Jim Suttie: Why the U.S. Open is the hardest major to win

I have never played in the U.S. Open, but I have been to many of them as a teacher of some of the players.

I have always been fascinated how special the United States Golf Association makes this major championship. When a player comes to the Open, he had better bring his entire game with him.

I think this is the most coveted of all the four major championships because of how difficult the setup of the course tends to be. Believe me, if you win the Open, you have game. I just don't see a rookie on the PGA Tour winning something like this.

The U.S. Open is special, in a way, because it allows anybody who can successfully go through two qualifying rounds, whether it be an amateur or professional, to play in the biggest tournament of the year.

So, what will the players have to contend with? First of all, lightning-fast greens that accommodate only those putters who are good at lagging their ball to the hole. If you tend to charge your putts, you might as well stay home.

Also, you will only see an Open on very undulating greens. The USGA committee will try to dry the greens out a little bit to make them as fast as they can get. You or I have never played on greens that these players will have to master. Because the greens are so undulating, the eventual winner will have to be able to read greens well. Every putt will seem like a fast left-to-right downhiller.

The pin positions will also make it difficult to get the ball close. Some of these pins will be tucked in the corners, and the harder than normal green texture will make it hard for a player who doesn't hit it high and spin it reasonably well to get the required distance control. The USGA's philosophy on this is that a player should be a shot-maker and be able to reach a pin tucked in the corner, even though you might have to draw the ball into a fade wind.

The greens will have heavy rough around them, so if you miss the green the ball could bury in the heavy stuff. The players will be spending plenty of time practicing their flop shots with their sand wedge. It will be like hitting from bunkers and you only have 10 yards to go to the pin. Of course, if you could stop it before it went past the pin you would be a genius. Most players will have difficulty getting the ball up and down from just off the green.

I've never seen a U.S. Open champion who couldn't drive the ball straight. The list of Open champions always has included those individuals who are very straight. Now, modern U.S. Opens require that you must be very long as well. A short-hitter just will not be able to win an Open anymore. U.S. Open fairways are about 40 yards wide and covered with two tiers of rough. The first cut will be hard to get out of, but the second cut will be quite impossible. You might see many players just trying to wedge it out on the fairway.

To win the Open, the player must have great course management. For example, if you short-side yourself on an Open course, it will be difficult just to keep your ball on the green, much less get it close to the hole.

I suppose another key ingredient for an eventual Open champion is good distance control with the iron shots.

Generally, those players who have the best distance control are also the purest strikers of the golf ball. If a player can get his ball to the hole, he will at least have a makeable putt.

Most of all, an eventual Open champion must have good mental skills. He has to be able to take the bad break or bad bounce and to be able to handle it mentally. I suppose the words for this are "mental toughness."

In a nutshell, the Open champion must have a total game with no weaknesses. I suppose that is why most of the players would rather win the Open than any other championship. You bet the USGA will make it tough, and the reason is because it is the toughest of the four majors to win.

Look for the scores to be high. If you are watching it on TV, try to learn something from this toughest test in golf. Watch how the players handle the heavy rough around the greens. Watch how silky smooth the tempo of their putting strokes are on those super-slick surfaces. Watch how patient the players are as they accept their bogeys and wait for their birdies.

The U.S. Open is truly the most difficult test in golf, and that is precisely why most of the players would rather win it than any other major. It verifies that they have the game to be the best in the world.


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