There are several shots to be played at Pinehurst No. 2 that stand out as a challenge for even the best players in the game, mentally as well as physically. How hard do they want to push to make a birdie? How much risk to take on? How much will they gamble?
It’s not just about difficulty – it’s about managing expectations on the layout created by Donald Ross and most recently restored by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. These decisions can make or a break a contender’s chances in this week’s U.S. Open at what likely will be a fast, firm and bouncy U.S. Open where wiregrass plants and sandy waste areas straddle so many of No. 2’s fairways.
We’re not talking “Can they hit No. 18 green under pressure?” types of questions here. Following are three key holes that, at first glance and because of their placement in a round, might not seem that important. All the same, we can’t wait to see how the pros tackle these holes that offer a great variation in possible outcomes.
No. 3: 387 yards, par 4
Hole No. 3 at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina (Copyright USGA/John Mummert)
There are many ways to play one of the shortest par 4s at Pinehurst No. 2. An iron off the tee for placement, a fairway wood to set up a shorter wedge approach, maybe a bold driver at the green? Players expect a reasonable birdie opportunity – No. 3 was one of only three holes on the course to average under par in the 2014 Open – but there are myriad ways to suffer here.
The dogleg-right hole features multiple fairway bunkers, the most predominant of them jutting out of the sandy waste on the right, perfectly placed to interfere with a safe shot off the tee. The sandy scrub on either side is nasty.
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Many competitors will play short of that bunker, setting up a likely wedge into the green. That’s simple enough. Some players might try to sneak it a past that bunker with a fairway wood, leaving an even shorter approach but inviting trouble as the fairway turns to the right just beyond the trap.
The boldest and longest players might swing away with driver, especially as the likely firm conditions will allow a perfectly struck ball to possibly go the distance and bounce onto the green. There are greenside bunkers flanking the approach, but they aren’t the worst places to be off the tee, offering a still-reasonable chance for birdie, especially when the hole is cut toward the front of the green. But a wayward miss with driver brings in all kinds of awkward trouble.
Expect the USGA to move the tees up at least for at least one round to invite even more players to take a swing at the green from the tee. On these days in particular, temptation will be greatest.
U.S. Open hole-by-hole flyovers at Pinehurst No. 2.
No. 3 – Par 4 – 387 yards pic.twitter.com/aaZ4GYOfbz— Golfweek (@golfweek) June 9, 2024
The green tilts steeply from back to front. Any pin toward the back of the green invites a bold approach that can easily hop off the back of the putting surface, leaving a delicate chip or greenside putt that must crest a challenging rise at the rear of the putting surface.
The hole gave up 114 birdies and one eagle in 2014, against 54 bogeys, 10 doubles and two “others” for a 3.922 scoring average. It’s the type of hole where a player in contention should be able to make a straightforward par if they choose to play cautiously, but the allure of a bold birdie can invite all kinds of interesting situations. No other par 4 on the course evokes this much temptation.
Hole No. 5: 588 yards, par 5
Hole No. 5 at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina (Copyright USGA/John Mummert)
No. 5 was the easiest hole in relation to par in 2014, giving up 17 eagles and 144 birdies en route to a 4.80 scoring average. It also claimed 56 bogeys, 11 double bogeys and three “others.”
Players this week certainly will be eager to swing away with high expectations. This is one of only two par 5s on the course, and players will want to capitalize. Length won’t be the problem for the pros, almost all of whom can reach the green in two good shots with ease, especially if the USGA opts to move the tees up a smidge.
It’s the severe slope of the slight dogleg-left and blind fairway that makes this tee shot most interesting – the landing area is tilted hard from high right to lower left. Even straight tee shots that land in the center of the fairway can bounce left and down into a vast sandy waste area packed with wiregrass, where luck becomes a factor in being able to reach the green in two shots or possibly having to pitch out sideways. In effect, this plays as one of the skinniest fairways at No. 2 because of the slope.
Many right-handed players will try to hit a cut tee shot into the center or right side to better hold the fairway. Pull off such a shot, and the green is there for the taking. Miss left and it’s down into the scrub. Miss right and there’s more scrub plus trees and even out of bounds for a dramatically wayward tee shot.
Some players will opt for a 3-wood to increase their chances at hitting No. 5 fairway, and some contestants might have the firepower to still reach the green after teeing off with a 3-wood that finds the firm fairway.
U.S. Open hole-by-hole flyovers at Pinehurst No. 2.
No. 5 – Par 5 – 576 yards pic.twitter.com/YVf4cipeuH— Golfweek (@golfweek) June 10, 2024
The approach shot doesn’t make any of this any easier. The hole features pinching bunkers in the approach to a narrow green, and there is a severe runoff to the left side of the putting surface – overly bold approach shots that land near the center of the green are prone to running through, down and into trouble. That’s especially true for players attacking the green from 240-plus yards away. If they temper expectations and play short of the green, perhaps bouncing a ball several times onto the front of the putting surface, players have a very reasonable chance at birdie.
Winner Martin Kaymer played this hole in 4 under par in 2014, including a third-round eagle set up by a 202-yard 7-iron from the sandy waste, where the German was lucky to find a lie from which he could advance the ball. Players can’t count on always being that lucky.
Any score from a 3 to a 7 is in play here, and that’s what makes it such an exciting hole.
No. 13: 381 yards, par 4
Hole No. 13 at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina (Jason Lusk/Golfweek)
Like No. 3, this shortest of the par 4s will test players’ commitment to hitting the fairway. Expect to see players hit everything from a long-iron to a driver off the tee on this dogleg-right uphiller with bunkers pinching the right and sandy waste areas on both sides.
A safe play off the tee with an iron or short fairway wood can help find the fairway but leaves an approach of some 150 yards up the hill. A 3-wood for much of the field is a good bet, leaving an approach of 100-120 yards, but that choice off the tee brings the bunkers directly into play on one of the skinniest fairways on the course.
A driver is a possible choice, with longer players able to clear the bunkers on the right to leave just a pitch up the hill onto the green. But the slant of the fairway in the landing area makes for a tough target, and it would be easy on firm fairways to drive through the short grass and into the sandy waste area. Don’t be surprised to see a bold competitor try this play in the final round in an effort to make up ground.
U.S. Open hole-by-hole flyovers at Pinehurst No. 2.
No. 13 – Par 4 – 385 yards pic.twitter.com/U1obi8iymO— Golfweek (@golfweek) June 10, 2024
The urge to play a longer club off the tee is exacerbated by the elevated green, which features a dramatic false front. Any approach shot that lands on the front third of the green can be slammed into reverse and roll as much as 20 to 40 yards back down the fairway. The ensuing pitch back up the hill is anything but easy.
In 2014 this hole gave up two eagles and 74 birdies against 68 bogeys and six “others” for a 4.004 scoring average. Like at each of the most interesting holes at Pinehurst No. 2, expect a wide variation in scoring with multiple ways to tackle the demands, starting at the tee and reaching all the way to the green. That’s especially true if the USGA opts to move the tees forward for one round, as it did in 2014, making the green drivable for many in the field.