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GOLF RESOURCE GUIDE:
2008 U.S. Open
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 In each of the past two U.S. Opens, the winning score has been 5-over par. It's possible the victor at this month's event at Torrey Pines will post a higher score because, at a listed length of 7,643, the South Course will be the longest layout in tournament history, which could become even tougher if wind enters the equation. While golf fans who want to see low scores might cringe at that prospect, Mike Davis, the USGA's senior director of rules and competitions, doesn't seem to mind. "Whether it's 10 over, even par or 10 under, I don't care. I want there to be good competition," said Davis, the man responsible for setting course elements such as rough height and green speed. "I want it to be a stern test, but I want it to be perceived as a fair test." In 2006, the USGA established three new credos for U.S. Open tracks: graduated rough; using different teeing grounds on certain holes; and keeping course conditions consistent from the start of Monday's practice rounds to the time the final putt drops on Sunday afternoon. But since Torrey Pines has never played host to a major, uncertainties remain. "There's a lot of unknowns," Davis said about the layout. "It's not as if I'm worried about it, but I don't have as good a sense this year on what kind of test we're going to have." The USGA is counting on warmer temperatures and coastal breezes to keep the South Course firmer and faster than it is during the Buick Invitational, which is held in the winter when rain is possible and the temperatures are cooler. But perhaps a greater uncertainty is how competitors will handle the rough at Torrey Pines. U.S. Open layouts typically don't have kikuyu grass, which will be the dominant strand in the rough this year. Because it's a warm-weather grass, it's not as prominent during the Buick. "Kikuyu is by far the most penal grass that we encounter," Davis said. It's so penal that the length of the grass will be shorter than usual. The graduated policy calls for the first cut of primary rough to be nearly 3 inches and the second cut to be 5 inches, but Davis decided to decrease those lengths to just over 2 inches and 4 inches, respectively. "I just felt it was too much," Davis said of the gnarly turf. "And it could keep coming down more [before the Open]." Torrey Pines' poa annua greens will be rolling at 13 on the Stimpmeter, a speed greater than the 11 at this year's Buick Invitational. And because Torrey Pines has a straightforward layout, the coastal breezes will be welcomed by Davis. "We're hoping for some wind," he said. "Not that we're hoping for 40 mile-per-hour winds all four days, but we do want some wind." SG |
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