The U.S. Open at Pinehurst No.2 is now a week away – and 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus has had his say on the challenging North Carolina venue.
America’s most prestigious competition has been hosted at Pinehurst three times previously, and, to date, only one player has finished with a score better than one under: Martin Kaymer’s remarkable performance in 2014.
The third major of the year promises to be a stern test of the world’s best and something utterly different to the lush and inviting fairways of Valhalla.
No.2 is known for its run-off areas that will punish any wayward approach shot. It’s a similar story on the fairways, which run out into sometimes unplayable waste areas.
Nicklaus never managed to win at Pinehurst – and the 84-year-old made an interesting comment on the last time he saw the course.
Jack Nicklaus sheds light on his most recent Pinehurst No.2 visit
Speaking ahead of the Memorial Tournament this week, Nicklaus expressed his love for the 2024 U.S. Open venue.
“From a design standpoint, I’ve always loved No.2,” he said. “It’s a tree-lined golf course without a tree in play. Donald Ross liked repelling golf because if you miss it there, off it goes.”
Despite initially praising the course, Nicklaus admitted the course previously looked “terrible” due to new rough that was being planted.
He added: “I love Pinehurst, and I think pictures I’ve seen of it lately look better. It looked terrible the last time they played there because they had just started planting that rough, and it was big ugly plants, and basically, it looks to be that they’ve got it back to the wire grasses – that’s what should have been there to start with.”
Nicklaus went on to suggest that the beauty of the North Carolina track comes from how the fairways, as well as the rough, feed the ball off into the rough.
Nicklaus said: “I thought what they did with the irrigation system is that they only put a centre line irrigation system in, and however far it went out is as far as the fairway went out, and as the fairway got thin, the ball moved off into the rough, and that was the beauty of Pinehurst.”
Can anyone come close to Martin Kaymer’s record at Pinehurst No.2?
With such a high-profile field heading to Pinehurst next week, talk of someone matching Kaymer’s 2014 record will no doubt emerge.
However, considering no one apart from the German has finished better than one under through 72 holes, it’s hard to envisage even the likes of Scottie Scheffler getting close to the nine-under mark.
After the PGA Championship at Valhalla, a test is undoubtedly required. Watching the world’s best make a birdie after birdie is entertaining, but watching the likes of Scheffler and Rory McIlroy grind out pars on Pinehurst’s scorched fairways could be compelling viewing.
Next Thursday’s first tee time, quite simply, can’t come around soon enough.
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