Brennans Caddy Report-the 107th US Open

The US Open has been held at Oakmont several times before and most recently in 1994 when Ernie Els won his first Open. On the Friday of the 94 Open, Arnold Palmer signed off in his backyard of Oakmont. It was his last Open, and a very emotional time. Most of the people who witnessed The King's tearful departure figured he would be the No. 1 sports story in newspapers throughout the country the next day. However, that afternoon, TV coverage of the Open was interrupted by pictures of a White Bronco weaving through traffic in Southern California. That began the O.J. Simpson murder mystery. 

Oakmont itself is setup like you would expect for a major championship.  The 7,230 yard layout is going to play much shorter than the yardage as the fairways are fast and firm. There are 9 holes under 400 yards which is unheard of in modern day championship golf. One of the most unusual features is a 9th green that also extends to the practice green. The green itself is some 66 yards long, 35 of which are considered the 9th green and the rest is used as a practice putting green. If a player is found to be practice putting on the portion of the green that is considered the 9th green he is considered to have tested the putting surface and is disqualified from the tournament. I don't think this is likely to happen but it if it does, it would be a first in my time around the game.  Another interesting characteristic of this Open compared with 1994 is that they have removed hundreds of trees from the property to restore the original inland links style. There is really not a tree that comes into play on the course which is very unusual.
 
The fairways are a little wider than most US Open fairways but the severe slope makes them play a lot more narrow. The rough is going to be very penal and like last year they have two levels of rough, the first cut which is a few yards off the fairway and is a bit shorter than the real nasty stuff which is next to that. If you hit a drive that just rolls off the fairway you still have a chance to advance the next shot, but if you happen to really miss your drive you are going to be in big trouble. The greens are every bit as important to this course as the greens are at Augusta National. They are some of the most severe greens I have ever seen and they are also very firm and fast.  Getting the ball on the proper side of the hole is going to be vital in order to have any chance at making birdies and pars.
 
Oakmont has a great variety of holes including two extremely long par 5's, both of which are over 600 yards!  Number 4 plays downhill quite a bit and I think you will see a lot of the guys getting home in two if they hit good drives. The punishment for hitting the approach shot is very severe as the rough around the greens is so long and thick. Number 12 is 670 yards and from the back tee is not reachable at all. There is a good chance that the tee will get moved up a bit and a few of the guys may take a shot at it but there will not be many guys who hit that green in two.

This week has been very fun as we played 18 on Tuesday with Vijay and Canadian Adam Spiers who qualified for the event. We also got to play 9 holes on Wednesday with Jon Mills and Warren Pinneo a younger player that I know from California. It is great to get to see some different faces and some non PGA Tour players getting a chance to play in an event this big.

This golf course is very challenging and I have heard lots of guys say it could be the hardest course they have ever played. It is crucial to get the ball in the fairway and to play very smart and disciplined this week to have any chance.

I really don't know what is going to win this week but I believe it will be quite a few over par. It is going to depend on how firm they let the greens get, the weather is going to be good so they can get the greens to whatever speed they like. 

I hope you enjoyed this report which was done in the media room at Oakmont Country Club. I would like to thank legendary golf writer Bob Verdi for letting me use his computer and for providing me with the historical informational that he did about this event.

Thanks for reading,

Brennan Little