Sahalee firm and fast for 1st round of Sr. Open
SAMMAMISH, Wash. (AP) - Like every USGA championship, the greens at Sahalee Country Club for the U.S. Senior Open are intended to be firm and fast.
Tom Watson believes they may be the firmest and fastest he has experienced.
"The firmness of the greens is probably as hard as I've seen a green in America in a long time," Watson said. "They're very, very firm. And as a result the greens are not real big in depth."
Sahalee is not long by 'major' standards, 6,866 yards. But it's quite narrow, as most fairways are guarded by hundreds of fir trees, with difficult approach shots onto hard greens.
The Seattle area has been without rain for several weeks, drying up the course. The professionals don't mind firm greens as long as they stay consistent.
"We're going to be able to manage the application of water to the golf course," said Jeff Hall, USGA's managing director of rules and competitions. "We're quite satisfied with the overall firmness of the golf course presently. So the goal for the balance of the championship will be to maintain this level of firmness."
Bernhard Langer, who won the Senior British Open last week, said the course "is in phenomenal shape, really, really good, great condition." But he said all the players will need to adapt their games.
"Some of these greens are rock hard, and even a 9-iron releases 10, 15 yards on the green," Langer said. "So if you're coming in with a 3- or 4-iron, it's going to be magnified and just difficult to stop the ball. So it will be interesting and a very tough test."
Watson said the greens are firmer than they were at Pebble Beach last month at the U.S. Open. He said straight is important as height.
"I don't hit the ball nearly as high as I used to, but I'm hitting the ball pretty straight, so that's pretty good right now," he said. "I think it does maybe restrict the number of players that can win here, because of the severity of the accuracy needed."
He said high-ball hitters such as Seattle native Fred Couples and Mark Calcavecchia would be favorites this week.
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CAN YOU HEAR ME?: For the first time, Wyndham Championship tournament officials will allow fans to use mobile phones next month. Their use will be limited to designated areas around the Greensboro, N.C., course and must be on silent mode when not in use.
The accommodation was in response to complaints by fans who said the strict no-phone policy kept them out of touch with families and businesses.
"I heard about that late last night," said Jim Hyler, USGA president. "It's something we've talked about a lot. We'll be interested to see how this goes in Greensboro. It's absolutely possible that it's something we will consider and keep our eye on.
"In today's world, hand-held devices are important to people, and if we can figure out a way to control the ringing and the talking, I mean, I think it's something we will look at."
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PAVIN'S POSITION: The Ryder Cup is a little more than two months away. That doesn't mean U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin has any sense of urgency.
"The only eight guys that are going to be on the team are the guys that qualify on points right now," Pavin said. "I can sit here and tell you I don't have a list of 11 or 12 guys that, you know, I drew up a while ago and said, 'that's what I want on the team.'
"I'm not a hypothetical guy. I don't sit around and think, what if this, what if that. So I'm basically waiting for the PGA to end. And when that ends and I have eight guys that are definitively on the team then I'm going to get serious about who I think the four players that will complement those eight the best. There has been extremely small amounts of conjecture on my part because to me it's a waste of time and energy to think about that very much."
The top eight players in the Ryder Cup points automatically earn a spot on the team. Then Pavin has four captain's picks. Currently, the top eight are: Phil Michelson, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Anthony Kim, Lucas Glover, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar and Tiger Woods, the world's No. 1 player.
"I'm pleased with the top four or five guys, everybody in this room and most golf fans would say that's a good, solid start to the team," he said. "I think the last three spots and possibly four spots are up for grabs."
If Woods should slip out of the automatic eight, Pavin was asked if he'd be a no-brainer selection.
"I'm pretty confident he's going to make it on points," Pavin said.
Tom Watson believes they may be the firmest and fastest he has experienced.
"The firmness of the greens is probably as hard as I've seen a green in America in a long time," Watson said. "They're very, very firm. And as a result the greens are not real big in depth."
Sahalee is not long by 'major' standards, 6,866 yards. But it's quite narrow, as most fairways are guarded by hundreds of fir trees, with difficult approach shots onto hard greens.
The Seattle area has been without rain for several weeks, drying up the course. The professionals don't mind firm greens as long as they stay consistent.
"We're going to be able to manage the application of water to the golf course," said Jeff Hall, USGA's managing director of rules and competitions. "We're quite satisfied with the overall firmness of the golf course presently. So the goal for the balance of the championship will be to maintain this level of firmness."
Bernhard Langer, who won the Senior British Open last week, said the course "is in phenomenal shape, really, really good, great condition." But he said all the players will need to adapt their games.
"Some of these greens are rock hard, and even a 9-iron releases 10, 15 yards on the green," Langer said. "So if you're coming in with a 3- or 4-iron, it's going to be magnified and just difficult to stop the ball. So it will be interesting and a very tough test."
Watson said the greens are firmer than they were at Pebble Beach last month at the U.S. Open. He said straight is important as height.
"I don't hit the ball nearly as high as I used to, but I'm hitting the ball pretty straight, so that's pretty good right now," he said. "I think it does maybe restrict the number of players that can win here, because of the severity of the accuracy needed."
He said high-ball hitters such as Seattle native Fred Couples and Mark Calcavecchia would be favorites this week.
---
CAN YOU HEAR ME?: For the first time, Wyndham Championship tournament officials will allow fans to use mobile phones next month. Their use will be limited to designated areas around the Greensboro, N.C., course and must be on silent mode when not in use.
The accommodation was in response to complaints by fans who said the strict no-phone policy kept them out of touch with families and businesses.
"I heard about that late last night," said Jim Hyler, USGA president. "It's something we've talked about a lot. We'll be interested to see how this goes in Greensboro. It's absolutely possible that it's something we will consider and keep our eye on.
"In today's world, hand-held devices are important to people, and if we can figure out a way to control the ringing and the talking, I mean, I think it's something we will look at."
---
PAVIN'S POSITION: The Ryder Cup is a little more than two months away. That doesn't mean U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin has any sense of urgency.
"The only eight guys that are going to be on the team are the guys that qualify on points right now," Pavin said. "I can sit here and tell you I don't have a list of 11 or 12 guys that, you know, I drew up a while ago and said, 'that's what I want on the team.'
"I'm not a hypothetical guy. I don't sit around and think, what if this, what if that. So I'm basically waiting for the PGA to end. And when that ends and I have eight guys that are definitively on the team then I'm going to get serious about who I think the four players that will complement those eight the best. There has been extremely small amounts of conjecture on my part because to me it's a waste of time and energy to think about that very much."
The top eight players in the Ryder Cup points automatically earn a spot on the team. Then Pavin has four captain's picks. Currently, the top eight are: Phil Michelson, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Anthony Kim, Lucas Glover, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar and Tiger Woods, the world's No. 1 player.
"I'm pleased with the top four or five guys, everybody in this room and most golf fans would say that's a good, solid start to the team," he said. "I think the last three spots and possibly four spots are up for grabs."
If Woods should slip out of the automatic eight, Pavin was asked if he'd be a no-brainer selection.
"I'm pretty confident he's going to make it on points," Pavin said.