Max Homa performs from a local space on Pinehurst No. 2.
Getty Photographs
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The problem of Pinehurst No. 2 has been a serious speaking level at this week’s U.S. Open, however as we prepared for the primary spherical, do you suppose that storyline has been overblown? Or do you suppose we’ll see scores a lot larger than anticipated on Thursday?
Jessica Marksbury, senior editor (@jess_marksbury): Irrespective of how exhausting a golf course is meant to be, it looks like there’s at all times somebody who manages to shoot an outlier low rating. However that stated, I do suppose Pinehurst will present some enamel this week, and I count on even par will likely be thought-about an important spherical.
Dylan Dethier, senior author (@dylan_dethier): I’m very, very involved by the quantity of green-watering that appears to be occurring. However in the event you imagine the gamers, this factor is gonna be brutal — in a great way. Tiger Woods speaking about guys taking part in ping-pong. Wyndham Clark known as the greens borderline on Monday. Martin Kaymer, who received right here final time, speaking about how a lot harder it appears to be like this time round. These of us who love watching the professionals sort out a terrifying U.S. Open check are sometimes upset to get to match time and see the course play simpler than marketed, however I don’t suppose that’ll occur this week. I hope not. Profitable rating is three underneath.
Jack Hirsh, assistant editor (@JR_HIRSHey): I actually just like the six- to 10-under-par that has been profitable U.S. Opens of late. Sure, the greens are difficult and whereas they’re watering the course now, as Dylan experiences, it’s going to take much more than hosing to melt this course with the excessive temperatures coming Thursday by way of Sunday. After the greens, the following protection of this golf course is the size as a result of you may get away with some large misses off the tee. These guys will nonetheless have a lot of wedges into greens. There will likely be loads of birdies to maintain the profitable rating in that candy spot scoring zone, but additionally a lot of practice wrecks to maintain a lot of the discipline on the opposite facet of par. Feels like a U.S. Open to me.
Sean Zak, senior author (@sean_zak): It’s been precisely portrayed. It’s all of the gamers can appear to speak about, a breath of contemporary air from Valhalla final month, which one caddie advised me at present, “Didn’t really feel like a serious.” That’s as a result of the ball sat precisely the place it landed on the bottom. There was no pondering, no exhausting work for caddies. Gamers are speaking in regards to the problem of the course as a result of their brains are switched ON. They need to be. It’s exhausting. It’s the U.S. Open. I don’t see scores ballooning, essentially, however there’s positively room for some chaos, which is nice. A depraved enjoyable weekend awaits. Six underneath wins.
Zephyr Melton, assistant editor (@zephyrmelton): I’m positive the check will likely be stern, however I don’t see scores being as excessive as they’ve been within the earlier Opens right here, with simply 4 gamers complete ending underneath par. For the reason that Saturday bloodbath at Shinnecock in 2018 (giving us Zach Johnson’s notorious “They’ve misplaced the golf course” speech) the USGA has been very cautious about pushing issues to the sting. The profitable U.S. Open scores since then have been 13 underneath, 10 underneath, and 3 times at six underneath. I’d guess that the profitable rating this 12 months will likely be one thing in that six underneath vary. Carnage isn’t as a lot within the DNA for the present USGA regime.
Josh Sens, senior author (@joshsens): The excellent news about this week is that the course received’t have to be tricked as much as be toughened up. The greens alone at No. 2 are sufficient of a protection to maintain scores from operating into deep-red Valhalla numbers, with out having to chop pins on goofy nobs or bake the placing surfaces to asphalt consistency. And since they’re now bermuda (a change for the reason that final U.S. Open right here in 2014) the course setup peeps ought to be capable to get the placing surfaces super-tight with out worrying about burnout. Ought to be fierce however truthful. By the top of the week, I believe you’ll be capable to depend the whole variety of gamers underneath par on one hand. Scottie Scheffler will in all probability be the bottom of them, at seven underneath.
