US Open greens will lead to 'war of attrition'

The US Open prides itself connected being 'golf's toughest test' and Tiger Woods is expecting different "war of attrition" this week astatine Pinehurst.

Only 4 players person ended nether par successful 3 erstwhile US Opens held astatine nan North Carolina resort's Number Two course.

And this week's 124th staging of golf's 2nd oldest awesome looks group to beryllium arsenic as challenging, pinch nan velocity of nan 'upturned saucer' greens a immense talking point.

Defending champion Wyndham Clark said connected Monday they were already "borderline" successful position of being excessively speedy to putt on, while three-time victor Woods said connected Tuesday that, for illustration galore different players successful practice, he had "putted disconnected tons of greens".

"It depends really terrible nan USGA wants to make this," added Woods. "But I foresee, conscionable for illustration successful 2005, watching immoderate of nan guys play ping-pong backmost and distant [across nan greens]. It could happen."

The United States Golf Association (USGA), which runs nan US Open, will beryllium keen to debar a repetition of that, aliases what happened astatine Shinnecock Hills successful 2004 and 2018 during a week erstwhile temperatures are forecast to beryllium supra 30C.

The USGA was accused of "losing nan course" by Woods successful 2004 aft it grounded to h2o greens aft information two. Greenstaff were forced to hose down nan putting aboveground connected nan seventh spread betwixt groups successful nan last information because it had go mostly unplayable.

In 2018 Phil Mickelson hit his shot while it was still moving connected nan 13th spread astatine Shinnecock arsenic nan USGA was again criticised complete its people set-up.

Woods, 48, was successful his premier erstwhile he played nan first 2 US Opens astatine Pinehurst successful 1999 and 2005.

He vanished 3rd successful nan first, erstwhile nan precocious Payne Stewart was nan only man to hit par. Six years later Woods missed retired connected what would person been his 10th awesome erstwhile he bogeyed nan 16th and 17th holes successful nan last information and was runner-up by 2 shots to New Zealand's Michael Campbell, who won connected level par.

Woods was absent pinch a backmost wounded erstwhile Germany's Michael Kaymer romped to an eight-shot triumph successful 2014 connected a people that had undergone immense renovations.

The US Open staple dense unsmooth and constrictive fairways were stripped away, leaving sandy 'native areas' and 'turtleback' greens arsenic nan course's defence.

However, Americans Rickie Fowler and Erik Compton were nan only different players to break par arsenic Kaymer, who had been 10 nether aft information one, triumphed connected 9 under.

And Woods tin spot a akin taxable processing this year.

"This could beryllium 1 of nan Opens wherever immoderate nan starring people is [after information one], that's astir apt arsenic debased arsenic we'll ever go," said nan 15-time awesome champion.

"We were half joking that by nan extremity of nan week it mightiness beryllium 1 of those erstwhile nan greens get truthful slick that you crook down to publication a putt aliases crook down to hole a shot people and your putter slips."

The course, designed by legendary designer Donald Ross, who grew up playing and moving connected nan fabled links of Dornoch successful bluish Scotland successful nan 19th Century, was opened for play successful 1907.

He had worked pinch Old Tom Morris successful Scotland astir nan move of nan 20th Century and, pinch only wheelbarrows and spades to move earth, their courses are typified by being mostly styled by nature.

"When Donald did this play people and made nan greens this severe, I don't deliberation he intended it to beryllium moving astatine 13 connected nan stimpmeter (a instrumentality utilized to measurement greenish speed)," said Woods.

"They were nan velocity of fairways. They're very terrible and we're playing nether faster conditions.

"It's much of a test. It's going to beryllium a awesome trial and a awesome warfare of attrition this week. It's going to beryllium a batch of nosy for each of us."

The greenish surrounds are besides provoking overmuch statement betwixt players arsenic to whether they discuss nan steep run-offs pinch putters, wedges, irons aliases moreover fairway woods.

Rory McIlroy thinks nan assortment of shots players will person to conjure up will make "viewing much exciting" for nan fans "rather than seeing guys hack retired of four-inch unsmooth each nan time", arsenic happens connected nan PGA Tour.

Speaking connected Tuesday, nan 2011 champion from Northern Ireland said he had "36 hours" to "figure retired what I'm comfortable pinch astir nan greens".

It is simply a position shared by world number 1 Scottie Scheffler, who said he "appreciates much having nan playability of nan run-off areas much than dense unsmooth surrounding each green".

"It provides a small spot much variety, a small spot much excitement and a small spot much productivity astir nan greens," said nan two-time awesome winner.

"It's a amended trial than conscionable having dense unsmooth complete nan backmost of each green."

Woods says he has ruled retired utilizing woods, while 2020 champion Bryson DeChambeau is favouring his wedges, "hitting into nan slope and bouncing it up and rolling it complete nan apical of hills" unless he gets a bad lie, successful which lawsuit he is putting.

Norway's rising prima Viktor Hovland says he is leaning much towards nan putter.

"If you return an mean of 20 shots, nan putter is going to beryllium measurement amended than nan chip," he said. "Maybe it will beryllium location adjacent to 60-40 pinch putter."

Xander Schauffele, who won his first awesome astatine past month's US PGA Championship, says he "typically defaults to putting".

"The Texas wedge is decidedly my friend," he said. "I've ne'er deed truthful galore putts. I joked pinch my caddie I should get it checked out. I've ne'er swung truthful difficult connected my putter for 9 holes, conscionable trying to get up and down mounds."

However, Kaymer, who famously putted superbly from connected and disconnected nan greenish connected his measurement to triumph a decade ago, says his attack this week "might beryllium a small spot different".

"I mightiness beryllium utilizing nan rescue a small spot much often aliases nan hybrid astir nan greens because of nan magnitude of nan grass," he said.

"It's a small spot higher, a small spot thicker, truthful it's not arsenic tight arsenic it utilized to be."

And that is coming from nan only man to scope double digits nether par successful a US Open astatine Pinehurst Number Two.