"USGA and Shinnecock Nation to Build Oscar Bunn Golf Facility"

We have an agreement! Details are sketchy still but interesting and fun to see the USGA getting in the golf course creation business.

USGA and Shinnecock Nation to Build Oscar Bunn Golf Facility

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (June 11, 2018) -  The USGA and the Shinnecock Nation have released a joint public statement today, confirming their shared commitment to a successful U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club this week. 

The statement is as follows:
 
The USGA and the Shinnecock Nation share a long history that began in 1896 with the start of our relationship and will again be celebrated during the 2018 U.S. Open. 

The leadership of both organizations has worked together for several months to identify opportunities to recognize the Shinnecock Nation’s contributions to the golf course, honor its heritage and engage its members in the championship. 

The USGA will not only engage the Shinnecock Nation in various ways during the championship but will also provide a lasting tribute with the development of the Oscar Bunn Golf Facility, which will offer a place for Shinnecock golf enthusiasts and juniors to learn to play the game and enjoy it for a lifetime. 

“We sincerely appreciate the USGA’s efforts to work with the Shinnecock Nation with this year’s U.S. Open. We are very proud of the history we share and are excited to welcome the championship this week,” the Shinnecock Nation Tribal Council said in a statement today. 

 “It is our hope that this effort binds the community in a meaningful way, honoring the past while providing opportunity for future generations to connect with the game we all love. We share a mutual respect for the game of golf, the U.S. Open and its impact to the community since 1896,” said Craig Annis, USGA head of communications.

In addition, the Shinnecock Nation will offer parking opportunities to fans wishing to park on their territory and will provide a shuttle back and forth from the parking lot to the U.S. Open. Fans can enter the lots off Montauk Highway by the Shinnecock Museum using West Gate Road, Southampton, NY.  Parking intake hours are 5:30am – 2:00pm Monday through Wednesday, with shuttles running until 9:00pm for return car pick up.  Thursday through Sunday parking intake hours are 5:30am – 4:00pm and shuttle buses will run back to the parking lots until 9:00pm.  

Video: Shinnecock Hills 16th, 17th And 18th Holes

Here it is, the big finishing stretch and also two playoff holes should we get that far.

The par-5 16th has been lengthened by 74 yards due to climate change and maybe the optimization of launch conditions. At 616 yards this beautifully bunkered three-shotter features one of Shinnecock's most confounding greens. 

The 180-yard 17th features a light-bulb shaped green pleasing to a right-to-left shot, offset by prevailing winds from the left. There is a juicy new back left hole location since the last time the US Open visited here.

For full coverage of the 118th U.S. Open Championship, visit usopen.com.

The closing hole is 485 yards with and uphill approach shot. Take a close look at the flyover when it pauses at the 18th green and you can see a small circle showing the previous green dimensions.

Golf Journal Is Back! USGA Takes On The Shinnecock 7th Issue

I'm not sure what's more fascinating here, the Golf Journal (RIP) brand revival or the USGA taking on the 7th hole and overall moisture level issues from 2004 at Shinnecock. 

We at Golf Channel will be doing our own feature to air in prime time pre-tournament and I wrote this item for Golfweek's June issue should you wish to relive the events. 

Here is Golf Journal (RIP)'s take:

It's Complicated: Wanting The U.S. Open To Get Its Identity Back

As I wrote for the June Golfweek in recapping the events of 2004, the USGA just hasn't been the same since they lost control of Shinnecock Hills and injected themselves into the outcome.

They were coming off low scoring at Olympia Fields and folks wanted them to get their identity back to being the toughest test of golf. We all know how that turned out (we'll be examining this in greater detail Tuesday night on Golf Channel's Live From The U.S. Open in a feature produced by Dominic Dastoli and reported on by yours truly). 

Fast forward to 2017 and the USGA wisely takes a cautious approach to Erin Hills where the wind can blow and the ground can dry out quickly. Mother Nature didn't cooperate, the course played wide and players hit the ball obscene distances. 

Now everyone wants the USGA to get back to its old self, minus the gaffes.

Jack Nicklaus wants the old USGA back according to the Forecaddie.

So do all of Golf Channel's analysts who miss the strategy of having to hit down a very narrow fairway and pitch out of rough.

