U.S. Open at Oakmont Journal: Monday

I arrived at about lunchtime at the U.S. Open’s first official practice round today. Though, as a member of the media I am in a different lot than the one used by the majority of the fans (who are being scuttled off I-76 exit 39 to the “Red” and “Blue” lots), I must say how surprised I was at how few people were attending and how much room was available. Sunday will no doubt be mad crazy, but Monday and I would suspect Tuesday and Wednesday are great days to see some golf.

The Trees
The first thing that strikes you about Oakmont is, if you’ve read any of the stories of the past six months, the lack of trees on the interior of the property. Sure, there are about three trees on the interior of the course, but even as late as 1995 when I played at Oakmont, trees were everywhere. Holes were insulated from one another rather well and balls that missed the fairways and found bunkers often had overhanging trees.

The lack of trees will hurt the players in three key ways:

1. You can’t aim at trees if there are no trees. Pros will often aim at a tree trunk in the distance.
2. There’s no protection from the wind. Grandstands may cause a little swirling winds at the greens, further confusing players.
3. Depth perception can be thrown off. The lack of three-dimensional distance assistance provided by trees cannot be overstated. A player may know a shot is 176 yards, but if it feels like it’s 186 instead there could be a problem.

Of course, for fans and players alike, the lack of trees is going to cause one issue: a lack of shade. Wear your sunscreen.

The Rough
Pittsburgh, PA has, like most of the rest of the northeastern U.S., had a great year for growing grass. A cooler, moister spring has thickened the rough around the region, and the USGA is cutting the rough at Oakmont just a tad shorter than it was last year at Winged Foot.

Walking in the rough, however, you’d still be amazed you can even find a golf ball let alone play from it. In some places, it’s thin enough that it’s fallen just the slightest bit on itself, and a ball might sit up. Most everywhere else, though, the ball is simply going to sink to the bottom.

The Greens
As is often said, television cannot do justice to the contours, slopes, and elevation changes present on a golf course, and nowhere is that more true than on the greens. The first green at Oakmont, for example, slopes heavily from front to back, with several swales and bumps mid-green to keep things interesting.

Still, the greens at Oakmont are heavily pocketed. Distance control will be critical, and the USGA faces a choice in placing pins. They can put them in bowls, yielding some birdies, or they can put them on the ridges between bowls, yielding uphill putts from two or three surrounding bowls. Miss the bowls with a pin on a ridge, though, and your par putt will likely be an uphill ten-footer rather than your birdie putt. Again, distance and direction control will be critical.

Firmness
I was surprised at how receptive the greens at Oakmont were today. Though I’ve never attended a U.S. Open in person, I expect the greens to firm up throughout the week. Still, players were stopping wedges after one hop. 7-irons were taking two bounces and rolling out a few feet. Drives were rolling 10-15 yards or so. All of which, again, I expect to change, but how much? Time will tell.

Birdie Holes?
There are birdie holes out here. The second and fifth spring to mind, as both will ask the player to hit and iron from the tee and a wedge or very short iron to a green with a few pockets. Get your ball in the right pocket and you’ll be tight to the pin or face an uphill birdie putt. The same is roughly true of the parallel 10th and 11th, and of course the 17th at 317 yards will be receptive to a properly played pitch or short iron.

The 12th, though 667 yards, plays downhill and will yield some birdies. The fourth, likewise, will be reachable by most pros (if they can avoid the Church Pew bunkers on the left). Of the par threes, only the two on the back nine should yield a few birdies: pros were having a heck of a time with the 288-yard eighth and the heavily sloped green at the sixth. The 12th will be about distance control and finding the right pocket; the 16th about getting a reasonably flat putt.

Quick Thoughts on Tiger
Tiger spent a few hours on the putting green (which is also the very back of the ninth green). With an average putting week from Tiger, I still see him taking this tournament. The course will yield to his accurate stinger 3W and 2-iron (I don’t foresee many 5-wood shots here and expect to see Tiger’s 2-iron instead), and Tiger’s wedge game is top notch. Perhaps the only thing that might hurt Tiger this week is being too conservative and not going at pins with wedges when other players are doing so. As I said, I think there are some birdie holes at Oakmont, and if Tiger can play three holes at -2 for the week and another three at -1 for the week, that gives him nine bogeys to play with to shoot 280.

Quick U.S. Women’s Open Tidbit
12-year-old Alexis Thompson has qualified for the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles. Wow.

Stay Tuned
I hope to post updates daily with my observations and notes from the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont. Stay tuned.