Cialis Western Open

26 Jun 2003 - 29 Jun 2003
Cog Hill Golf & Country Club, Lemont, Illinois

It is great to be back in the Chicago area again for one of our favorite stops on the PGA Tour: the Western Open. Not too sure what it is about Mike and Chicago, but it always seems to be a great week when he plays here. The course is the Cog Hill Golf and Country Club, which is one of Mike’s favorites and one of the best public facilities in the country. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Western Open, making it the oldest event on the Tour and the first PGA event to hit the 100 year mark.

This course is always a favorite of many golfers on the PGA Tour and is in great shape. The rough is not as long as I have seen in years past, so I believe it will be a week of good scoring. The greens are in great shape and holding quite well, but seem funny this week. The ball appears to be bouncing or skipping more often than usual, so we will need to allow for that when playing our approach shot. The fairways are in great shape, which is unusual when the Tour plays on public courses.

The front nine is pretty standard, with one really tough par 3, hole number 6. It is 213 yards, but usually plays to about 240 yards. The hole has a two-tiered green, sloping towards the front fringe, and is surrounded by 5 sand bunkers. The back nine is a more interesting nine, and the four finishing holes will make for an exciting trip in.

Number 15 is a reachable par 5, at 519 yards. This is a great hole to make up some ground or to gain some momentum coming down the stretch. A prime birdie or eagle opportunity, it is a straightaway with a slight dogleg right at the green. Hole 16 and 17 run parallel to each other are two good holes. Hole 16 is a 445 yard dogleg left with trees to the right of the landing area and water to the left. The green is flat with trees and sand surrounding three sides of it. Number 17 is a 420 yard slight dogleg right. 16 and 17 are two pretty solid holes, but with good ball placement off the tee, a shorter iron can be used to approach the green, and birdies can be made.

18 is the best hole on the course, a long par 4 with water guarding the green. It is a great finishing hole and the most difficult hole on the course. The fairway and green on this 460-yard hole both slope toward a pond on the left.

Overall, Cog Hill is a great course and I expect to see some good scoring if we get the perfect playing conditions we have had lately.

Thanks for reading,

Brennan Little