whistling straits anyone?

[stoxtrader]

THe course is playing 7500 yards+, it's gotta be one of the longest tracks ever for a major. I've played there and think if the wind blows and weather is bad, we may see an even par winner. If the weather stays nice, Someone could get to 10 or 12 under...

anyone else played there?

[andyfox]

With wind expected this afternoon, they shortened up three tees, so the course is under 7400 yards today.

K.J. Choi birdied the first five holes he played today.

[HDPM]

Yeah, I love those short 7400 yard courses......

Leader put up a 65. Excellent even if the wind wasn't too bad.

I like courses in the 5200 yard range myself.

[andyfox]

For these guys, does the length reallly matter anymore? So a par 4 is 500 yards: they hit the ball 330 and then they have a 7 iron to the green.

And I still don't get all the whining that such-and-such course is "too hard." Don't they all play the same course? Somebody is going to win, whether the winning score is 20 under or 20 over. Shut up and get to work.

[stoxtrader]

do i get any credit for this post?

[andyfox]

Well, they did get to 12 under, they just couldn't stay there. Quite a horrendous putting exhibition on 18, with two guys missing the play-off by three-putting, missing short second putts, and then Leonard blowing the torunament. And Leonard wanted to be on the Ryder cup team after that performance? I'll take old man Haas and Cink over him. (So did Sutton.)

[nolanfan34]

Leonard's big mistake was going at the flag on 18. If he plays to the middle of the green, he puts the pressure on Singh to put it close. And the way Singh was putting, wouldn't you want him to have to make something?

Beautiful course though. Looked very, very difficult though. I'm a 12 handicap, and I'm wondering how easy it would be to break 90 from the blues/whites.

[HDPM]

Dunno, haven't played it. But I bet if you played from a reasonable set of tees and the wind weren't blowing a million you might be able to do it. I am a 12 now and a couple years ago I played Dye's PGA West stadium course. That is considered a difficult course. I hadn't played yet that year but didn't play too bad. I shot a real 92 with an 8 on a par 4. It was playable, but you could get penalized a lot for an error. I think WS is the same idea, with more penal bunkering and stuff. I wouldn't have gotten around from the back tees. 245 yard par 3 over water? Where do you hit a bail out 3-wood??????? Dye tries to make courses playable from forward tees for amateurs IMO, with some exceptions. But again, I haven't played WS.


When I was maybe a 5-7 handicap I attended the PGA at Cherry Hills. Given the rough and the hardness of the greens, I could not have broken 90 I don't think, even from the regular tees. There is a big difference between an everyday set up and a championship set up.

[nolanfan34]

Good thoughts. I rely on my short game and putting to score, and there's no way I can consistently carry 245 yards on a par 3. My gosh.

I'm guessing it normally plays around 6500 though.

I have played at Sahalee, site of the 1998 (? can that be right?) PGA. The day I played there, they had been playing a pretty big amateur tournament there and the greens and pins were quite precarious. I was pretty happy to shoot an 89.

[Bill Murphy]

Saturday was perhaps the most beautiful day I've ever seen during a golf tourney. Just a beautiful set up. Only Pebble & Torrey Pines comparable for scenery that I've seen.

Whatta course, right there w/Pebble & Bethpage, and like Gary Player once said in a different context, "If the wind had blown; oh, baby, if only the wind had blown."

Props to Vijay, but quite a meltdown by Leonard. He should have 4 majors now. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[stoxtrader]

I played there 1.5 years ago as an 18 and played great. we played the third set of tees, I think 6600 yards and I shot 91, took some money from the 10 I was playing with. the course is not too difficult, hence the 7400 yard setup. beautiful though.