The Harvest Has Begun
/Ed Sherman reports on all of the fun Medinah members will have this year playing the No. 3 course.
No. 3 is tough enough as it is without having a forest of rough under the corridor of massive trees. In some areas, it already is 7 inches high.Oh boy, don't give those manufacturers any ideas!
Some of those par 4s are going to turn into par 44s when the amateurs try to hack their way out of high stuff, provided they can find their golf balls.
"Our ball revenue in the pro shop should go up," Scully said.
In addition to the rough, for those who truly like punishment and want to play from the back tees, players will find an added bonus on the fifth and 14th holes.
After watching the pros launch bombs at the PGA at Baltusrol last year, tournament officials decided to push back the tees on both par 5s.
The fifth is 20 yards longer at 550 yards, and the tee box was moved over to the left to bring the fairway bunkers more into play. The 14th was lengthened by 25 yards, pushing it back to 610 yards. It will require a poke of 240 yards just to carry the water, and a blast of about 350 yards to reach the top of the hill on the fairway, affording a look at the green.
All told, Medinah now will play to 7,561 yards, the longest in major championship history.
Makes you just really want to host a major, doesn't it?
