By Mathieu Wood
As players continue their preparations for the 124th U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort, there is one subject which is the source of much discussion: the complexities of the greens.
The consensus among those teeing it up this week is that is where the tournament will be won and lost. Not length off the tee, or accuracy for that matter, or the length of the rough – so often a theme of pre-tournament discussion at a U.S. Open.
As on-site videos have highlighted, precision with approach play to the plateau greens of Pinehurst’s No. 2 course is pivotal, otherwise you face watching your ball fall away from the putting surface into one of the run-off areas.
From there, your recovery game is put to the test – even for the best players in the world.
Therein lies the intrigue and challenge of what lies ahead this week in North Carolina. Will players trust their wedge game around the greens, or will they opt for the putter – a policy used to such good effect by Martin Kaymer when he won in 2014, the last time Pinehurst hosted the U.S. Open.
Unlike then, when the event was played on bentgrass greens, they have since been converted to bermudagrass, producing a tight, firm surface.
And, as players are only too open to reveal so far this week, the complexity of the greens on the Donald Ross-designed course is made even more demanding by how fast they are playing.
So much so that defending U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark described them as “borderline” to the media on Monday.
“The greens are extremely fast and penal,” he said. “You hit it on the green, the hole is not done. I was just amazed how fast the greens are.
“If they get any firmer and faster, the greens, I mean, they'd be borderline. They already are borderline.”
While large to the eye, the greens seemingly play much smaller with aprons as slick as the putting surfaces themselves. Speed control is unquestionably paramount.
“It doesn't just roll off the green, sometimes it rolls off the green and into the bush,” said Viktor Hovland of his own experiences after playing nine holes in practice.
As far as the Norwegian is concerned, the putter will more often than not be the choice of club on or around the greens compared to a wedge.
“I think there will be a decent amount of putts because I think with how grainy it is around the greens, and there are certain slopes that are so steep... A couple spots yesterday, like for example over the green on eight, the drop-off is so severe, and I hit a couple chips that were really nice and spinning," he added.
“You do that a couple times and you can get a little bit cocky doing it. But because it's so hard into the grain, if you're just off by a little bit, you're going to look like a fool. I think if you take an average of 20 shots, the putter is going to be way better than the chip is.”
With a day of practice still to come before the competition gets underway on Thursday, numerous players have been guilty of degreening. Just ask the great Tiger Woods, who played in each of the three previous U.S. Opens at Pinehurst in 1999, 2005 and 2014.
“There's a lot of different shot selections, and the grain is going to play a big part of it,” the American said of the test posed by the surrounds around the greens.
“The last few days playing practice rounds - I'm guilty as well as the rest of the guys I've played with - we've putted off a lot of greens.
“It depends how severe the USGA wants to make this and how close they want to get us up to those sides. But I foresee just like in '05 watching some of the guys play ping-pong back and forth.”
While the U.S. Open last year proved largely forgiving with a winning score of ten under, on what was a record-breaking week with a pair of 62s on the opening day, low scoring looks likely to be harder to come by this week.
Even current World Number One Scottie Scheffler, who has won five of his last eight events, is quick to highlight the foremost challenge.
“I think the areas around the green are extremely difficult to play out of," he said.
“I think the golf course is going to play pretty tough this week, but it'll be a fun test.
“I think the golf course is great. It's extremely challenging. I don't really think they have to do too much to trick it up with the way the greens are if they want the scores to be high. So, it should be a good test and a fun week.”
Often regarded as the toughest test in the game, the U.S. Open could well live up to its billing this week judging by the players' assessments of Pinehurst's green complexes.
