The US Open: Pebble's a diamond

Published on Saturday 12 June 2010 21:06

GIVEN ITS deservedly iconic status and the undoubted beauty of its Northern California coastal location, it is something of a surprise to note that the US Open taking place this coming week is only the fifth hosted by the Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Underlining that fact, Mike Davis, senior director of rules and competitions for the United States Golf Association, calls the 43-year gap between the 1929 US Amateur and Pebble's first US Open in 1972 "a mystery", the course itself "truly our best venu

Davis is correct on all counts, of course. While – whisper it – the collective quality of the 18 holes over which the unlikely Lucas Glover will defend the title he won at Bethpage 12 months ago is less than stellar, where Pebble Beach is good it is very, very good. Indeed, it can easily be argued that the stunning quality of the seaside holes more than compensates for the tedious mediocrity of so many of those further removed from the endlessly picturesque shoreline. For those who have never before witnessed the glorious run from the 7th tee to the 10th green, or the magnificent climax that is the par-5 18th, one of golf's greatest treats is in store.

Still, for all that many harbour similar misgivings about the overall excellence of the 7,040-yard layout, there can be no argument about the status of the four champions Pebble Beach has so far produced. Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Tom Kite and Tiger Woods comprise a foursome at least comparable to any other in the history of the game.

For all that, however, the best news about this US Open is that the event continues to edge ever further away from the one-dimensional, rough-festooned set-ups that have, in the last 25 years, produced a number of dodgy winners. I give you the aforementioned Glover, Scott Simpson, Steve Jones, Andy North, Lee Janzen and Michael Campbell. None of those men have any business being major champions.

Under Davis' leadership, the days when so-called "US Open rough" was too often and unthinkingly used to compensate for the architectural inadequacies of the championship venues are hopefully all but over. There's a long way to go, but the last few years have given us an indication that a more enlightened era is almost upon us. Instead of burying preferred approach angles under an avalanche of long grass, Davis prefers, as much as possible, to let the players decide for themselves how best to play each hole.

"The rough will definitely be lower than it has been in the previous Pebble US Opens," he promises. "Plus, when we did the fairway contouring we tried to bring the ocean into play as much as possible. For example, at the 6th hole there was 15-20 yards of primary rough between the fairway and the cliff edge on the right. A tour-level player had no chance of hitting the ball in the ocean. So we picked the fairway up and moved it 25 yards to the right. Now the short grass goes right to the edge. I'm excited about that.

"The way the 6th is angled, players are going to have to make a decision on the tee. If they hit a driver, the left-to-right slope of the fairway brings the ocean into play more. So there is some risk-reward. They can play safe with something less than a driver, or bring the cliff into play by going for more distance. We did the same on the 8th, 9th and 10th holes. We have eliminated the rough on the right of those holes. So there is more risk-reward on each. The drive zones are maybe 30 yards right of where they were. It is now more than possible to hit into the water on the right of all three."

On paper at least, this philosophical shift should make it more likely that the now four-decade long wait for a European victory (since Tony Jacklin's victory at Hazeltine) may soon be over. Given more freedom to express themselves, the likes of Lee Westwood, Paul Casey, Padraig Harrington and Rory McIlroy should be more likely to come to the fore in an event that has traditionally rewarded fastidiousness over flair.

Let's not get too excited, however: less rough and more emphasis on "go for it" rather than "hold it" also plays into the left-hand of Phil Mickelson. Already a four-time runner-up in this event – not since Sam Snead has any player found more creative ways to lose a much-coveted victory – the reigning Masters champion will fancy his chances of claiming a title that will leave him halfway to the almost-mythical Grand Slam.

As ever though, much will depend on how each of the contenders handles the notoriously slick US Open greens. And on those Davis brings even more good news.

"The best thing about Pebble in June is that we know almost for certain that it isn't going to rain," he predicts. "It just doesn't. So we can 'dial the course in' for the conditions we want so much better. We can control the grass heights, how high the rough is, how fast the greens are and how firm the course is in general. The only x-factor is the wind.

"We are going to shoot for 11 on the stimpmeter, which is as slow as we ever get greens at any US Open. But we don't have an option. Some of the greens are so undulating, with so much pitch back to front, that we just can't go any faster. Eleven on the stimp is just slightly faster than they typically are at the Open. But Pebble can get winds every bit as strong as Scotland. Look at 1992. The course was all but unplayable for a while on the last day."

On the subject of "unplayable", Davis has also been quick to alter the surrounds to the controversial 14th green. Earlier this year during the AT&T National Pro-am a succession of players found themselves unable to find the sharply undulating putting surface with mere chip shots, especially when they missed to the left with their approach shots. A succession of double, triple and even quadruple bogeys was the farcical result.

"Left of that green has always been a problem," admits Davis. "I used to hate seeing balls finish under the tree and in rough that gave the player no shot, either high or low. So after the AT&T, we decided to cut the rough away left of the green.

"The closely-mown area will now extend maybe halfway down the hill. Then it will be rough. So, if he is under the tree, a punch shot is an option for any player. He can run it up. Plus, all four sides of the green are now equal. Balls will run off on all sides. It is still going to be very hard, but not unfair. There will be some sixes, but nines will hopefully be more unusual."

Hang on though. Lest one gets the impression that Davis is something of a soft touch, even one look at the 543-yard 18th hole should put paid to that notion. This is still the US Open.

"So what we have done is narrow the 18th fairway on the right," he explains. "Guys will have a choice on the tee. They can hit driver and give themselves a chance to go for it in two. Or they can lay back and play it as a three-shot hole. But what we are not going to let them do is bale out way right. That's going to be one of the few places where there will be some cabbage. Two choices are enough."