All about the Olympic Club

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America’s oldest athletic club is located in downtown San Francisco, California. Its golf courses overlook the Pacific Ocean; so expect shots of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz to feature heavily in Sky Sports’ coverage of the 112th US Open next month. Here, we answer some key questions surrounding the year’s second Major.

Has The Lake Course hosted a Major before?
The Lake Course, which is currently ranked the 26th greatest course in America by Golf Digest, has hosted the US Open on four occasions, most recently in 1998, with the low 72-hole scoring record being set by 1987 US Open Champion Scott Simpson, who finished with a total of 277 (-3). It has also hosted the US Amateur Championship three times and the US Junior Amateur once.

Have any special changes been made to the course for the US Open?
There have been several minor tweaks to the layout, including the removal of a large number of trees and scrubs to give players and spectators better views across the course, but the main talking point is the fact that all 18 of the course’s greens have been dug up and replanted. “Like Pebble Beach, Torrey Pines and the majority of other coastal courses in California, our greens were originally poa annua grass,” explains The Olympic Club’s Director of Course Maintenance Pat Finlen. “Unfortunately, poa annua greens tend to get a little bumpy in the afternoon, so, in a bid to make our surfaces putt better and truer all day long, we decided to make the switch to bentgrass greens in the winter of 2008/2009.”

During this changeover 14 of the course’s greens were replaced blade for blade, but four were slightly altered. “The 7th green has been extended back by 16 yards,” says Finlen. “This put the green into flight line of the par-3 8th, so we had to completely change that hole, moving the tee to the right and elongating it by over 60 yards. We also changed the 15th green, as we didn’t believe it fitted with the other 17 greens on the course and we put some contour back into the 18th green, which had been flattened in the wake of the issues at the 1998 US Open.”

How will the course be set up?
In a break with tradition, the Lake Course will be wide open and set up for low scores. Just kidding. The USGA will stick to its tried and tested championship formula of combining narrow, tree-lined fairways with small, fast, well-bunkered greens and deep, thick rough. “The fairways will be anything from 18 yards to 32 yards wide, the rough will vary from three to fi ve inches and the green will probably be around 12 on the Stimpmeter,” adds Finlen. “That might not sound that fast, but you have to remember two things. First, the greens are extremely small and contoured. And second, the main challenge on this course isn’t putting, it is getting the ball to the green and getting the ball to hold the green, both of which are very diffi cult.”

Does the course design favour any particular shot shape?
“Seven of our driving holes require a left-to-right shot shape, three require a right-to-left shot shape and four are optional, so in terms of driving the course definitely favours righthanders who can hit a cut or lefthanders who can hit a draw,” reveals The Olympic Club’s head professional Chris Stein. “Then, when it comes to the approach shots to the green, our putting surfaces are really small, so they suit players who can hit very high, soft landing shots far more than they suit guys who hit it low or come in with some draw spin.”

Is one of the favourites going to win?
The four previous US Opens held here suggest not. In 1955, relative unknown Jack Fleck defeated heavy favourite Ben Hogan in a play-off. In 1966, Arnold Palmer threw away a seven-shot lead and lost a play-off to Billy Casper. In 1987, Tom Watson was overhauled by Scott Simpson. And in 1998, Payne Stewart led by four after 54 holes, but faltered and finished one behind Lee Janzen.

 

Has anyone got any course form?
At the 1998 US Open Steve Stricker finished T5th; David Duval, Jeff Maggert and Lee Westwood finished T7th; Stuart Appleby, Stewart Cink and Phil Mickelson ended up T10th; and a fresh-faced Matt Kuchar finished T14th to take the low amateur honours. Maggert also finished 7th when the PGA Tour’s end-of-season Tour Championship was held here in 1994. But the tournament that throws up the most interesting recent course form is the 2007 US Amateur. Other potential US Open contenders who tackled The Lake Course in 2007 include Bud Cauley, Dustin Johnson, Webb Simpson and 2012 Phoenix Open winner Kyle Stanley, who shot the fifth lowest 36-hole score during the qualifying section of that tournament and also got to the last 16 of the 2004 US Junior Amateur at the Olympic Club.

What skills should I look for when trying to pick a winner?
Though traditional thinking dictates that straight hitters who grind out par after par will rise to the top at US Opens, the statistical truth is somewhat different. Driving distance has been as important as driving accuracy for the last 11 US Open winners, with Angel Cabrera only finding 48% of fairways during his 2007 triumph and Toger Woods only hitting 54% when winning in 2008. Birdie making has also been crucial, with every US Open winner this century ranking in the top 10 the week.

But what about US Opens at the Olympic Club?
Well, the only Open we have statistics for is Lee Janzen’s 1998 victory. He fi nished level par after 72 holes and pretty much nailed every single element of the game. Expect a golfer with the whole package to lift the trophy on Sunday evening. The current allaround ranking top ten reads (from 1-10): Bo Van Pelt, Keegan Bradley, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Lee Westwood, Peter Hanson, Jason Dufner, Justin Rose, Matt Kuchar and Bubba Watson.

Can Tiger win?
Woods missed the 2011 US Open through injury, but his record from 2007- 2010 reads: T2nd, 1st, T6th, T4th. Add this to the fact two of his three US Open wins came in his home state of California, he has some course form (T18th in 1998 US Open) and he sits fourth in the PGA Tour’s all-around ranking and Tiger fans have cause for optimism.

Which hole will be most exciting?
The 505-yard par-5 17th should yield several eagles over the four rounds and a hole-in-one is most likely at the short 15th, but for real thrills head for the par-4 7th. At just 294 yards from the back tee The Olympic Club’s head pro Chris Stein sees most players going for this green. “This is a classic risk and reward tee shot,” he believes. “The rough around the green will be high and thick and make for a very difficult birdie on a two-tier green.”

Which hole will create controversy?
If the 1998 US Open is anything to go by the severely sloping 18th green will prompt most of the moaning. Back in 1998, the second-round pin was cut at the top of the ridge and it prompted carnage. A third of field made bogey or worse, Tom Lehman four-putted, Payne Stewart saw his eight-foot birdie putt turn into a 20-foot par putt and Kirk Triplett incurred a two-shot penalty for using his putter to stop his ball. “I figured the grass would grow and slow the green enough to make the hole location feasible, but when the first group came through I knew I was in trouble,” recalls the USGA’s Tom Meeks, who set pin positions. “The grass didn’t grow fast enough and it was a disaster.”

Who are Europe’s top contenders?
Defending champion Rory McIlroy. will quite rightly be our shortest price hope, but given The Olympic Club’s history of producing surprise champions and the fact that all four of the previous US Open winners here have been aged between 32 and 34 consider Peter Hanson. He is 34, he finished T7th in last year’s US Open, he’s T2nd with Bubba Watson in the average number of birdies per round ranking (4.36) and he is 6th in the PGA Tour’s all-around ranking. Hanson is currently a bestpriced 80-1 with williamhill.com.

So who is going to win?
Says Sky Sports presenter Robert Lee: “Tiger and Rory will contend and Jim Furyk could surprise, but I think this could be Lee Westwood’s week,” He says. “The course’s key challenges are its sloping fairways and its small greens. Because of these if you want to win here you need to shape your tee shots and hit your irons crisply. No-one does either better than Lee.” Westwood can be backed at 16/1 with several firms.

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