Redan leaves the big boys humbled as only Lumpy hands out a licking

TAKE a bow, Tim Herron. You are the man. You took on the feared seventh hole at Shinnecock Hills and lived. Timbo, you rock.

Well this is the US Open and, swanky Long Island private golf club or not, the 5ft 10ins, 15 stone pro whom even his friends call 'Lumpy' got his respect in full from the packed grandstand at the seventh green yesterday as the only golfer to birdie the hole in morning play.

The sizeable crowd had gathered to watch the comings and goings from tee to green at the 189-yard par-three known as 'Redan' in honour of its role model, the famous, much imitated 192-yard 15th Redan Hole at the North Berwick West Links in Scotland.

Shinnecock's version is a fitting tribute to the original and has caused not a little whingeing from the competitors here at the 104th US Open.

There had been much talk in the build-up to this tournament of the changes made to the hole since the US Open last visited in 1995. Shinnecock golf superintendent Mark Michaud had said the seventh had been most altered of all the holes since the massive tree-clearing exercise undertaken in a bid to restore its original links feel.

Gone is a solid wall of trees behind the green which protected the hole from the 20-mile-an-hour prevailing wind and also absent is a privet hedge that kept the tee box out of danger.

Instead, Michaud said, we would be in for a treat.

"It takes a perfect shot to stay on that green," he declared. "We'll have a lot of fun watching it this week."

Early Shinnecock pacesetter Phil Mickelson called it "by far the hardest hole out there" and if Lefty thinks it is tough then you'd better take notice.

In fact, if Redan were a movie character it would be Joe Pesci in Goodfellas: short, snarling and a real menace to society.

The green slopes not just from front to back but from right to left as well. So you'd better land in the right spot on the green off the tee or you'll find your ball in one of three bunkers protecting the front or in the collection area away to the back-left where the green levels out.

And don't bother trying to land it near the hole because the bounce on the hard green will send it away to the danger areas.

It does not take long for spectators to register the difficulty of Redan: "Look at this green, Mike! Oh. My. Gahd." Other first impressions were unprintable.

According to one local expert, the members don't like the seventh much either, although it plays much more favourably for them when the major set-up is taken out.

But even the game's best players struggle here. During the elongated first round which was completed yesterday morning the seventh rated: the most difficult par three hole on the course; third hardest over all behind the 10th and fourth; was the hardest green to find in regulation (only 35.3% managed it); and produced only 10 birdies from the 156-player field.

Yesterday morning, the name of the game was to get par at seven and get out of there. Safely negotiating it won't win you the US Open but failing to could lose it for you and saving par was savoured here in the same manner as Herron's lone birdie.

Mickelson got up and down to the delight of his huge gallery. Having played Shinnecock Hills three times a fortnight ago with his coach Rick Smith and short-game specialist Dave Pelz, the Masters champion was told aiming for the right of the green was a no-go area for fear of finding the sand on that side; forcing a shot from the bunker which might then threaten to roll away to the other side.

So coming to the hole at three under par for the tournament yesterday, he sent his tee shot to the back of the green only to overhit his putt. "Worst putt yet," muttered one seasoned seventh hole groupie, "he's too busy waving to his fans and not thinking about his game," only to see him save par with the putt coming back.

The real fun on Redan though, was listening to the crowd as tee shot after tee shot came into view in and around the green. Balls bounced near the pin to raptures: "Wahey!" Then landed in slightly inferior areas: "Ooh!" Were pleaded with to stop as they rolled at gathering speed down the slope: "Whoa!" And then, a miserable end in either the collection area or sand: "Oh...." And like gladiators in front of a baying Coliseum, the golfers had to get on with it and do their duty on their most hated hole with nothing better than a stony grimace.

The rare good shots were enthusiastically greeted. None more so than Herron's, landing to the right of the flag and spinning to within a foot of the hole for a birdie tap-in.

Perfection. 'Lumpy', you are indeed The Man.