Tiger preps at Oakmont
 

Check it out: http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/pga/new...v=ap&type=lgns

The par 3 8th hole is 288yds??? What the hell is becoming of our game? We have officially entered the ridiculous in my opinion.

I agree! unless downhill / downwind....
Why not leave it at 221 or239 or something and make the bunkering/green interesting....

A par three should be a distance that all the pros can hit with a club that can reasonably be expectedto stay on the green!!!


And with US open rough and speedy greens too... Tiger better watch out they don't stick a windmill in front of the hole.. crazy!

That IS dumb.....

That's freakin stupid.....

Can they try any harder to eliminate half of the field....?

It ain't hurtin the "bomb and gougERS" that's for sure....

Homer on POWER
 

GOOD GOLF IS POWER GOLF. Homer Kelley.

Bring on the 288 yard hole. Could be one of the more interesting holes come Sunday.

See the Tomasello Video Chapter 5 on POWER.

DG

Come on ! I'm all for power but this seems like another stupid U.S. Open ploy for protecting the "lowest scoring major ".I seem to remember a lot of U.S. pros complaining about CARNOUSTIE-wasn't it davis love who said "it got the champion it deserved"- what ! Justin Leonard was the only American who could hit it straight! So don't reward accuracy ,reward luck and bye ,bye Fred Funk!-oh, and Justin Leonard ,Luuuuke,Brian Gay .A SHAME
Actully I bet Brian is one of the few who could hit that green with driver--maybe not a bad idea after all!

It would be interesting to see what John Riegger has got to say about this as he is one of the more qualified to answer .

John Riegger On the Coming Test At Oakmont
 

I had lunch today with John in Atlanta -- he stayed over after his great closing 66 yesterday and solo 9th place finish at Jennings Mill -- and talked with him tonight by phone in Richmond. I told him about the thread, and he told me he played the course in its Open set-up last fall. He remarked how Johnny Miller's 63 in 1973 was one of the great rounds of all time and predicted that, if things stay the way they are now, the winning score in this year's U.S. Open would be +5.

He said that the USGA purpose behind the 288-yard par 3 (he said it can play to 305!) was that they wanted a "true fairway wood" test. And they also wanted a true 3-shot par 5...which they apparently have achieved by lengthening the 12th -- already the toughest par 5 on the course -- to 700+ yards.

The USGA has made the once great US Open not only my least favorite Major, but one of my least favorite tournaments within the year.

I understand the true fairway wood test part; it makes sense. But 288 is a bit long for a fairway wood shot for a lot of the pros, unless it's downhill. Isn't the average driving distance on tour like 289?

Accuracy with Driver
 

To me the long par 3 makes sense :salut: .....let Brian's accuracy with the driver off the tee rule the day.

DG