The Loop
Expect to see a lot of uneven lies at Chambers Bay in the U.S. Open -- even on (gasp!) tee shots
The U.S. Open is commonly referred to as the toughest test in golf. And this year's version at Chambers Bay might be the championship's most unusual examination ever.
We've all heard about the Seattle-area track being one of the country's true links courses (there's only one tree on the property it isn't even in play) and how the USGA plans to change par on a couple of the holes. But apparently, the challenges/mind tricks might not end there.
Here's the bombshell USGA executive director Mike Davis (who also oversees the course setup at the U.S. Open) dropped during the media day from Chambers Bay on Monday:
"One of the things that's unique to this is the architects put in what they refer to it as ribbon tees, these tees that just kind of meander. And it allows us to put tee markers where we want. And in some cases we may end up putting tee markers on slight slopes as opposed to you think, well, you're always going to have teeing markers on very flat areas. But there may be some where we give the players a little downhill slope, a little uphill slope, a side slope. So that's interesting."
Davis later said, "I don't care whether you're a beginner or an intermediate or you're one of the elite players in the world, hitting off an uneven lie is always going to be more difficult," and that "Virtually every hole out there we will be playing from different teeing grounds on different days."
Sure, hitting balls off uneven lies is part of the game, but having to do that on tee shots? Just a hunch, but "interesting" probably won't be the first word that comes to most of the players' minds.