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The United States Open Championship is the annual men's
open golf tournament of the United States of America and
it is staged by the United States Golf Association each June.
The U.S. Open is one of the four major championships in men's
golf and is on the official schedule of both the PGA TOUR
and the European Tour. The U.S. Open is staged at a variety
of courses, and they are usually set up in such a way that
low scoring is very difficult and there is a premium on
accurate driving.
Normally, an Open course is longer than normal and will
have a high cut of rough (termed "Open rough" by
the American press and fans), hilly greens and pinched fairways.
Some courses that are attempting to get on the rotation for
the Open will normally be rebuilt to have these features,
with Rees Jones being the most notable of the "Open Doctors"
who take on these projects.
The first U.S. Open Men's Championship was played on October
4, 1895, on a nine-hole course in Newport, Rhode Island.
It was a thirty-six hole competition and was played in a single
day. Ten professionals and one amateur entered. The winner
was a 21-year-old Englishman named Horace Rawlins, who had
arrived in the U.S. in January that year to take up a position
at the host club.
In the beginning, the U.S. Open Championship was dominated
by experienced British players until 1911, when John J. McDermott
became the first native-born American winner. American
golfers soon began to win regularly and the tournament evolved
to become one of the four majors.
The U.S. Open is open to any professional, or to any amateur
with an up-to-date USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 1.4.
Players may obtain a place by being fully exempt or by competing
successfully in Qualifying. The field is 156 players.
Players who are not fully exempt must enter the Qualifying
process, which has two stages, Local Qualifying and Sectional
Qualifying. There is no age limit and the youngest ever qualifier
was 15-year-old Tadd Fujikawa of Hawaii, who qualified in
2006.
U.S. Open champions are automatically invited to play in
the other three majors (The Masters, The Open Championship
and the PGA Championship) for the next five years, and are
exempt from qualifying for the U.S. Open itself for ten years.
They also receive membership on the PGA TOUR for the following
five seasons and invitations to The Players Championship for
five years.
The top fifteen finishers at the U.S. Open are fully exempt
from qualifying for the following year's Open, and the top
eight are automatically invited to the following season's
Masters.
TORREY PINES SOUTH GOLF COURSE
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Hole No. 1
Tough starting hole. Long par-4 and into the prevailing
sea breeze, which creeps up the coastal cliffs usually
by mid-morning. Bunkers left and right off the tee, semi-elevated,
bunkered green --both a common feature in this Rees Jones
renovated Torrey South. Stay on the left side off the
tee for a better angle to the green, which is slanted
to favor a faded approach. |
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Hole No. 2
An early breather here. Accuracy off the tee is the key
to this short par-4. Consider a 3-metal, instead of driver.
Again, bunkers on either side of the fairway will catch
the errant drive. The two-tiered green is protected left
and right and is narrow at the entrance. If the hole is
in the front, a smart, conservative player might play
just short of the green to take the bunkers out of play.
It's easier to chip up and one-putt than to two-putt for
par from the back of the green. |
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Hole No. 3
This hole is to Torrey Pines South what the 6th hole is
to Torrey Pines North. A thing of beauty. Take your picture,call
your family, and thank the heavens you play golf to be
able to see this par-3. Dramatic change in elevation produces
a lot of hang-time, so be careful with the wind. Aiming
a bit right won't hurt. There is a generous bail-out area
there. If you pull your tee shot it's a certain 5 (at
least) on your card. |
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Hole No. 4
A simple, great golf hole. A drive slightly left is a
bit better than right, particularly if the rough is not
too long. The two-tiered green is well protected front
and left. You might consider running your approach up
the hill to the right of the green, taking advantage of
the slope of the terrain. Make a par here and it'll feel
like a birdie. Only hole at Torrey Pines South next to
the ocean in its entirety. |
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Hole No. 5
Straightaway medium length par-4, once more bunkers protect
either side of the fairway and green. Hit the fairway
and a par is within reasonable reach. You may get a bit
of help from the wind. While on the fairway, watch out
for sliced tee shots coming from the 4th tee. No mysteries
here. |
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Hole No. 6
First par-5, dog-leg right. Don't get too greedy trying
to cut the corner, as your ball may end up in the canyon
bordering the entire right side. Still, right is better
than the heavily bunkered left side off the tee. The ever
present up-slope in front of most greens does not help
in running up your ball on the green, if you decide to
go for it with the second shot. |
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Hole No. 7
Another tough par-4. Aim to the right edge of the fairway
bunker on the left side. The slope of the land will bring
the ball back towards the center. If you hit a long, straight
drive, you'll end up with a downhill lie for the second
shot. Too far right off the tee will make it impossible
to reach the green in regulation. Just too many trees
there. The approach to the green favors a fade (for a
back pin). Bail-out area is on the left side.
