Southampton (United States) (AFP) – Greens will be watered between Thursday and Friday morning and afternoon waves of US Open players at Shinnecock to keep conditions playable in gusty winds, US Golf Association officials said Wednesday. John Bodenhamer, USGA chief championships officer, announced the move on the eve of the major showdown at the Long Island layout where some players complained officials “lost the course” in 2004 and 2018.
Lightning-fast green speeds and high winds kept balls from staying on greens to make for unplayable conditions in those years, watering needed between groups to try and keep balls on some greens. “Tough but fair,” Bodenhamer said. “It’s not about par as a winning score. Maybe it used to be years ago…It’s not the way we think anymore.” He added, “It’s not about even par or five-under. We look at score, it’s a metric. Let Shinnecock be what it’s supposed to be.”
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Unlike the hosings of past years, Bodenhamer promises a lighter misting between early and late waves, with earlier start times used to factor watering into the plans. “We will syringe the greens on Thursday and Friday. It involves a very light application of water to…preserve turf health,” he said. “We believe it will present a more consistent playing presentation to both the morning and afternoon waves both days. It will be consistent across both days, which we think enhances competitive fairness. It keeps it cool enough so we don’t lose friction on the putting greens.”
It’s not the only move the USGA will make, with green speeds dialed back to the lowest levels since 1995. “We have multiple scenarios we can impart depending on the weather. Even daily, our decisions are real-time: Hole locations, teeing areas, all of those things,” said Bodenhamer. “We could brutalize this place the next few days if we wanted to. That’s not what we’re about. We really want it to be fair. We want it to be what Shinnecock Hills has always been. It will be tough enough. We’ve pulled every lever we can to make it fair…We’re preparing for all that we can.”
Steady winds of up to 24 mph with gusts to 36 mph are forecast for Thursday and from unusual angles to add to difficulty on many holes. “When we start to talk about numbers in the mid-30s, that becomes problematic in a number of ways — golf balls just staying still on the putting green.” Hole placement will consider wind speeds and direction. “We’ve actually modified our setup plan,” Bodenhamer said. “We have really taken the wind direction into account and, where we can, position those hole locations in places that will account for the wind but also give us our best chance so we can just play in those types of winds.”
After the cut is made, when there is no time between waves for a sprinkling on greens, Bodenhamer said watering likely will be done as near the start as possible. “Where that first group is, we will hydrate closer to that first group than we have in the past so we can get through the day a little bit longer,” he said. “We think we just have the right plan to get through the day. High winds, we’re just going to be very careful.”
Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, who seeks a career Grand Slam with a victory at Shinnecock, was impressed with USGA efforts. “I feel like the USGA is doing a good job of trying to strike a balance between having things be the most difficult they possibly can be while also still rewarding the shots hit that are really good,” he said.
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