The topic even came up with Mike Tirico on Morning Drive Friday.

I have bad news: the old identity is not coming back nor should it in the way so many hope.

The identiy question stems from three different gripes folks have with the USGA.

--Venue Selection Division. The identity was lost with Erin Hills and Chambers Bay for many. Even though Shinnecock Hills is links-like in appearance, the designs of the aforementioned and their setup opened the USGA up to criticism. Yet both produced worthy champions and unlike 2004, there will never be a question about whether the outcome was tainted.

--Anti-progressive Setup Set. It's hard to believe folks are clamoring for the days or chip out rough 3 yards off the fairway while the drive 30 yards wayward finds matted down rough. Nor can I fathom how anyone wants to go to some of the game's greatest places only to smother out the best design features to match the U.S. Open setup "identity." As long as the players can carry a ball 300 yards or more and use wedges to hack out of rough, the old ideal isn't coming back.

--Mike Davis Disdain Marching And Chowder Society. If you do not fall into one of the first categories, chances are your desire to see the U.S. Open return to its old ways stems from simply not liking the role Davis has played in trying to move the U.S. Open into the new century while retaining some of the old identity.  This group is generally made up of players and old guard USGA types who have magically forgotten the prominent course setup and rules role played by Joe Dey and Tom Meeks.

Golfweek's Best Ranking Of All U.S. Open Host Venues

Shinnecock Hills lands in the top spot and poor Northwood brings up the rear, though the votes are based on the course prior to a recent rejuvenation.

More fascinating is how kind the panel is to Chambers Bay and Erin Hills given how much those two are criticized as U.S. Open venues. But the panel's job is to rate architecture, not tournament venue success.

Check out the list here.

Jenkins On Revising U.S. Open History With 2-Hole Playoffs In Mind

It's still difficult to reconcile the new 2-hole U.S. Open playoff concept given the years of condescending lectures and reasonable logic behind 18-holes to decide a champion. Of course no one wants to return on Monday but 2 holes is such a puny number in contrast to the past or even the other majors and their three or four hole aggregates.,

As Dan Jenkins writes in the June Golf Digest, 15 of 33 playoffs would have seen different outcomes. 

Sure, the hole sequences might have been different, but as His Ownself presents in grand fashion, some of the biggest wins in golf history would have been replaced by...wins.

So take your Ouimet in 1913, Jones at Winged Foot and your Hy Peskin-Hogan at Merion and put them in the trash bin! 

Narrowing: The Story Behind Shinnecock's September 2017 Adjustment

Check out Guy Yocom's Golf Digest feature on how we are arriving at Shinnecock Hills with a restored golf course, narrowed in response to Erin Hills and the importance for the USGA to get this right.

The piece in print or online is accompanied by some incredible Dom Furore images and some very rich details on the evolution of Shinnecock since 2004 when it last hosted the U.S. Open. 

Most fascinating to learn was Ray Floyd's role in suggesting the course was too wide after watching the proceedings at Erin HIls.

"I said, 'Mike, we need to have a chat,' " recalls Floyd, at age 75 retired but still an influential voice."I asked him, 'Were you happy with the [fairway widths] at Erin Hills? I don't think you were.' Mike told me he absolutely was not. I said, 'Well, it's going to be on steroids at Shinnecock, because it doesn't move and flow as much. You've got it dead wide, and we've had three really good U.S. Opens here with it tight and narrow.' "

The alert from Floyd, combined with conversations Davis had with smart people in golf, must have set off internal alarms. His reaction, expressed in action more than words, was almost immediate. Within weeks, the USGA undertook dramatic alterations to Shinnecock Hills.

Of course historians will recall that the last time Shinnecock hosted, the USGA was coming off a record-scoring U.S. Open. Let's hope the re-narrowing is as far as things go. As Yocum details in a number of way, it does seem very unlikely the course will ever be allowed to spill over the top this time.

Video: Shinnecock Hills's 10th, 11th And 12th Holes

The beautiful 11th

Three of my favorite holes in golf, we pick up the flyover pace as the U.S. Open nears its return to the great Shinnecock Hills.

The 10th features a tee shot that is difficult visually and one that once enjoyed some strategy. It's hard to imagine today's players laying up 220 yards or so for a better view instead of taking the turbo boost down a slope to the leave a flip sand-wedge for most. Even if the lie is in the first cut of rough.

