Top 10 News Tidbits From The U.S. Open At Chambers Bay

by Alfie Lau

Never has the U.S. Open come all the way north and west to Washington State, but now that Chambers Bay looks set to host one of the most unforgettable tournaments in recent history, here’s 10 things you might have missed, but we at BC Golf have on our radar.

1. He’s the unquestioned World No. 1 and that doesn’t scare Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, who had this to say when asked if he feels as confident as LeBron James does as the world’s best basketball player (who incidentally, just saw his team lose the NBA Finals in six games to the Golden State Warriors).

“I think when LeBron talks about (being the best), that’s not confidence, that’s a fact. If you look at the numbers, you can really see he is the best player in the world. And I guess for me, I feel the same way, when I look at the World Rankings and I see my name at the top. If you look back at the last four or five years, I guess I’ve won more Majors than anyone else in that time period. So do I feel like the best player in the world? Yes. And obviously, I want to go out every week and try to back that up and show that."

Brag much, Rory? (I guess it’s not bragging if you back that up, so kudos to McIlroy for owning his greatness)

2. There’s already been an ace – sorta – at Chambers Bay. Cameron Tringale made an ace during his Tuesday practice round on the 226-yard ninth hole. Not only does it not count, but as Tringale pointed out, his “ace” carries a bit of an asterisk.

“It was actually a hole-in-two,” said Tringale. “I hit the first one, it was a 3-iron . . . I hit the first one pretty good and it plugged in the right bunker just under the lip. Then I teed up another one and gave it the full treatment and it was a pure golf shot. It just carried the bunker and then probably rolled 30, 40 feet up the slope to the pin. . . I heard the gallery erupt and it was kind of strange. I didn’t know what to feel because I had already hit one. So does it really count or not? It was one of those, like as it was happening, that’s what I was kind of thinking about. Very cool, nevertheless.”

For those keeping score, I’ll take my double Crown and Coke, and please charge that to Mr. Tringale.

3. The hair’s a lot whiter and the belly looks a little bigger, but there was no mistaking who was on Adam Scott’s bag this week. New Zealand’s Stevie Williams, best known as Tiger Woods’ caddy, has agreed to loop for his Aussie mate for the remaining three Majors of 2015.

Scott is in a horrendous slump, and with only three Majors left to use his broomstick anchored putter, he’s hoping that the old Stevie magic will get him another Major to go with his 2013 Green Jacket.

4. We all know that Chambers Bay will play to a par of 70 each day, but what we don’t know is which of the first and 18th holes will be a par-4 or a par-5 each day. The two long holes will alternate par each day, which means when the first plays as a par-4, the 18th becomes a par-5 and vice versa.

The USGA’s Mike Davis said that determination has already been made, but players will only learn on Thursday morning which hole is which par.

Davis said that’s all part of course management and thinking on your feet, and that means the players will have a new set of variables to have to deal with each day.

5. If you think it’s a tough trek here at the U.S. Open – Mike Davis admitted, “This is a tough walk here at Chambers Bay” – the players don’t have it much easier, as the players have 21 minutes of walking time between holes during their 18-hole round.

We watched Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth spend five minutes walking from the 3rd green to the fourth teebox. They had to walk by two other holes and take a players-only overpass to get there, which meant fans trying to follow any player for all 18 holes should get that thought out of their head now.

Another tough walk for the players is the dogleg right up to the 7th green, followed by a long trek down the 8th fairway, a 600-yard plus par 5 on one of the highest points on the Chambers Bay property. As if that’s not enough, the par-3 9th can play both uphill or downhill depending on which teebox is used, so the walk there can either be a relief or just another tough trek for players and caddies.

Steve Williams And Adam Scott Have Reunited For The 2015 U.S. Open At Chambers Bay - image credit Alfie Lau

6. Afternoon practice rounds are all the rage here at Chambers Bay. With the weather getting warmer by the second, that means the course is running harder and faster, or as World No. 1 Rory McIlroy calls it, “fiery.”

