Some things to think about for U.S. Open

Mike Dudurich

Posted 2009-06-12

It's less than a week away and the anticipation is building toward the start of the U.S. Open. There are all kinds of plots and subplots involved in every Open because of the diversity of the field, the history of the event and everything that goes into putting the nation's championship on.

As a primer to what might unfold over the next week, here a few things to think about:

= There won't be a drivable par at Bethpage Black next week. Not because the USGA doesn't like the concept. Heck, they're the ones who put it into their examination of the players' games. It was a part of Winged Foot's setup in 2006, Oakmont's in 2007 and Torrey Pines' in 2008.

The reason there won't be one at Bethpage Black? There aren't any par fours that are set up to play that short! As everyone knows, the Black is a beast of a course and features one of the great collections of par fours anywhere.

The USGA's Mike Davis made it clear recently, however, that some added tee boxes will definitely give players an option or two on a couple of the par 5s and that at least one par 3 is now versatile enough to play as long as 230 yards and as short at 140 yards.

- A couple guys to root for even if you have no particular interest in them are Tom Lehman and Fred Funk. Both are eligible to play on the Champions Tour, but still play a fair amount on the PGA Tour as well. Neither was exempt into the Open so they opted to take part in the 36-hole sectional qualifiers earlier this week to try to get into Bethpage Black.

Lehman played in the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio and stayed in Columbus where he gained a spot by shooting a pair of 67s. Funk, who's battled a knee problem for nearly a year, shot 70-69 and left the course in Maryland thinking he had no shot.

As he was about to sit down to a beer and some crab cakes with his caddie, his cell phone rang to inform him that he was in a six-man playoff for four spots. Four playoff holes later, Funk had earned one of those spots.

Lehman was a dominant force in the Open in the mid-90s, finishing no worse than fifth in a stretch from 1995-1999, but never winning it. Funk's best finish was sixth at Shinnecock in 2004, a course also located on Long Island.

- The denizens of the New York metropolitan area will be out in force, that's a given. But don't expect to see the number of corporate tents that were on site at Bethpage Black in 2002. In this tough economy, corporations, especially since the tournament will be held within an hour's drive of Wall Street, are not spending buckets of money for entertaining clients as they used to.

And to further the point as to how the event might be affected by the economy, for the first time in years, hotel rooms are available in the general area of a U.S. Open site. That has rarely happened previously and definitely points to the fact that golf fans may not travel this time, especially to the expensive Long Island area.

- It won't be a typo when you read it and it won't be a mis-statement if you hear it, but the 2009 U.S. Open will feature a par 4 measuring 525 yards that's longer than a par 5 that will measure 517 yards.

It's interesting in that the par 5 might well be the shortest in major championship history and the par 4 could well be the longest par 4 in major history. The bottom line on the fourth hole (the par 5) is that it is a difficult green to reach in two shots, requiring a pair of exquisite shots to get on the surface. That is if they're able to keep the ball on the fairway off the tee. The 7th is a par 4 for the public, but a new tee that added 36 yards for the pros makes it qualifies it as a par five, although one that could get lit up for the accurate hitters.

Just a few things to think about as we get closer and closer to the biggest championship in the country.

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About Mike...
As a sports writer for over 35 years, Mike Dudurich has seen a lot of great things, covered spectacular events, but his passion is, and has been golf. He recently ended a 29-year career at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and will now be a frequent contributor on GolfGearReview.com. Mike hosts a weekly golf radio show on 1250 ESPN in Pittsburgh from the beginning of April through the end of August. The show airs Saturdays from 8-9 a.m. and can be heard online at http://stations.espn.go.com/stations/espnradio1250/show?showId=insidepghgolf - Listen to Mike Here!.

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