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Toughest hole in the US Open

June 20, 2004

One of the shortest holes on Shinnecock Hills drew most of the attention - and almost all of the ire from those playing the third round of the US Open golf tournament.

The 189-yard 7th hole, a par-3 known as "Redan," had the world's best players muttering to themselves and complaining out loud today.

"Seven is unplayable so I guess the majority of the field is going to make four there, which is ridiculous," said Ernie Els, who did make a four there, one of 27 bogeys - along with three double-bogeys and one birdie the 66 players managed Saturday.

The hole was ranked the toughest for the first three rounds.

Phil Mickelson and Shigeki Maruyama were tied for the lead with Jeff Maggert at 6-under par when they got to Redan.

When they left the green that slopes severely from front right to back left, Maruyama was one shot behind and Mickelson was two back.

"It's brutal, it really is," Tiger Woods said.

"We both made 3s but it was a lot of work to make 3."

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A Redan hole - its name comes from a fortification used by Russia against British and French forces in the Crimean War - is supposed to be set up so that the prevailing wind is in a player's face. The wind at Shinnecock Hills on Saturday was across the hole, meaning the wind would be behind the ball as it was already going down the slope.

"The change in the wind had a great deal to do with it," said Walter Driver, the chairman of the championship committee.

"The green is very firm and we had given instruction to stop rolling the green as of Tuesday and I found out today, after the round, that for some reason, a different person on the greens staff had rolled the green this morning despite the orders we had given."

Mickelson's 8-iron tee shot landed short and right of the hole and kept rolling all the way off the green. His chip was went five feet by the hole, and he barely touched the par putt. That made no difference as it trickled 12 feet past the cup, lucky to stay on the green. Mickelson missed that and took double bogey.

"I knew I couldn't try to make it," he said of his first putt.

"I actually played it a little bit left and hit it easy, just trying to get it to stop and make four. It never stopped, it just kept going. It could have gone even farther, I was lucky it stopped right there."

Many of the players said the best play was to aim for the bunker on the left and then try and make an up-and-down for the par.

Sergio Garcia did that, barely.

"I came out of the bunker about five feet above the hole," he said.

"If my putt didn't catch the hole I'd still be hitting bunker shots there."

Jeff Maggert made a three from the bunker.

"When you have to hit it in the bunker to try to make par, I don't think it's a very good hole," he said.

- AP