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Hole No. 8
Interesting par-3, wind on your back to a slightly elevated
green. Still, it plays a half to a full club longer. The
green is wide but shallow, and protected by a vicious
bunker in the front and s sneaky bunker in the back. So
short and long is not good. Miss it right or left and
you will still have a chance to make your par. Correct
clubbing is the key to this hole (well, to most par-3's
anyway). |
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Hole No. 9
Another breather. A chance to take one back. Not a very
difficult hole, but still demanding a good tee shot to
set it all up. More "beach" on either side of
fairway and green. A soft draw is the right approach shot
for a back pin. Running up a second shot is possible but
made difficult by the upslope in the front. Go ahead and
make your par or birdie here, then go grab a drink at
the "Half-Way House" and get ready for the back
nine.
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Hole No. 10
Here Torrey Pines South begins its route back towards
the Pacific. It's not a difficult hole, but could become
complicated if the drive is not accurate. Just like on
the 2nd hole, you may want to use a 3-metal off the tee
to place the ball on the fairway and avoiding the fairway
bunkers that, once more, defend this hole on either side
of the fairway. The green is also bunkered on both sides,
but the approach, usually a short iron, should not be
too hard. A two-tiered green breaks mostly towards the
ocean. |
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Hole No. 11
Par-3 dead into the teeth of the ocean breeze. A hidden
culvert about 120 yards off the tee boxes, a water hazard,
will catch "low screamers" and pop-ups. It's
a long iron shot to a well bunkered, tiered green. You
should be able to notice some of the activity further
ahead, by the Torrey Pines Municipal Hang Glider Port.
Para-gliders, hang-gliders, all soaring above the cliffs.
Awesome view. Before proceeding to the 12th tee take a
good look at the hole location on the 13th green to your
right. |
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Hole No. 12
Another monster par-4. Long and also into the wind. One
more time, altogether now: bunkers left and right off
the tee, bunkers left and right of the green. No way around
this one. You have to drive it long and straight, then
have a very accurate long iron shot (or fairway metal)
into a semi-elevated green. Just a slight miss on the
approach and you'll have to blast out a deep bunker. More
of a par four and a half than a par 4. Enjoy the soaring
gliders and don't feel too bad if you walk away with a
bogey here. Toughest hole at Torrey Pines South. |
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Hole No. 13
Here's a hole with some character. Par-5, usually downwind,
very inviting to bombing the ball off the tee ... which
leads to overswinging and blocking, resulting in a push-slice.
That's probably why the bunkering is only on the right
side of the fairway. The second shot, if not going for
the green, is just as important. There is a deep swale
that bottoms about 120 yards from the green. |
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Hole No. 14
This is, arguably, the most improved hole of the entire
renovation carried out under Rees Jones direction. From
just another par-4,this hole became a medium length hole,
gentle dog-leg left with some risk-reward choices off
the tee, and a green heavily guarded by a canyon wildlife
on the left side and back. And, yes, more bunkering. The
approach is the key here. Just put the ball in play off
the tee, and then be very accurate on club selection for
your second shot. You can't miss the green anywhere but
short. A pin back right will make sure that only the daring
ones will get the birdie. My favorite par-4 on Torrey
Pines South. |
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Hole No. 15
The only non-par-3 at Torrey Pines South that is not defended
by fairway bunkering. Interesting fact. They may have
run out of sand, or something. Just the usual right and
left greenside bunkers protect this hole. Not too long
from the regular tees, but a bit of work is required if
played from the back. The fairway is not very wide, and
more forgiving to those shots missing right. The entire
left side is populated by large eucalyptus trees. Not
a lot of personality this hole, but you still have to
deal with it. |
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Hole No. 16
Last par-3 in the layout. Usually the wind is a factor
-- either in your face, or from the right side. Similarly
to its brother, the 11th hole, this hole demands a long
iron and is well bunkered on either side. As with most
of the new greens on this course, there is little room
for error if the pin is cut in the narrower lower tier.
The green widens from front to back, thus providing for
a larger margin of error if the hole is cut towards the
back. |
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Hole No. 17
Medium-length par-4, guarded by trees and a canyon all
along the left side. In 2001, Phil Mickelson bounced his
tee shot off one of these trees to make the fairway, still
made double-bogey but it was good enough to beat Frank
Lickliter's triple-bogey at the playoff to win the Buick
Invitational. Elevated tee provides a beautiful view of
the hole ahead and of the spectacular surroundings behind
and to the left. Only one large fairway bunker on the
right. |
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Hole No. 18
This par-5 hole used to pose a great risk-reward situation
for the player. In the old times you could make any number
here, from 3 to 7, or more. But now, going for the green
in two shots is pretty much suicidal. Heavy bunkering
on either side of the fairway will punish anything but
a prefect drive. And even then, the undulations on the
fairway may make it nearly impossible to strike with solid
contact a fairway metal. "Devlin's Billabong"
lurks farther ahead, in front of the green, threatening
to gobble up whatever comes its way. |
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