Similarities striking between Merion and Oakmont
The similarities were striking, starting with having to get off the Pennsylvania Turnpike and travel a short distance through a neighborhood to get to the golf course. It continued when we reached the property of Merion Golf Club in the Philadelphia suburb of Ardmore on Monday.
The occasion was U.S. Open Media Day, a chance for the United States Golf Association to officially unveil plans for the national championship and crank up the hype for an event that’s already been sold out for months.
The similarities? Oh yeah, when you’re at Merion you definitely get the same feelings you do when you are at Oakmont Country Club. Both places exude the sense of history, what has been accomplished there and why they are ranked as highly as they are around the world.
When the U.S. Open comes to suburban Philadelphia June 13-16, it will face the same sort of logistical nightmares it does at the Open site each year. But those will be multiplied many times by the fact that Merion is jammed into 110 acres in the middle of an upper-class neighborhood with streets that are congested on normal days.
USGA Executive Director Mike Davis and his staff have worked out an intricate plan involving spectators, transportation, players, media and dozens of other things outsiders would never think of. But at Merion, there are things like the lack of space on the course for a lot of hospitality tents. So, a group of those have already been erected at Haverford College, about a mile down the street from the clubhouse.
The practice range at the East Course (where the championship will be held) is too small to handle the 156-player field so players will be shuttled between the clubhouse and the West Course’s range, about a mile and a half away.
But once the players get onto the course, get a glimpse at its intricate routing and the signature wicker baskets that sit atop pins on the greens instead of flags, they’re going to know this is going to be a special week.
When they leave the white clubhouse trimmed in green (Oakmont’s predominant colors), they won’t have to go far to get to the first tee. It sits adjacent to a patio where members convene and there has to be a feeling of being very up close and personal. At Oakmont, there’s a bit more of a walk to get your round started, but it’s still within the shadows of the building.
The course itself was opened in 1912 by Hugh Wilson, and he was the guy who brought the wicker basket idea back from a trip to Europe. He had seen a few courses do that over there in attempt to conceal wind direction and strength from players, and they have been a staple on Merion’s East Course since then.
When you look out at the course, the championship quality is very visible. Like Oakmont, Merion has plenty of bunkers and there is plenty of high rough surrounding those bunkers, making it difficult to roll a ball into them, but also making it very difficult to escape with your next shot.
The course will play at most 6,996 yards, the first U.S. Open course to be less than 7,000 yards since 2004.
And while players may look at the Merion scorecard and think this might be one of the easiest Open layouts, that would be an incorrect assumption.
“This year you, I don’t care who it is, whether it’s a long or short hitter, or medium hitter, you have got to control your ball, you got to be very precise and think your way around,” said Davis.
That’s another similarity with Oakmont, even though there are nearly 500 more yards to navigate at the suburban Pittsburgh course than at Merion.
What you’ll no doubt see at Merion will be a bundle of birdies on the first 13 holes where five par fours are under 400 yards and where both of the par fives on the course are located. But some of those will be negated on the last five holes, which might be the toughest finishing holes ever played in a U.S. Open.
The defending U.S. Open champion, Webb Simpson, spoke to the media via Skype on Monday. He has some experience at Merion, having played in the U.S. Amateur there in 2007.
“I don’t think there will ever be a point in this U.S. Open where somebody will have it won because the last five holes are so hard that a guy will be hanging on as he comes down the last holes if he has a lead,” Simpson said. “But I think that’s what will make it more exciting. There will be birdie opportunities, but knowing, hey, even if I’m three or 4-up I got to step on 14 tee and I got a long ways home. So that will be exciting for the fans.”
Bottom line: U.S. Open week is going to be tough for the players, but a great week for fans.
Mike Dudurich is a freelance golf writer and hosts The Golf Show on Sports Radio 93.7 The Fan Saturday mornings at 7 a.m.