Sports World Shifts Focus to Pinehurst & U.S. Open


Now that the third and final leg of horse-racing's Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, and tennis's second Grand Slam event, the French Open, are over the attention of the sports world can focus on golf.

The game's second annual major championship, the U.S. Open, begins Thursday on the famed Donald Ross-designed No. 2 Course at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.

History will be made as, for the first time ever, the same course will host the U.S. Women's Open the following week, so all eyes will be on the historic resort and village in Carolina's Sandhills region for the next fortnight.

Justin Rose is the defending U.S. Open champion. The 33-year-old Englishman held strong throughout the final round last year at the difficult Merion Golf Club in Pennsylvania, closing with an even-par 70 to finish two strokes ahead of Jason Day and Phil Mickelson.

Here's more background about "America's National Golf Championship" and its host site this year.

• Like Merion, Pinehurst No. 2 will play as a par-70. It will be set up at 7,562 yards long; when it held the U.S. Open in 2005 it was also a par 70 but the length was 7,214 yards. Ross designed the course, which officially opened in 1907. The first nine holes were completed in 1901. In March 2011, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw restored the course, bringing back many of Ross's original design characteristics - including the removal of trees and reintroduction and expansion of sandy waste areas. Based on the course setup for the championship, the USGA Course Rating is 76.0 and its Slope is 147.

• The championship is open to any professional and amateur golfer with a Handicap Indexฎ not exceeding 1.4. In 2014, the USGA accepted 10,127 entries, the highest total in U.S. Open history. The previous mark was set last year when 9,860 golfers entered. There were 9,086 entries filed in 2009, and 9,052 in 2010. In 2005, 9,048 golfers sought the chance to play at Pinehurst No. 2. In 2014, the starting field of 156 golfers will be cut after 36 holes to the low 60 scorers and ties.

• This is the 114th U.S. Open Championship. The U.S. Open, which was first played in 1895, was not contested for two years (1917-18) during World War I and for four years (1942-45) during World War II. The youngest winner of the U.S. Open was 19-year-old John McDermott, who won in 1911; he is among eight players age 21 or younger to have won the U.S. Open. The oldest winner is Hale Irwin, who was 45 and playing on a special exemption when he secured his third U.S. Open title in 1990. Irwin also won in 1974 and '79.

• There is a quartet of four-time U.S. Open winners: Willie Anderson (1901, 1903, 1904, 1905), amateur Robert T. Jones Jr. (1923, 1926, 1929, 1930), Ben Hogan (1948, 1950, 1951, 1953) and Jack Nicklaus (1962, 1967, 1972, 1980). Only five players have won the Masters and U.S. Open titles in the same year: Craig Wood (1941), Hogan (1951, 1953), Arnold Palmer (1960), Nicklaus (1972) and Tiger Woods (2002).

• Since 1991, only four champions have finished better than 15th in trying to defend their U.S. Open crowns. Woods tied for sixth in 2009 after capturing his third Open title at Torrey Pines (South Course) the previous year. Woods also tied for 12th in 2001 after winning his first Open at Pebble Beach. Retief Goosen tied for 11th in 2005 following his second Open title at Shinnecock Hills. Seven champions missed the cut the next year during this period, including Rory McIlroy in 2012.

• Five-time major champion Phil Mickelson has yet to win a U.S. Open title in 21 attempts. Many fans are hoping No. 22 is a charm.

• This is the third U.S. Open Championship and seventh USGA championship to be conducted at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club (Course No. 2).

• In 1999, Payne Stewart made a par-saving putt from 18 feet on the final hole to defeat Mickelson by a stroke en route to his second U.S. Open title. With an even-par round of 70, Stewart was the only player to finish under par for the championship, with a 1-under total of 279. Mickelson finished at 280. Woods and Vijah Singh made bids for the lead in what was a four-man race on Sunday, but they each ended up two back at 1-over 281. Stewart needed just 24 putts during the final round and one-putted the last three greens when it mattered most. He won two U.S. Opens and posted two runner-up finishes in the 1990s.

• In 2005, Michael Campbell became the first New Zealander to win the U.S. Open when he made an important birdie from 25 feet on the par-3 17th that helped him stave off Woods by two strokes. Campbell also was the first sectional qualifier to win the Open since Steve Jones in 1996. As 54-hole leader Goosen slipped back, it quickly became a two-man battle, with Woods playing in the third-to-last group, just ahead of Campbell. Woods had struggled with his putting all week, but found the hole for birdies on hole Nos. 10, 11 and 15 to pull within two of Campbell. But Campbell answered the challenge with the birdie on No. 17, the third time he had birdied that hole in the championship.

• No. 2 will have the longest par-4 in U.S. Open history. Its 16th hole will play at 528 yards. Previous longest par-4s include:

525 yards, seventh at Bethpage State Park (Black Course), Farmingdale, N.Y., 2009
523 yards, 18th at Congressional Country Club (Blue Course), Bethesda, Md., 2011
521 yards, 18th at Merion Golf Club (East Course), Ardmore, Pa., 2013
520 yards, first at The Olympic Club (Lake Course), San Francisco, Calif., 2012
515 yards, sixth at Torrey Pines (South Course), San Diego, Calif., 2008
514 yards, ninth at Winged Foot Golf Club (West Course), Mamaroneck, N.Y., 2006

Facts & Figures

Rose: last international winner (2013)

Curtis Strange: last to successfully defend title (1989)

Francis Ouimet: last winner in his first attempt (1913)

Webb Simpson: last winner in his second attempt (2012)

McIlroy: last start-to-finish winner with no ties (2011)

a-Robert T. Jones Jr.: last winner to birdie the 72nd hole to win by a stroke (1926)

Woods: last winner to birdie the 72nd hole (2008)

Woods: last winner to birdie the 72nd hole to force a playoff (2008)

Geoff Ogilvy: last winner without a round in the 60s (2006)

McIlroy: last winner with all rounds in the 60s (2011)

Simpson: last winner between ages 20-29 (26 in 2012)

Rose: last winner between ages 30-39 (32 in 2013)

Stewart: last winner age 40 and higher (42 in 1999)

McIlroy: last defending champion to miss the cut (2012)

Irwin: last winner who received a special exemption (1990)

Lucas Glover: last winner to come through sectional qualifying (2009)

Orville Moody: last winner to come through local and sectional qualifying (1969)

John Goodman: last amateur winner (1933)

Cybergolf Coverage

Two of our best writers, David Droschak and Jay Flemma, will be providing updates and features from Pinehurst throughout U.S. Open week. Stay tuned.

Television Coverage

The U.S. Open will receive at least 35 hours of live network coverage. NBC will air at least 19 hours of coverage throughout the championship and ESPN will air at least 16 hours over the first two days of play. More than 180 countries are part of U.S. Open TV coverage. Here's the schedule:

June 12 - ESPN/ESPN2 - 9 a.m.-3 p.m., 5-7 p.m.; NBC - 3-5 p.m.
June 13 - ESPN - 9 a.m.-3 p.m., 5-7 p.m.; NBC - 3-5 p.m.
June 14 - NBC -Noon-7:30 p.m.
June 15 - NBC - Noon-7:30 p.m.

In the event of a tie after 72 holes, an 18-hole playoff will be scheduled on Monday, June 16. ESPN will cover it from noon-2 p.m., with NBC taking over from 2 p.m. to its conclusion.

Portions of the above report are courtesy of the USGA. For the full field, tee times and pairings and live scoring, visit www.usga.org.