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Different Feel: U.S. Amateur not like the Open
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Published: August 11, 2008
PINEHURST - The U.S. Amateur will have a decidedly different feel than past U.S. Opens at Pinehurst No. 2.
The biggest difference will be the condition of the course and the crowd control. With a little under 4,500 tickets sold, there'll be plenty of room to roam and watch the best amateurs battle for one of the USGA's top prizes.
Another difference will be the course itself, which won't be as fast as usual because of the August heat and humidity.
"We might have to back off of the ‘firm and fast' a little bit," said Paul Jett, the superintendent at No. 2. "It's hot, it's humid, it's sticky, it's wet. They're all going to play the same golf course, and it isn't going to be like the golf courses we've all seen in the U.S. Open -- a little bit softer, a little bit slower."
Jett's biggest concern is making sure the course plays the same for the entire week. The tournament, with 312 players, will begin on No. 2 and on course No. 4 on Aug. 18.
Jett says that the par-70 layout will play 7,281 yards, a lot longer than the 1999 and 2005 U.S. Opens that were played on No. 2. Jett's reason for the course playing longer is simple: "These guys hit it so far," he said.
One of the long hitters is Jack Fields, who will be a freshman at North Carolina. Fields, 18, is from Southern Pines and lives about five minutes from No. 2.
Fields said he has played No. 2 only about 10 times in his life.
"I haven't thought about that yet," Fields said about the added pressure of playing close to home. "It just seems like every time I play in tournaments in this town I play terrible. I don't know why. I don't feel the pressure, but I'll feel it a little bit when I step on that first tee."
Another difference in the course from previous Opens is the graduated rough. The skinny fairways, which in some places are 22 yards wide, will be flanked by rough that starts out 11/2 inches and then goes to 23/4 with the longest rough around 31/2 inches.
"It's just a couple of extra mowers," Jett said. "We are still mowing the same amount of land that we would for the Open."
The crowds won't be a problem for the Amateur. There are hardly any bleachers set up and although the course will be roped off , viewing will be easy on a course that's very easy to walk.
Among the big names entered is High Point's Drew Weaver, who won last year's British Amateur and has shown that match play is one of his strong points. Rickie Fowler of Oklahoma State and Jamie Lovemark of Southern Cal, along with Clemson's Kyle Stanley also have outstanding resumes.
Anthony Tsiolkas of Winston-Salem also qualified for the tournament.
The obvious challenge will be the turtle-back greens at No. 2.
"The greens at No. 2 are so hard to figure out," Fields said. "That's what makes this course so much of a challenge."
Wyndham has good field
The Wyndham Championship has nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to its field.
The Wyndham, which made a bold move from Forest Oaks to Sedgefield Country Club, will have plenty of big names teeing off Thursday in the first round. Vijay Singh, Zach Johnson, Davis Love III, Rocco Mediate and David Toms are all expected to play.
Mark Brazil, who has been the tournament director since 2001, said that this field is one of the best in the last 10 years.
"I think we had five players ranked in the top 10 in 2003, but this field has got a lot of the bigger names in it," Brazil said. "We are very excited and hope we can hold them all here."
This is the final regular-season tournament for the PGA Tour, and there are FedEx Cup points up for grabs. Brandt Snedeker is the defending champion, and he proved last year that winning in this tournament can be a big boost.
Heading into last year's Wyndham, he was 26th in the FedEx Cup points race but moved all the way up to ninth with the victory. He fired a 63 on the final day at Forest Oaks.
Brazil didn't have the exact numbers but said that on-line ticket sales have doubled compared to last year's tournament.
"I think there is buzz about the tournament and the golf course, and I think there are believers out there so that's why our field is so much better," Brazil said.
Around the green
Uly Grisette, 41, who won his first Forsyth Invitational earlier this month played for N.C. State and Coach Richard Sykes. He said that playing for Sykes, who is still the coach of the Wolfpack, was a lot of fun. "One of the things he always used to say was when his team got back to school in the fall he would have all of us take off our shoes and socks," Grisette said. "And he would look at our feet and know which of us were playing a lot of golf in the summer and which of us spent more time at the pool."… Logan Jackson of Winston-Salem and David Strawn of Charlotte successfully defended their title in the North Carolina Senior Four-Ball tournament in Rocky Mount. They shot 67-69-68 (12 under) to beat Brad Burris of High Point and Sid Aldridge of Raleigh by one shot…. Quent Mather and Jeffrey Peck of Charlotte shot 67 to win the Carolinas Pro-Junior at Grandover Resort last week. Thomas Walsh of High Point and Adam Bowles of Winston-Salem tied for ninth with a 72. Brian Barry, the head pro at Pine Brook, and Andrew Kennedy tied for 14th with a 73, and the team of Randall James, the head pro at Oak Valley, and Daniel Barrett of Advance tied for 17th with a 74. Also Ross Sanderlin of High Point and Josh Nichols of Kernersville shot 74 to tie for 17th.
■ John Dell can be reached at 727-4081 or at jdell@wsjournal.com.
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