This was P.J. Boatwright's theory in 1986 before players started doing their Crossfit. 

Although it's not an especially short hole, we anticipate that players will lay up off the tee so that they'll play into the green from a relatively level lie rather than play a shorter iron from a downhill lie. The pretty and small green sits up on a knob. An approach shot which lands just short of the green will likely roll down the steep slow and leave the player with a tough pitch shot. The green is likely to be firm, so a well-struck iron shot is essential.

The 10th was famously a difficult green in 2004 when it dried out too much. Players expecting this and the exposed, elevated 11th green to be the same speed and firmness of the others should probably book flights out on Friday night.

The 10th hole was 409 yards for that first U.S. Open, now it's 415 in 2018. (If only Stanford White hadn't put that pretty clubhouse in the way of more back tees! No vision!)

The flyover:

One of my favorite par-3s on the planet is, like most of the best one-shotters, uphill.

I wrote about this phenomenon a few years ago for Golf World (sadly no link), and Shinnecock's 11th certainly ranks with the most admired par-3s anywhere. Why? Usually the wind blows left to right, for a left to right shot shape so the golfer does not feel like the architect is fighting you. The beautifully situated green is pleasing to the eye and since it sits above you, feels like it's at eye level.

Finally, the left bunker cut up into the slope--a William Flynn favorite move--is really not in play for most of this year's contestants but does something to give the 11th an extra bit of life.

At 159 yards this year, the hole plays the same yardage as it did in previous Opens here and poses a very simple but difficult challenge: keep it below the hole. The infinity green is very receptive to the right shot, very penalizing to those who are long or short. 

After some finesse golf, the 12 presents a masterfully bunkered tee shot where only the far right hazard is in play. The hole is 469 yards, actually three yards shorter than 1986. 

First player to hit a ball on to the road 370 or so yards away is blamed for inevitable bifurcation. 

Best Of 2018 U.S. Open Thursday/Friday Tee Times

The most intriguing groups to my naked eye assessment. The deeper, hidden meaning behind some will surely be pondered by theorists galore. 

The opener should make things easy for Coach Fields should he be attending.

Thursday (June 14), hole #1 / Friday (June 15), hole #10

7:18 a.m. / 1:03 p.m. – Jhonattan Vegas, Venezuela; Dylan Frittelli, South Africa; (a) Doug Ghim, Arlington Heights, Ill.

7:40 a.m. / 1:25 p.m. – Bubba Watson, Bagdad, Fla.; Jason Day, Australia; Brooks Koepka, West Palm Beach, Fla.

Thursday (June 14), hole #10 / Friday (June 15), hole #1

8:02 a.m. / 1:47 p.m. – Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland; Jordan Spieth, Dallas, Texas; Phil Mickelson, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

8:13 a.m. / 1:58 p.m. – Hideki Matsuyama, Japan; Marc Leishman, Australia; Rickie Fowler, Murrieta, Calif.

8:24 a.m. / 2:09 p.m. – Charles Howell, Orlando, Fla.; Bill Haas, Greenville, S.C.; Charley Hoffman, San Diego, Calif.

Thursday (June 14), hole #1 / Friday (June 15), hole #10

1:14 p.m. – 7:29 a.m. – Sergio Garcia, Spain; Jon Rahm, Spain; Rafa Cabrera Bello, Spain

1:25 p.m. / 7:40 a.m. – Tommy Fleetwood, England; Francesco Molinari, Italy; Alexander Noren, Sweden

1:47 p.m. / 8:02 a.m. – Justin Thomas, Goshen, Ky.; Dustin Johnson, Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Tiger Woods, Hobe Sound, Fla.

1:58 p.m. / 8:13 a.m. – Haotong Li, People's Republic of China; Si Woo Kim, Republic of Korea; Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Thailand

2:09 p.m. / 8:24 a.m. – Jason Dufner, Auburn, Ala.; (a) Braden Thornberry, Olive Branch, Miss.; Brandt Snedeker, Nashville, Tenn.

