GOLF-US OPEN PREVIEW/DESIGNER Par is a good score at Chambers Bay, says course designer

Record ID: 151608

  • Title: GOLF-US OPEN PREVIEW/DESIGNER Par is a good score at Chambers Bay, says course designer
  • Date: 15th June 2015
  • Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (RECENT-JUNE 10, 2015) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) ROBERT TRENT JONES, JR., GOLF COURSE DESIGNER, SAYING: "So the defense of this course since there are no trees in play, no vertical hazards and no horizontal hazards - no water hazards - is the ground itself and therefore the contours. And the contours on the greens are fairly strong.
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  • Story Text: There is no shortage of compelling storylines ahead of the 115th U.S. Open at Chambers Bay this week.
    But while there will be much focus on the struggling game of Tiger Woods, the rise of young guns Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth, and the quest for Phil Mickelson to achieve a career grand slam; there will be as much attention on the course itself.
    Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., Chambers Bay has no 'gray areas' and the 156 golfers competing in the year's second major will either love or hate the par-70 venue, which can measure anywhere from 7,200 to 7,600 yards depending on course set-up.
    The set-up of U.S. Opens over the years has made it the most exacting of major tournaments, making par a worthy score. In the last 10 years, winners have broken par for 72 holes four times.
    "I think par's a good score and they shouldn't compare it and contrast it to their everyday tour events. There's no comparison. This tests every aspect of a champion's heart, mind, knowledge of the game, shot-making, physicality, fitness," Jones told Reuters about conquering his course.
    "You can't be U.S. Open champion without having all of those and play them that week against your fellow competitors."
    In the last 15 years, the U.S. Open has been the toughest of the major tournaments with the average winning score a little more than three under par. The British Open winner averaged nearly nine under par, while the Masters and PGA Championship winner averaged 10 under par.
    The rolling public course in Washington State set along the Puget Sound on land formerly used as a rock quarry and gravel mine has been molded into a tree-less links course, which is a rare find among golf courses in North America -- with dunes, elevations and fescue grass.
    "The defense of this course since there are no trees in play, no vertical hazards and no horizontal hazards - no water hazards - is the ground itself and therefore the contours. And the contours on the greens are fairly strong," explained Jones.
    "It's a very delicate, knife-edge that the maintenance crew and the USGA (United States Golf Association) will have to maintain the greens at for them to be reasonably fair. There will be a lot of moaning and groaning on those greens but there shouldn't be any big problems off the tee because it's so wide open."
    Banked hills and undulations in the fairways and around greens allow for multiple ways of playing to the greens and oversized tee areas allow USGA chief Mike Davis and his colleagues to change the look and strategy of holes from round to round.
    Meandering tee boxes which are occasionally positioned on a slight slope, semi-blind shots from the fairway, and the pronounced elevation changes -- there is much to test the composure of players who have prepared as carefully as possible.
    "The game has changed. Now they hit the ball prodigious distances because of the aerodynamics of the ball, the equipment, and the athleticism, and the maintenance. So, we said what can we do to put a little more thinking into their thoughtless tee shots with their big-headed drivers and we said let's make them uneven. So they're like ribbon tees. They meander down to the fairway. It's more like an approach shot when they have to do a little dance to get the balance on their feet right before they choose the shot they want to make," said Jones.
    The course designer has built over 270 across the globe and is no stranger to critiques of his creations. But Chambers Bay is a special and is still a relatively brand new course, completed in 2008.
    The last time a major championship was played on a new course was 1970 at Hazeltine, a design by Robert Trent Jones, Sr.
    "I think that the angst that is felt is that anything new, especially anything that is set up to be a challenge and a test for the best players in the world is going to make them play up. Now, if I'm a great athlete, I want to play up. So, the true champs, the ones with champions' blood in their veins, look forward to this. Those who are just there for a pay check, they're probably a bit more nervous," said Jones.
    "But, it's good to be nervous. . . nervous on the first tee. I'm a little nervous to see how it plays out. It's going to be fun."
    When the final putt is made on the 18th hole, next Sunday, Jones hopes that the course will yield to the best players and that they appreciate his design.
    "What I want to hear is that they were engaged by it. They found it a creative course - that they had to be creative. That they want to go back and play it again because they know it's within reach.
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