The Starter, Round 1: U.S. Open
The first round of the 110th U.S. Open Championship is set to begin Thursday. Here's a preview:
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EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR NETWORK on-site correspondent Doug Bell previews Thursday's action:
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I must say the temperature change from Memphis to Pebble Beach is absolutely refreshing and and it adds even more spice to our national championship.
I arrived on Monday and have spent the last three days following a host of different players during their practice rounds. I've watched Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Alvaro Quiros, Kenny Perry, Brian Gay, Steve Stricker and my fellow Alabama-native Jason Dufner attack this awesome lay-out. I think it's the best way to analyze things by watching long and short hitters hit various shots.
The one thing I've noticed is the driver will not be a big factor in this year's U.S. Open. The only holes I saw the players use the big stick consistently on were numbers 9,10,13 and 14. Number six is a 523-yard par 5, and Phil Mickelson used a 4-iron off the tee and a 2-iron to the green.
The weather forecast is calling for a dry week, which means the greens and fairways are getting firmer by the hour. Phil commented that he's concerned about that and said, "At least 14 of the greens could reach the level of number seven at Shinnecock". In case you've forgotten, it was during the 2004 U.S. Open when the tilted par 3 became so hard it was almost unplayable. I have seen lots of balls bounce through the greens after making a resounding thump when they hit the dance floor. Jason Dufner tried five times to land a wedge on the green at the par-5 14th and found the back of the green only once.
The other problem is the high stringy grass the USGA has grown up on the edges of the bunkers. I measured some of the grass as high as two feet ! That could definitely effect bunker play, not to mention chip shots when it lands in there. I watched 12 players go for the back left hole location at the famous par-3 17th and didn't see one stay on the green. All the guys were working on Tom Watson-type chips and bunker shots at 17. It's hard out there, but of course, that's the U.S. Open.
I do think the scores will be better in the morning rounds, when the poa annua greens are fresh and smooth. Late in the day, they do get bumpy. I'll be out early at 7:44 local time following Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk, and Angel Cabrera. Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington and Y.E. Yang will play at 8:06. Advantage goes to the later group. Tiger Woods, Lee Westwood, and Ernie Els headline the afternoon pairings at 1:36. Young meets old when Ryo Ishikawa and Rory McIlroy play with Tom Watson at 1:47.
The USGA gave Pebble Beach a facelift this year and the old gal looks terrific. No question it will play much tougher than it did in 2000, when Tiger ran away with it. When asked to compare set-ups, Tiger said simply, " Way different." So fasten your seatbelts ... the 2010 U.S. Open is going to be a wild ride.
INSTRUCTOR'S CORNER: John Stahlschmidt, head instructor at TOUR Academy TPC Scottsdale, analyzes the playing conditions this week:
The first round of the the U.S. Open is set to begin at legendary Pebble Beach on Thursday. This venue is unique in the fact that it is a public facility that everyone can play--if they're willing to pay the hefty greens fee.
The greens at Pebble Beach are small so the eventual winner will have to have a stellar short game. And under U.S. Open conditions, they will undoubtedly be hard and very fast so controlling your trajectory with short irons around the target is vital. The change in the groove rule will also have an effect since the players will not be able to spin the ball as much compared to the older square grooves.
A high soft shot in which the players have to "cut the legs off" is a must. There are several different ways to accomplish this. The most effective is by taking a lofted club and adding an even greater angle to it by leaning the shaft back. This is more useful than opening the club face, which actually decreases your margin of error. As a result, watch for the players to lean the handle away from the target at address to increase the overall loft for a high soft shot. Try this next time on the course and you'll find that perfect pitch shot in no time.
LAST PLAYER IN: The 2008 U.S. Open runner-up Rocco Mediate, the first alternate out of Columbus, was added to this week's field at Pebble Beach. A spot had been saved in the 156-player field in case the St. Jude Classic produced a second-time winner who wasn't previously in the U.S. Open, but that didn't happen. The only player who had a chance to spoil things for Mediate was Nathan Green, and he finished T25. Mediate is the second alternate to be added to the field in the last week. England's Simon Khan got the first alternate's spot when the victor of the Memorial was not a two-time winner.
U.S. OPEN AT PEBBLE BEACH GOLF LINKS: Since 1936, there have been 10 occasions in the United States where a major championship was contested on a course that also hosted a PGA TOUR event that same season. The 2010 U.S. Open marks the sixth occasion a major championship has been held at Pebble Beach GL.
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