Thursday (June 14), hole #10 / Friday (June 15), hole #1

12:52 p.m. / 7:07 a.m. – Richy Werenski, West Palm Beach, Fla.; Roberto Castro, Atlanta, Ga.; Ollie Schniederjans, Alpharetta, Ga.

1:25 p.m. / 7:40 a.m. – Lucas Glover, Tequesta, Fla.; Webb Simpson, Charlotte, N.C.; Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland

1:36 p.m. / 7:51 a.m. – Ernie Els, South Africa; Steve Stricker, Madison, Wis.; Jim Furyk, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

2:20 p.m. / 8:35 a.m. – Lucas Herbert, Australia; Brian Stuard, Jackson, Mich.; (a) Stewart Hagestad, Newport Beach, Calif.

USGA Reacts To Phil's Shinnecock Comment: Yeah We Can't Really Speak

Tim Rosaforte reports the reaction of the USGA's Jeff Hall to Phil Mickelson's recent comments on Shinnecock Hills and specifically what happens when they get ahold of the seventh hole (Rex Hoggard's GolfChannel.com item explains).

 And wisely, the events of 2004, to be recounted next week on Golf Channel and Fox, really were spectacularly bad. So as Rosaforte notes, the USGA is wisely not pushing back.

Video: Shinnecock's 8th And 9th Holes

The par-4 8th has been lengthened 41 yards and even then, the lovely strategy carved out by Toomey and Flynn is rendered meaningless by all but a gale force headwind. 

The 250-yard carry to get the best angle of attack at the green won't be an issue for most of the field at this 439 yarder that played 367 yards when the U.S. Open was played here in 1986. Eat your Wheaties kids!

The flyover of your last "flat" walk of the round before Shinnecock ramps up the walk from park-like to rolling to downright combative:

The 485-yard 9th begins a three-hole stretch of blind or obstructed-view approach shots and it's one of the better three-hole stretches in golf. Then again, Shinnecock features no average stretches of golf, but for those who appreciate the challenge of a well-designed uphill approach shot, the 9th-10th and par-3 11th are as good as it gets.

The big issue here in 1986 for PJ Boatwright? An unreachable 9th with a north wind and its 447 yard distance.

If the wind comes out of the northeast, the players might not be able to drive to the bottom of the huge swale in the fairway, in which case they would be left with an impossible long shot rom a downhill lie to the elevated green. So if we get a prediction of a northeast wind, we will move the tee-markets up.

For some, this will be the least likable hole at Shinnecock because of the severe stances and uphill approach severity. The flyover:

For full coverage of the 118th U.S. Open Championship, visit usopen.com.

U.S. Open Field Is Set: Sectionals Complete, Amateurs And Old Guys Steal The Show

Another version of golf's longest day and a tip of the cap to the caddies, rules officials, grounds crews, family and friends who put in a 36-hole day with dreams of a US Open on the line.

As for you players, well done on making it to Sectionals, well done if you finished 36-holes--too many of you didn't--and now, on to those who will be in the field for the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.

The USGA page with links to scorecards and scores, sadly no full stores and photos this year, just a roundup page? Ok...definitely worth a look with some great quotes but...

That's why we have Golfweek! The Sectional qualifying home page with links to all stories. 

Drilling down a bit, some highlights from Monday's play:

Sulman Raza is back! Kevin Casey with the Portland qualifier roundup where the former Oregon star displayed signs of the game that helped clinch a national title.

Memphis provided the best drama, with Sam Burns going deep, Steve Stricker making it again and an 11-for-3 playoff that included recent PGA Tour winner Aaron Wise. 

Chris Naegel went birdie-eagle to force a playoff and advance from Texas.

Adam Scott got over his frustration with play at the Memorial to show up in Columbus and qualify, keeping his major streak intact.

Luis Gagne won a coin flip at Local and now he's headed to Shinnecock. Well done!

In Springfield, new pro Doc Redman missed qualifying for an event he was exempt to as U.S. Amateur champion. Dylan Meyer, however, continues his strong play and is headed to Shinnecock.

Beef is back, as is cancer-survivor Matthew Southgate! So were an incredible number of WD's at Walton Heath (27). Nice to see some things never change. 

Amateurs dominated in California, again.

If you love black and white, Ansley Golf Club's Rob Matre posted this slideshow from today's qualifier. Speaking of which...

