Tommy Fleetwood hits from the 15th tee at the US Open. Credit: Getty Images/Ross Kinnaird
History hardly made history The 123rd US Open had a meager ball count — a pair of 62s on Thursday and Ricky Fowler reached the middle with just 130 shots — but on Saturday it was hole, claiming its place in the book of records.
In 128 years of the American Nationals, no par-3 has been as short as 15 to 81 yards.
Indeed, by raising the tee and bringing the flag to the front of the green, the USGA ensured that the little gem of the LA Country Club was a full 11 yards shorter than the seventh hole at Pebble Beach in the final game. championship stage 2010.
However, while it sounds easy in terms of yards, it was anything but. In truth, the cut gave the 15 more teeth and gave such weight to the ever-growing belief in the sport that it's not the size that matters, but what the greenkeeper does with it.
The first two days there were three holes-in-one — when he played 124 yards and 115 yards respectively — but Kiwi Ryan Fox, who played it first on Saturday, said: «Now it's not even trying to make a bird is just getting your parity and running to the next target.”
What a strange scorecard for the third round. “So you have the seventh and 11th, which are about 275 yards, and then the 15th, which is about a quarter of them, barely touching 80 yards — all double threes,” he said.
“It's quite a contrast, and the funny thing is that 15th place is probably the hardest of the three today. Let's just say that if I were a spectator today, I would go straight to the 15th, because there will be fun and games.”
Fox is clearly among the majority of pros and fans who feel that the lack of hole length more than makes up for the interest. The «postage stamp» at Royal Troon — just 123 yards — is often mentioned in this argument, and Open champions Ernie Els, Darren Clark and Phil Mickelson hail Ayrshire Links' seventh as the best hole in the British main company.
The 15th hole at the Los Angeles Country Club in the third round on Saturday was the shortest in US Open history. Photo: Getty Images/Andrew Redington. only one of the most famous holes in golf, but also the most infamous because of all those souls it won in the players' championship.
Hole 12 at Augusta — a whopping 155 yards — is a clear example of the miniature hole having a gigantic reputation, while Royal Liverpool are hoping its new 17th hole — roughly 130 yards — will earn its place in the pantheon par-3 next month. The Open Championship, although for now the jury is still out on Martin Ebert's tiny creation.
Consider the world's #1 Scotty Scheffler a fan. “I love those little short par-threes. I think that's how it should be in most couples, just because there's room for a birdie and a scarecrow,» he said. «I think these are good separation holes.»
Watching these big hitters go astray creates a surprising controversy over the fact that it's little more than a flick of the wrist. Fox was determined to go for it. «When I was first, the greens were still pretty soft and I'm just glad I played then and not at 6 p.m. when the greens were crusted over,» he said.
“I tried to flop and just hit the bunker a few yards. I had a good lie on the slope and made a good throw from there a few feet for parity. I think that everyone will be happy with this, because there will be some kind of carnage.
“The green is narrow and hard to hold. There is a lot of slope from back to front, so even if you aim for the middle of the green, you will have a hard two-hit shot. Tom [Gardner, who as LACC director of golf played with Fox to mark his card] hit about 10 feet, with perhaps little knowledge of the terrain, but his hill shot was very difficult.
“If you go to the left, you will have a hell of a job, but I suppose if you play carefully and protect your account, you can stop on the right and it's straight up and down. The thing is, it's 80 yards, you're playing against the best players in the world, all the fans are watching, so it takes discipline to lay down.»
If real heroes don't tiptoe past giants, then they find more more embarrassing to be careful with the pixie, no matter how diabolical the elf is. However, Shane Lowry did not take risks. His playmate, Tommy Fleetwood, jumped over the green into the back bunker and couldn't get up and down.
«I had a game plan to just play on the slope where the pin was yesterday and spin off this slope,” he said. “I landed a great shot and was very pleased that I reached parity. It's definitely different and very interesting. I like it.»
Laury's compatriot Padraig Harrington later went to get the flag and conjured it up to five feet to plant a birdie. But still, at that stage, despite the ground not yet baked, there were just as many birds, how many bogeymen.Bees sting bears.
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