Perhaps that’s why Jordan Spieth signed up for the final practice round time, at 3:12 p.m. on Wednesday, and McIlroy nipped out for some late afternoon holes on Tuesday.

Mornings here at Chambers Bay are cool, with a little bit of wind, but when the sun comes out, the wind stays, but the cold is long gone.

USGA head honcho Mike Davis said rarely do greens pick up speed over the course of the day, but the fine fescue greens here at Chambers Bay do indeed pick up speed. That means the USGA wants to have greens running between 11.5 and 12 during the four days of the tournament, but the morning greens will be a bit slower to account for the increased green speeds later in the day.

7. It’s not just about the golf here at Chambers Bay. Golf is front and centre, of course, but many golf fans are heading north on Wednesday night to Safeco Field to check out the Seattle Mariners hosting the San Francisco Giants. Ace pitchers Felix Hernandez and Madison Bumgarner are scheduled to go mano-a-mano in an unforgettable pitching matchup.

Meanwhile, our good friends at Little Creek Casino and Salish Cliffs have offered to host us for a round of golf at their fine facility this afternoon. Having golfed there last month, it’s great track with 600 feet of elevation change and massive greens. Vancouver Golf Tour Commissioner Fraser Mulholland, along with his buddy Dave Patterson, are scheduled to join us at Salish Cliffs. The last time I played with the 'Commish' he threw down a smooth 64 at Morningstar on Vancouver Island.

8. Media platform madness. Media types have been grousing about the lack of inside the ropes passes given out to photographers and reporters accustomed to this practice. Because Chambers Bay could not be roped off in a conventional manner, inside the ropes access was severely limited.

But to make up for that, media-only platforms were constructed on 16 of the 18 holes at Chambers Bay. These viewing areas give media types a great view of each hole and after a quick tour of many of these platforms, the 15th hole, with our platform on the left side, looks to be the best place to hang out all week.

We also got a kick out of standing on the forward tee box on the par-3 3rd, which gives us a great view of the green and the approaches in on the second hole.

9. From the strange but interesting file, we were a bit flummoxed when we saw Geoff Ogilvy playing a Tuesday afternoon practice round with somebody named Clint Rice.

Rice’s name didn’t appear anywhere on our literature, but apparently, he’s a 34-year-old Tasmanian who lives in Chicago and is one of the alternates into the U.S Open field.

As an alternate, Rice has the right to work on his game on the practice range, but USGA rules, somewhat bizarrely, state that alternates are not allowed on the course. That has long been regarded as unfair given the players could belatedly land a place in the field without being afforded a proper look at the venue.

Rice managed four holes before being approached by an official who took the 34-year-old’s clubs away. Rice walked the remainder of the front nine with Ogilvy before being reunited with his bag and clubs.

10. If you love Major tournament golf, you won’t have to wait long to see it again in the Pacific Northwest.

No, it’s not the best men in the world who will be here in 2016, but the best women, as the 2016 KPMG Women's PGA Championship was awarded to Sahalee Country Club for next June.

Sahalee previously played host to the 1998 PGA Championship won by Vijay Singh.

"I think it's absolutely great for the region, obviously," said Sahalee Country Club President Steve Oaks. "For our club, we couldn't be more thrilled. To have the opportunity to host another major -- and further our partnership with the PGA -- is something we're very excited about. The partnership with KPMG and the PGA is, I think, really innovative with what they're doing with the tournament and combining that with the Women's Leadership Summit. We're very excited and eager."

The tournament is scheduled to take place June 9-12, 2016. It will be the second year of the reinvigorated women's major since the PGA of America, LPGA and KPMG decided to join forces to elevate the event.

The KPMG Women's PGA Championship field of 156 will include the top eight finishers from the previous year's LPGA Teaching & Club Professional National Championship.

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