mulligan,” Davis said.
THE HISTORY
Shinnecock Hills is among the five original golf clubs that make up the USGA. It opened for play with 12 holes in 1891, an additional six holes were built in 1894 and it hosted the second U.S. Open in 1896 when it was 4,423 yards. Now at 7,445 yards, it his hosting its fifth U.S. Open, and the fourth since 1986. The U.S. Open embarks on a stretch of classical courses over the next decade that includes Shinnecock Hills, Pebble Beach, Winged Foot, Oakmont, The Country Club and Pinehurst No. 2.