Smylie Kaufman has revealed what some who have been to Pinehurst No.2 to scout the course ahead of the US Open have told him about the setup as the third major of the year looms.
The US Open will be played at Pinehurst No.2 for the fourth time this month, with the majority of the world’s best set to head to North Carolina.
Pinehurst is certainly known as one of the toughest tests around, and some fans may be hoping for a true test of the field, particularly after Xander Schauffele broke the major championship record for the best score to par at the PGA Championship last month.
Remarkably, only one player has ever finished with a score better than -1 at a US Open at Pinehurst. Martin Kaymer somehow got to -9 back in 2014 when he won by eight shots.
Smylie Kaufman shares what he’s heard about how Pinehurst will be set up for US Open
Smylie Kaufman was in the field that year, failing to make the cut. And speaking on The Smylie Show, Kaufman explained what he has heard about the setup as he backed Rory McIlroy to have the game to do well.
“I felt really comfortable out on that golf course, and I can’t imagine why Rory wouldn’t either. That place, as you know, it’s all the green complexes,” he said.
“From the people that I’ve talked to that have recently gone and done scouting trips, it’s very similar to what it was in ’14. You’re going to have a ball that gets in the middle of the fescue, the sanded fescue area, you’re going to have a swing, and then going three yards or two yards in and you’re going to have to punch it 20 yards down the fairway. A bit of pot luck when it comes to that, but a day that you go out and hit 12 fairways, a guy like Rory, with how firm we think that golf course might be, he’s going to have short irons in and opportunities to chase down Scottie Scheffler – who’ll have a four-shot lead.”
Fans may be wary of backing Rory McIlroy in North Carolina
What has certainly been learned this year is that it is impossible to make any predictions about McIlroy’s performance at a major based on his form leading into the event.
McIlroy has been excellent on the PGA Tour this season, winning twice and finishing in the top 10 twice more.
But he was in contention at the PGA Championship before fading, and he never really got going at The Masters earlier this year.
He briefly flirted with putting pressure on Robert MacIntyre at the Canadian Open, and you would not be surprised if he was in the mix at The Memorial this week.
That will count for little once he gets to Pinehurst, but McIlroy definitely has the game to emulate what Kaymer did a decade ago.
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