My recent trip to Pebble Beach for the 110th U.S. Open was certainly an experience I will not soon forget. Being a part of a national championship is exciting in and of itself but when you add in the drama of Pebble Beach it takes it to a whole new level.
My assignment for the first day was with the 9:12 starting time off of the 10th tee. The three players were all qualifiers, Trent Hampshire, Dan McCarthy and recent Stanford graduate Joe Bramlett. The players played well but over the course of 18 holes each encountered the rough, the sand and the tiny and slick Pebble Beach greens. There were not many birdies and the bogeys accumulated like snow in the Foothills of Denver. When it was all said and done each player found themselves with a hole to play and a shot or two from the dreaded snowman–80. The only ruling I was asked to make was whether or not a player was permitted to use one of the dropping zones on the 18th hole for a ball that trickled onto the beach. Since the ball did not cross within the designated area where the dropping zones were allowed I advised the player that he would have to use one of his other options under the water hazard rule””in this case he simply dropped within two club lengths.
For the second round I was assigned to a bit higher profile group””Justin Leonard, Scott Verplank and Matt Kuchar. One of the great things about the U.S. Open is the great diversity of players who qualify to compete. Because it is truly an “open” event everyone from a club professional and 16-year old kid (see Derek Tolan and Tom Glissmeyer) to the top players in the world share the stage. To a casual observer these seasoned veterans made their way around the classic 1919 Pebble Beach layout in similar fashion””but unlike the group who had to qualify for the championship, they were able to minimize their bogeys and add enough birdies to stay close to even par. Their ability to manage the golf course, leave themselves the “right” putts and get the ball up and down from the deep greenside rough were the key differences between three players who made the cut (Kuchar went on to finish in the top 10) and three whose U.S. Open week ended early. My only Rules question during the round came from Matt Kuchar who pointed out a bunker that was covered with bird footprints. He wanted to know whether or not his caddie should rake the entire bunker to smooth these footprints. I told him that every bunker on the course had similar footprints and that they were simply part of the hazards at Pebble Beach. Animal footprints in bunkers are not abnormal ground conditions and are part of the challenge of these hazards.
Seeing a U.S. Open golf course up close gave me great appreciation for the qualities that make the U.S. Open the greatest test in golf. Unlike Bethpage Black in 2009 (where the rain created course conditions that tied the USGA’s hands), Pebble Beach played exactly as the USGA intended. All four days featured just the right firmness of turf, height of rough and inherent challenges at Pebble Beach to bring out the shotmaking, course management and emotional control that separate a U.S. Open champion from the rest of the field.
