Golf’s elite will expertise the ‘stomach of the beast’ once they sort out the longest Par 3 in US Open historical past this week.
Oakmont, which is famously nicknamed ‘The Beast’, will play host to the third main of the 12 months and is designed to push the most effective to the restrict.
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One particular part on the 7,342-yard Par 70 course does that greater than most – the monstrous Par 3 eighth gap.
It’s a statistical anomaly, in that it’s not ranked among the many hardest, although the inexperienced is essentially the most troublesome to succeed in in regulation.
At full size, it performed because the longest par 3 in US Open historical past at 300 yards in 2007, solely barely dropping to 299 yards in 2016.
At that latter occasion, there have been 24 birdies on the eighth gap, along with 132 bogeys and 12 double bogeys.
That will even rise at this 12 months’s US Open, resulting from the truth that it can play over 300 yards, in response to USGA officers.
“I promise you we’ll play it at 301 this 12 months,” stated John Bodenhamer, USGA chief championships officer.
Through the iconic 63 that Johnny Miller carded through the closing spherical of the 1973 US Open at Oakmont, the eighth was the lone gap he bogeyed, having three-putted.
The final technique is tee shot to flag excessive and two putts for par – something barely left is prone to discover the 100-yard lengthy Sahara bunker.
A brand new cross bunker has been put in to make operating the ball up even more durable.
Collin Morikawa needed to hit driver into the Par 3 throughout Monday’s apply spherical and that’s one thing we’ll seemingly see loads of through the event itself.
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The longest par 3s in US Open historical past
300 yards — No. 8, Oakmont Nation Membership, fourth spherical, 2007
299 yards — No. 8, Oakmont Nation Membership, fourth spherical, 2016
299 yards — No. 7, The Los Angeles (Calif.) Nation Membership (North Course), second spherical, 2023
297 yards — No. 11, The Los Angeles (Calif.) Nation Membership (North Course), second spherical, 2023
295 yards — No. 11, The Los Angeles (Calif.) Nation Membership (North Course), fourth spherical, 2023
281 yards — No. 8, Oakmont Nation Membership, second spherical, 2007
281 yards — No. 8, Oakmont, second spherical, 2016
279 yards — No. 8, Oakmont Nation Membership, third spherical, 2007
277 yards — No. 7, The Los Angeles (Calif.) Nation Membership (North Course), third spherical, 2023
273 yards — No. 11, The Los Angeles (Calif.) Nation Membership (North Course), third spherical, 2023
272 yards — No. 7, The Los Angeles (Calif.) Nation Membership (North Course), fourth spherical, 2023
266 yards — No. 3, Merion Golf Membership (East Course), Ardmore, Pa., fourth spherical, 2013
264 yards — No. 2, Shinnecock Hills Golf Membership, Southampton, N.Y., fourth spherical, 2018
“Yeah, I imply, it simply turns into arduous. I simply don’t suppose when it’s important to make a gap that lengthy, it simply doesn’t grow to be that nice,” Viktor Hovland defined.
“It simply turns into like, okay, you bought a sure goal right here and then you definately obtained to hit a shot round there and make a par and get out of there as an alternative of a shorter par-3 that entices you to get near it, however if you happen to’re a bit bit off, you’re both within the water or in a short-sided spot or if you happen to bail out, yeah, you continue to have a tough little putt.”
“I simply suppose all the most effective par-3s are below 200,” Hovland added.
“You may perhaps have it simply over 200, however as quickly as you begin to take head covers off on par-3s, I simply suppose it will get a bit foolish.”
Jack Nicklaus, who received his very first main at Oakmont, does not relish the problem going through the present crop, having lengthy since retired.
When informed concerning the size, the 18-time main winner replied: “Properly, that’s loopy. However that’s what they do. However it’s downhill.
“I feel it’s troublesome to make , lengthy par-3. I feel it’s a really troublesome factor to have a gap the place you’re standing again, hitting a wooden at a par-3.”
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US Open 2025: Date and the right way to observe
The a hundred and twenty fifth version of the US Open will run from Thursday, June 12, to Sunday, June 15.
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