2018 U.S. Open Hole By Hole
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2018-06-11
(Photo/Shinnecock Hills Golf Club)
SOUTHAMPTON, New York (AP) — A hole-by-hole look at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, site of the 118th U.S. Open to be played June 14-17. Includes how the hole ranked in 2004 and the scoring average:
No. 1, 399 yards, par 4: A soft opening to a stern test, this par 4 from an elevated tee by the clubhouse will typically be a fairway metal off the tee, unless the wind is at the players’ back and tempts them to hit driver near the green.
Rank: 15.
Scoring Average: 4.169.
No. 2, 252 yards, par 3: A new tee box makes this 26 yards longer to require a long iron or more. The prevailing breeze should help and come off the left. The green is open in the front with a small false front, and a bunker to the right.
Rank: 10.
Scoring Average: 3.262.
No. 3, 500 yards, par 4: The tee has been moved back 22 yards and to the left, and the fairway was tightened on the left side to make the dogleg more pronounced. The fairway still is 33 yards wide at the 300-yard mark. A bunker on the right of the landing area won’t be in play unless the wind shifts and is hurting.
Rank: 11.
Scoring Average: 4.257.
No. 4, 475 yards, par 4: The cross wind makes this hole difficult, typically right to left and hurting. The hole has been lengthened by 40 yards, and the fairway is just over 32 yards wide at 300 yards out, bringing the bunkers on the right into play. The best angle to approach the green is from the right, near the bunkers, except when the pin is on the right side of the slightly elevated green.
Rank: 5.
Scoring Average: 4.325.
No. 5, 589 yards, par 5: The hole has been lengthened 52 yards, though the breeze typically is helping and shouldn’t be any problem for players getting home in two. The green sits slightly above the fairway and is surrounded by closely mown area. The green is smaller than it looks because of the undulations on the green. This played as the easiest hole in 2004.
Rank: 18.
Scoring Average: 4.682.
No. 6, 491 yards, par 4: This typically plays into the wind, but it’s only a 240-yard carry across the bunker on the right side of this dogleg to the right. The tee shot is blind. Players favoring the left side to avoid the natural sand area have a longer approach from a tougher angle. The green pitches from back to front.
Rank: 3.
Scoring Average: 4.391.
No. 7, 189 yards, par 3: This hole needs no introduction after 2004. The Redan hole has a green that slopes from the front right to the back left. The prevailing wind is against the player and from the right. The back left bunker figures to catch tee shots. Players missing the green long will have to play up the slope with enough pace to keep it from rolling back toward them. The green was so baked in 2004 that balls wouldn’t stay on and the USGA had to spray water on it during the final round.
Rank: 2.
Scoring Average: 3.413.
No. 8, 439 yards, par 4: The hole is 41 yards longer from 2004. The tee shot is to a generous fairway, although the player who successfully takes on the bunkers on the left will have a better angle to the green. The prevailing wind is against the player and from the right, and some players may opt for less than driver from the tee.
Rank: 13.
Scoring Average: 4.199
No. 9, 485 yards, par 4: The tee shot is blind to a fairway with a lot of contours, and a right-to-left breeze to navigate. A tee shot that doesn’t get to the bottom of the hill will feature uneven lies and only a view of the top of the flag stick. The approach must carry to the green, and anything long leaves a tough chip or putt down the hill.
Rank: 8.
Scoring Average: 4.300.
No. 10, 415 yards, par 4: Players can either hit a long iron to the top of the plateau for a flat lie, or drive it down a hill. That leaves either a wedge from the bottom of the hill or a 180-yard shot to a green on the same level as the fairway from that distance. The area behind the green is shaved and will send balls some 25 yards away.
Rank: 1.
Scoring Average: 4.447.
No. 11, 159 yards, par 3: The shortest par 3 has a small green that slopes from the back left to the front right, with a pot bunker guarding the front right. Shots that go long and left of the green leave a tough pitch back up the slope.
Rank: 4.
Scoring Average: 3.332.
No. 12, 469 yards, par 4: The fairway is only about 30 yards wide, and players might opt for fairway metal off the tee. The approach is to a large green that has interior ridges and make distance control paramount. The green was expanded during the renovation in 2012.
Rank: 16.
Scoring Average: 4.163.
No. 13, 374 yards, par 4: This is roughly the same hole as it was in 2004, although it features the tightest fairway at just over 16 yards at the 300-yard mark. Players have to get the tee shot in play from the elevated tee for a wedge into a green with a lot of movement. The bunker at the front right will be a popular spot.
Rank: 14.
Scoring Average: 4.192.
No. 14, 519 yards, par 4: This was lengthened by 77 yards to restore it to a long par 4. There is a sharp drop in elevation from the tee to the fairway, which pitches from right to left. The best angle for the approach is from the left. There is a narrow opening at the green for players wanting to chase shots from the left. The approach is slightly uphill to a green that moves from back to front.
Rank: T6.
Scoring Average: 4.312.
No. 15, 409 yards, par 4: The tee shot is from an elevated tee. Most players will drive over the ridge that runs across the fairway, leaving them with a short iron to the green that is protected in front by bunkers. The fairway narrows between 250 yards and 350 yards.
Rank: 9.
Scoring Average: 4.278.
No. 16, 616 yards, par 5: The hole was lengthened by 74 yards, and it feels even longer with the prevailing wind into the face and from the right. This should be a three-shot hole for everyone. The bending fairway asks players to choose the right angle. Most players will lay up short of a bunker on the right about 100 yards from the green. The green is narrow and guarded by bunkers. Phil Mickelson played this hole in 6 over when he tied for fourth in 1995.
Rank: 17.
Scoring Average: 4.839.
No. 17, 180 yards, par 3: The green has been expanded, which allows for a pin position to the back left. The typical wind is from the players’ left, making precision even more demanding. Bunkers are on either side of the green. Mickelson went into the left bunker and then three-putted from 5 feet for double bogey that took him out of a tie for the lead with Retief Goosen in 2004.
Rank: 12.
Scoring Average: 3.208.
No. 18, 485 yards, par 4: A new tee adds 35 yards and creates more of a blind tee shot. The prevailing wind is right to left, with more of a helping wind on the second shot. The best tee shot is on the right side for a better look at the green. Corey Pavin hit 4-wood from 228 yards to 6 feet in the final round (and missed the putt). The green pitches from back to front.
Rank: T6.
Scoring Average: 4.312.