Michael Hebert qualified in Georgia and this precious shot was captured of him filling out his media form afterwards. Also in Georgia a current NHL ref who worked the playoffs made it to the U.S. Open, writes Golfweek's Brentley Romine. He better know the rules!

Filling out your @usopengolf media bio, with your daughter by your side. 👊 @mikebear6 has successfully qualified to compete next week at Shinnecock Hills! ⛳️

A post shared by Web.com Tour (@webdotcomtour) on Jun 4, 2018 at 4:38pm PDT

Fox's Sectional Qualifying show featured this moment in USGA history....

“Sexual Qualifying” > Sectional Qualifying
Way to keep a straight face!! 😂😂@holly_sonders @shanebacon @BradFaxon @fs1 @usopengolf #RoadToShinnecock pic.twitter.com/EHxxpwekpa

— Dan Valine (@danvaline) June 5, 2018

Video: Shinnecock Hills' Par-3 7th Hole

Phil Mickelson said this week that Shinnecock's 7th is a great par-3 until the USGA gets a hold of it and while he certainly has reason to be bitter--putting off the green Saturday of the 2004 U.S. Open due to faulty setup** and hole location and intentionally having to play to a greenside bunker in Sunday's final round--the hole is mostly a victim of modern green speeds.

P.J. Boatwright on the 188-yard par-3 prior to the 1986 U.S. Open:

Our written instructions on the preparation of the course say, for this hole, "No changes required." It is a terrific par-3 hole to a putting green perched on a plateau framed by handsome bunkering work. We think it will ask for a four- or five iron from most players. The green is considerably sloped from right to left; it will be a challenge.

The same yardage will be used this year, though the club of choice figures to be more like 7 and 8-irons instead of 4's and 5's. The USGA's description:

This classic representation of the Redan hole at North Berwick in Scotland features a green that slopes from front right to back left, requiring precise distance control. The prevailing wind is typically against the player and slightly from the right. The back-left bunker will likely catch quite a few tee shots. Players who miss the green long will face a recovery shot back up the slope, and they must be wary of a ball not hit crisply enough rolling back toward them.

Architecturally, the hole is a fun, bizarre little par-3 but other than to one hole location really, shares little in common with the reason people love the original Redan's playing characteristics.

The flyover:

**Mickelson made double bogey to Saturday's hole location mess. He lost the tournament by two strokes. 

Video: Shinnecock Hills' Par-4 6th Hole

Another hole with beautifully simple strategy--hug the hazard, improve the angle of attack for the next shot--that has taken on a more natural look after some really delicate exposure of more sand in the native areas.

PJ Boatwright's description of the hole in 1986, then playing 471 yards:

Because the area between the tee and the fairway is slightly raised and covered with brush, it's a "blind" tee shot--you cannot see the fairway. Some players find that a disorienting factor, but there is nothing wrong with an occasional challenge like this. Because of its length, this is a very hard hole. Incidentally, the pond, which is the only water hazard on the course, should not be an important feature of the Open. It is beyond the drive zone and about 50 yards short of the green. The bunker at the left of the green will get a lot of play.

The modern day description notes the angles as well:

Although the tee shot is typically into the wind, it’s only a 240-yard carry across the bunker on the right side of this dogleg-right hole, which features a blind tee shot. Players who favor the left side to avoid the bunker and the natural sandy area on the right will face a longer approach shot from a less desirable angle, while also bringing the bunkers on the left into play. The approach shot is to a green that pitches from back to front.

The flyover:

Tiger And Phil Issue Their First Impressions Of Shinnecock Hills 2018

Following their reconnaissance trips to Shinnecock Hills, Tiger Woods prefaced his assessment by noting the rainy weather and extreme length of the par-70 course. But as Brentley Romine reports for Golfweek, Phil Mickelson offered a rave review of the course where he finished second in 2004.

Mickelson spent Tuesday at Shinnecock. He went around with assistant pro Matt Cahill and raved at the changes, particularly the widened fairways and shaved run-off areas around the greens.

“Phenomenal,” Mickelson said. “It’s really well done. They renovated it a little bit and some of the fairways are a little bit wider, certainly the rough is as penalizing or more so than I’ve seen it, but the fairways are fair and the greens are as healthy as I’ve seen them.”