Congressional Primed For The 2011 U.S. Open In 2012

In a stunning turn of events that no one but about 16,000 turf care specialists could have predicted, Barry Svrluga reports that Congressional's re-grassed putting surfaces have become firm and healthy enough to handle the rigors of a hot tournament week entering their third season.

The Open, then, took place just 20 months after those greens went in, and they weren’t yet fully mature and thus more susceptible to extreme heat or rain.

That also means the greens are now firmer, conditions that officials from the U.S. Golf Association, which stages the Open, desperately wanted but were unable to get, particularly when extremely warm temperatures preceded the event, putting undue stress on the grass. Several overnight thunderstorms the week of the Open further softened the greens. The course had no defense. And a few greens, in the ensuing months, were damaged.

Congressional hosts this week's AT&T National. Alex Myers has your Fantasy Fix preview.