Note: The USGA installed a new tee off the (formerly) 609-yard par-5 16th at Olympic Club. The hole can now be stretched to 670 yards, making it the longest par 5 on the PGA TOUR. Not surprisingly, the hole has been a key topic of debate ahead of the first round.
PGATOUR.COM Site Producers Bill Cooney and Ryan Smithson were arguing the merits of the hole on Wednesday. Here's how they feel on the issue .. and we want to hear your thoughts.
Leave them here.
| Debate: Is the 670-yard 16th too long for the U.S. Open? |
 | Bill Cooney: Let's be honest here. Somewhere along the way - maybe when woods became metal or metal became titanium -- the par 5 lost its purpose in golf. No longer were they among the most challenging holes on the golf course. No longer did they require a trio of fairly long, semi-accurate shots to reach the green.
No, a good number of par 5s have become walkovers, places to pick up easy birdies to make the final number on your scorecard a little more enjoyable. At least that's my opinion.
Think about it. You're a pretty good golfer. When's the last time you approached the tee of a par 5 and thought, 'Oh, great, this is a really difficult hole?' Not often.
Yes, as my senior colleague will point out, the 670-yard 16th hole at The Olympic Club is nearly impossible if you don't keep the ball in the short grass. Yes, there are a number of bunkers, the rough is 10-feet high, etc. But this hole is not too long for the best golfers in the world. This is the U.S. Open, not your local mens city championship.
A 300-yard tee shot and a 225-yard second shot leaves about 150 yards for a third shot. What's wrong with that? Even if the approach is longer, I don't see how the best golfers in the world can't hit a third-shot approach with a 7-iron. Or a 6-iron? No way is this hole too long for the U.S. Open.
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 | Ryan Smithson: Come on, Cooney. A 670-yard par 5 in that dense Bay Area air? Very few will hit the 300-yard barrier. Bubba claiming he slammed two drivers ... and still had 60 yards to go? Where does it stop? Will it play 720 yards the next time a U.S. Open is held there?
I've read through our reader comments about Phil Mickelson, who said "I've yet to have less than 200 yards on 16. I dont know where we're hitting wedge on that hole."
You guys weren't very sympathetic, and I don't blame you. People like seeing the big boys get beat up once a year on the second week in June -- but this is too much. To me, that green isn't meant for the Steve Strickers and Luke Donalds of the world to hit 5-irons in. Two huge bunkers guard the front, and if the pin is placed anywhere near them, it will be all but impossible to get the ball close. Hello, bogey. There's nary a quicker way to lose a U.S. Open than to put a '6' on your card.
This hole is hard enough to have a wedge in -- but most of the field will be hitting mid-irons at best, and the rough is among the thickest on the course. If Bubba can't get anywhere near the green, how will the rest of the field cope? The hole was plenty difficult for the field in 1998 -- it played over par -- and with the deep rough, a lot of the distance advantage we've attained since then will be negated.
Now, the good news -- the back tee will only be used for two of the four days. There is a new tee at 625 yards, which is a much more fair yardage for the field. |
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