The Toughest US Open Course Yet
For starters The South course will be the longest U.S. Open course to date. It is anticipated that the South course will stretch over 7,600 yards and played at par 70, as an example Bethpage Black played at a par 70 at 7,214 yards and was the longest course in the Open rotation in 2002.
Not to mention the wind and weather conditions. For those of us who live here in San Diego, we all know what the weather can be like in June and July along the coast. They don’t call it “June Gloom” for nothing! Conditions along the Torrey Pines coast can turn in a minute. It’s not uncommon for the weather to go from 80 degrees and perfectly calm to a fog-out in literally no time. The winds along the coast are very unpredictable and depending on which part of the course you are on can be very subtle to very strong.
The third factor that will make Torrey South tougher than any US Open before will be the wirey thick kikuyu and bermuda rough that can swallow up an errant tee shot. For those that have never experienced kikuyu grass, imagine a cross between the worst Bermuda you’ve ever seen and a field of hay. This stuff is knarly! Not only will players not be able to advance the ball, but they will be lucky if they can even find their ball with the help of USGA volunteer forecaddies.
The final element that could make a couple over par the winning score at the 2008 US Open is the tricky to read Rees Jones redesigned greens. Nobody will have played this course with the greens rolling at a 13+ on the stimp meter, until the first day of the tournament. And as someone who has played the course 50+ times and walked the final round of the Buick Open many times, the pro’s start to get cautious here when they start to get above 12 on the stimp meter. For the residents who play here on a daily basis, we usually find that the greens are a little shaggy and relatively easy to hold with a decent shot. I’m sure the USGA with cut off the water on Thursday and stress them to near death so that they don’t hold anything more than a shot from 140 yards out.
All in all, the long hitters are going to absolutely have to hit it straight off the tee and the shorter hitters are not going to have a prayer! Look for guys like Tiger, Phil Mickelson, or Retief Goosen to be happy with pars all day long. Torrey South is sure to make Bethpage South look like a par 3 course!