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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.
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Hole No. 1
One of the hardest holes in golf, this long par 4 requires a
blind mid-iron to a green that slopes away from you and will
receive only the crispest of iron shots. Two putts and par here
is a great start.
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Hole No. 2
On this short par 4, a long iron off the teeing ground avoiding
the ditch on the left and the bunkers on the right sets up a
short iron to an infamous green. You must approach your putt
from below the hole; three putts are common from above it. |
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Hole No. 3
The famous Church Pews bunker on the left and severe fairway
bunkers on the right make for a difficult driving hole. A good
drive sets up a short iron to an elevated, but fairly flat green
(by Oakmont standards) that slopes slightly away from you.
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Hole No. 4
The Church Pews again penalize an errant drive left and bunkers
in the right rough are very severe. However, for the long hitters,
this par 5 is reachable and definitely a birdie hole.
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Hole No. 5
Use a long iron off the teeing ground and approach this green
with short irons. This very udulating green makes putting difficult,
but there should be some birdies here.
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Hole No. 6
On the first of Oakmont's par 3 holes, go with a mid-iron shot
to a small green that slopes from right to left. Missing the
green to the right leads to a sure bogey.
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Hole No. 7
A good drive on this longish par 4 leaves a long iron to another
severe green that slopes left to right. To miss this green left
is disastrous. Par is a great score on this difficult par 4. |
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Hole No. 8
This extremely long par 3 requires a long iron or fairway wood
to a fairly large green without undulation. A bunker called
"Sahara," some 100 yards long sits to the left of
the green, making the tee shot very intimidating.
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Hole No. 9
This very difficult, blind, uphill driving hole has a severe
ditch left and severe pot bunkers right. This pivotal hole,
which plays as a par 5 for the members, will play as a long
par 4 for the U.S. Open. The huge severely undulating green
also serves as the practice putting green. |
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Hole No. 10
This par 4 features yet another downhill, narrow driving lane
with severe fairway bunkers right and left. A short iron follows
to a very difficult green that slopes from front right to back
left. Four is a great score here.
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Hole No. 11
This short par 4 is best played with a long iron or 3-wood to
reach the plateau in the fairway. The short iron approach shot
is to a flattish green that slopes from back to front.
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Hole No. 12
Typically a three shot hole, this final par 5 is the toughest
one at Oakmont. You may use a 3-wood to hit the sloping fairway,
then a long iron for the second shot to set up a wedge third
shot. The severe green slopes away from you, making approach
shots and putts very difficult. |
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Hole No. 13
On this mid-iron par 3, the hourglass green is very narrow.
A miss long or right makes par a fading fantasy. Stay below
the hole to have a better chance for a birdie putt.
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Hole No. 14
This short par 4 requires a long iron off the teeing ground.
A short iron second is to a very large green with a lot of subtleties
to it. The green generally slopes from right to left, so stay
left of the flagstick to have an uphill birdie putt.
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Hole No. 15
This long par 4 features a blind tee shot to a fairway that
slopes from left to right. The Church Pews left and severe ditches
and bunkers on the right call for another straight drive. A
mid-to-long iron sets up a second shot to a very large green
with many difficult subtleties. Take four here and smile going
to 16! |
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Hole No. 16
A long iron is needed on this par 3, which has a fairly large
green that slopes from left to right. To miss this green to
the left is to ask for trouble.
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Hole No. 17
Although some of you can drive this par 4, severe bunkering
50 yards from the green will make you think twice before trying
to do so. Either a long iron and wedge over "Big Mouth"
or a driver to the green makes this hole very exciting.
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Hole No. 18
This is by far the most picturesque hole at Oakmont and perhaps
the greatest finishing par 4 in golf. You must drive the fairway
to avoid the "chip out" bunkers left and right. An
uphill mid-iron to a very undulating green makes for a great
finish.
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