Pinehurst will demand a sharp-thinking approach

Pinehurst is a perfect example of a thinking man’s course.

Built on sand hills, the emphasis this week at the US Open will come in the form of the players consistently choosing the best position and angle from the fairway to attack flags most probably located around subtle slopes, on notoriously difficult raised greens.

More than ever, patience, creativity and a wonderful short game are a must to succeed. Without it players will simply be also-rans from the start.

In 1999, the US Open at Pinehurst played to a 74.547 average, (four and a half shots over par), with 17 of the 18 holes averaging over par, the lone exception being the fourth hole, a par 5 which played at a 4.926 average.

In 2005, the US Open at Pinehurst played to an average of 74.166, and once again 17 of the 18 holes played over par, the exception remaining the fourth, with the hardest holes being the second, a par 4 at 4.458 followed by the 16th, another par 4, at 4.426.

This week, even with Pinehurst’s new-look redesign by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, the players can again expect much of the same in terms of scoring averages.

The USGA’s decision to present a different challenge to the players this year must be applauded. The heavy rough most usually associated with US Open golf courses is gone, replaced instead by short grass, run-off waste areas and ultimately from a player perspective, temptation. You see with long rough, decisions are taken away from the players, but with no rough the players will have more options and therefore far more decisions to make, something which statistically they are inherently terrible at doing.

The challenge has changed.

Mike Davis is the man charged by the USGA to set up the course for the US Open, and his brief is to challenge every aspect of a player’s game, from shot-making skills, to course-management skills, to being able to handle the pressure of competing for a US Open Championship. That includes forcing players to think their way out of trouble.

Pinehurst, this week, will put a greater premium on recovery shots and that will make it more interesting, because, under pressure, the decisions made by the players may either be really poor — which may ultimately cost them a championship — or really great ones that may prove decisive in victory.

Barring Tiger Woods, everyone else in the world’s top 60 rankings is playing this week, including 10 past US Open champions. Fields don’t get much better than this but with 53 US Open rookies in the field of 156, you have got to think that most are there just to make up the numbers. That wont bother the USGA, mind you, as they are once again guaranteed a commercial windfall bonanza generated from TV rights as well as 55,000 patrons paying daily.

The weather this week could have the greatest impact on determining the final outcome of the event because unusually the women’s US Open is being staged at the same venue next week and the USGA will be conscious of protecting the course for their event as well. That should mean that they will not allow the greens to get too dry and firm, too stressed out: factors which should favour players like Rory McIlroy.

Romantic as the decision may have been for the USGA to host back-to- back US Opens at the same venue, one week after the other, that decision now seems poor, given that the ladies’ US Open is bound to be significantly compromised by the traffic both on and off the course this week.

As to the contenders, given favourable conditions, this week’s championship should favour those players who have either competed regularly on similar course-type conditions in Europe or in Australia.

Of the non-Europeans, Adam Scott, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Jason Day, all great short game specialists, come to mind. Apart from Phil Mickelson and Matt Kuchar, I don’t fancy the Americans but I feel Justin Rose, Luke Donald and McIlroy all have a great chance. But I especially fancy Graeme McDowell’s chance if he can get himself into contention.

Pinehurst is the type of course which suits his game perfectly, in that his accurate driving, his creativity and his phenomenal short game are prerequisites for the eventual winner come Sunday. A 68 which included just one bogey and two birdies represented the perfect start yesterday but Graeme will know he faces three of the toughest competitive days of his life to stay in contention.

But he has been here before and he understands what will be required to win. So far so good.