Buick Classic

10 Jun 2004 - 13 Jun 2004
Westchester CC, Harrison, New York

2004 Masters
© Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Having two weeks off at home in Dallas was great. I played some golf, spent some time on the lake skiing and fishing with my friends, watched the Stanley Cup finals, played a little hockey and worked around the house. Nice to be able to get all the things done that need to be.

It is good to be back at work though, this week in Harrison, New York for the Buick Classic. The host course is Westchester Golf Course and it is in great shape this year and sets up very well for Mike and his game. They haven't had a lot of rain so it is playing faster than it has in the past, and with hot temperatures predicted over the next few days, the entire course will firm up even more.

It isn't one of the longest courses on tour but it is a thinkers golf course that requires a lot of positioning off the tee to better attack the pins. The course has a lot of elevation changes which causes some blind shots so club selection is very important.

You cannot hit driver on every hole here. It is important to get the ball in the fairway and put the ball on the correct side of the hole, due to the small, undulating greens. Almost all greens are sloped from back to front so if you go long over any green it will make for a very difficult chip.

There have been no significant changes on the golf course since we last played here, except for a couple of new tee boxes which do not have much effect on the hole.

Very challenging back nine beginning with #11, a 455 par 4. The second shot is uphill with a mid to long iron onto a tricky green that slopes from back to front. A challenging tee shot on hole number 12 makes it a difficult fairway to hit with a driver. Players will be very happy with pars on 11 and 12.

The finishing stretch of holes will be exciting. The 16th is a 225 par 3 that requires a 3 or 4 iron into the green and is a tough hole to birdie, however you will see a lot of birdies on 17 and 18. 17 is a short par 4 and with a good drive in the fairway only a wedge or a 9 iron is needed to get to the green in two. The finishing hole at Westchester is a reachable par 5, so possible lead changes can be expected coming down the stretch.

Over all the golf course is very challenging and requires a lot of thinking. Mike is feeling good about his game and we are hoping to get on a roll this week to take us right into the US Open.

Thanks for Reading,

Brennan Little