LOS ANGELES – Golf should get easier as you get closer, right? Weekend warriors would rather stare at a flag that is 81 yards from them than one that is 100 or 120 miles away.
Golf can be frustrating and a source of frustration. That’s why, when you asked the majority of the 65 golfers that made the U.S. They would rather shoot at the pins on Thursday or Friday on the 15th, which measured 124 and 112 yards respectively, than face the challenge of Saturday.
Just 81 yards.
Jon Rahm had a simple strategy: “Just get the ball on the green.”
Cameron Young commented, “Definitely a unique shot.” “Not something you see every day.”
The hole is 11 yards shorter than the 7th hole in the final round of 2010 U.S. Open, played at Pebble Beach.
Think of it this way: all but two of the holes at Palm Beach Par 3, played from the blue tees, are longer than the longest hole that the world’s best golfers played at the LA Country Club on Saturday.
This is the hole where three holes-in one occurred in the first round. Matthieu Pavon, Sam Burns and Matthew Fitzpatrick were on Thursday.
The pins were either side of an hump in the middle. The play was to turn it back.
The pin on Saturday was located about 15 yards from that hump, in a small area; 18 feet away from the fringe to the left and right of the hump. It was also 18 feet away from the fringe in the front that slopes downhill. It was on a slight slope from left to right.
Shane Lowry commented on the fact that he had added to his hole-in one count at No. 15 Saturday. The first two days, you had a few different options to make it. Today, you have to make a perfect shot.
Bunkers are surrounded by thick rough on both sides, with the one on the right curving around to the front.
If you miss it left, like Ryan Fox did as the first golfer on Saturday, it will catch the bunker. If you miss it right, it will roll off the green. More trouble to the right of pin.
The safe play on Saturday was to aim beyond the flag and catch the slope, then spin it back. High-risk and high-reward is to aim a few feet behind the flag, catch the slope and spin it back. But not quite as much.
All that is required to do is spin a lob-edge. It’s not easy to spin a lobe wedge. So I am told.
Shane Lowry parred his hole after hitting the green 25 feet beyond on his tee-shot.
Adam Hadwin’s Adam Hadwin ball stopped 27 feet beyond the pin.
He was very good about it.
Hadwin, a carded par, said, “I’m more than anything trying to get the ball on the green.” Give yourself a shot.
Brooks Koepka made it to the green on Saturday, but didn’t take a chance. The Jupiter resident had a distance of 61 feet and was facing a number of different angles to get back to the pin. The adventure ended in a double-bogey with four putts.
Koepka gave us reasons on Friday why he doesn’t like the course. He can now add another course to his list.
Padraig Harrington was curious about the fuss. The Irishman used a 64-degree wedge and landed the ball a few feet beyond the pin. He then watched the ball bounce, spin, and land 5.5 feet away from the hole.
He made the birdie on his way towards a score of 67.
Harrington explained that there was a slope to the left of pin. If you can hit it to the left, as long you’re at least four or five yards from the pin, there is a nice slope.
Harrington disagreed with his peers on the pin placement. Harrington preferred the tighter pin placement on Saturday to the earlier pins.
He said, “I’d say that it’s generous pin.” “A little awkward because we are not used to such an incredibly short shot on a Par 3.
If you miss the hump, you are …. ”
The layout is part of what makes the course so special. The longest hole of the course is followed by the 15th, which is the shortest hole. No. No. 14 was 627 yards on Saturday.
About 20 yards from the back of 15th green, there are two tee-boxes, one for the hole 11th, which is the longest par-3 in U.S. Open’s history.
No. No.
Two par 3s. The first requires a lob wedge, and the second a 3-wood.
Max Homa: “You will see professional golfers using some creativity.” “That’s a trick that can be quite useful.”
