Haigh has since widened the landing area out to the right, bringing the creek and numerous possibilities into play. Contestants can lay back and confront a 110-yard approach from a hanging left-to-right lie that makes close approach shots unlikely, or place their tee shots closer to the green while flirting with the creek. The latter option secures a flat lie along with a shorter second shot and the preferred angle to all hole locations, particularly Sunday’s inevitable back-left position.
Haigh brought even more compelling nuance to the finishing hole. Viewers may recall the tedious process of watching 2001 U.S. Open contestants slash second shots out of the 465-yard hole’s right rough. The hard-bending left-to-right fairway features two tiers requiring the unorthodox notion of playing away from the inside of the dogleg to open up the best approach view. This time around, tee shots leaking right will find a fairway widened to 38 yards, though trees still block a clear shot at the green. Expect to witness something missing in the technology era: Wildly sliced recovery attempts that may get players into even more trouble than had they simply pitched out.
That said, all of this subtlety and theatrical potential will only be remembered if the ninth and 18th greens do not repeat the burlesque antics that plagued the 2001 U.S. Open. In a span of 45 minutes, Mark Brooks, Stewart Cink and Retief Goosen each three-putted the 18th, with little doubt the USGA’s decision to halt mowing Sunday night through Thursday evening of championship week influenced the strange events. While their actions kept shots from rolling down the steep fronting hills, USGA officials also estimated the ninth and 18th greens were a foot slower on the Stimpmeter than the rest.
“Like putting through fringe,” Cink said after a heartbreaking double bogey left him one shot out of a Monday playoff that Goosen won with a 70.
The troubles started when a former staff member’s 1999 middle-of-the-night green vandalization forced a hasty re-grassing prior to the 2001 Open. The club has since, under Foster’s watch, rebuilt and softened the ninth and 18th greens. Prior to the most recent renovation, a Stimpmeter reading of 10 feet reduced cupping space to 15 percent on the ninth green and 16 percent on the 18th. The two complexes, nestled remarkably close to one another, were shifted eight feet to the left to get away from mature trees. Meanwhile, the front edges were raised and the back edges lowered on each green. Foster also snuck in a new front-left hole location to make the 18th green more versatile for Haigh come tournament week. With planned speeds in the 11 to 11½ range, both greens will teeter on the edge but should prove manageable.
This newfound stability, combined with Southern Hills’ continuing its select tree-removal work and the expected praise for its new short-grass areas, might even have the U.S. Open returning. While the governing body of North American golf already has the 2010 U.S. Amateur scheduled for Southern Hills, USGA senior director, rules and competitions Mike Davis has publicly admitted the need for another Midwest U.S. Open venue. Combine that with the USGA’s newfound love for classic courses removing trees and restoring short grass, and it may not be long before another national championship returns to Southern Hills.
But first there is the 2007 PGA Championship, where the golf world may just be pleasantly surprised—even entertained—by Perry Maxwell’s minimalist masterpiece.
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