The U.S. Open is annually one of the hardest tests in golf on one of the biggest stages in the sport, and the 2012 rendition at Olympic Club will be no exception. While boasting 500+-yard par 4’s and even pushing the 300 yard mark on a par-3, the Club’s par-5 16th has become the longest in U.S. Open history: measuring in at a whopping 670 yards.
Hole-ly Moly! Olympic Club’s 16th Hole Longest in U.S. Open History
Many players are already commenting on the enormity of the hole, including former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen.
“If anybody is on the green in two this week, that’s something special,” Oosthuizen said of the remodeled 16th. Even former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover marvelled at the new hole layout during a practice round, which required him to hit driver-3-wood-sand wedge onto the green. What are the chances of a player going for the green in two?
"That hole is all you want," Glover said. "I don't know that anybody, without a serious wind at their back, could get there in two. Getting there? Maybe. Getting the ball to hold? There's no chance. It's a three-shot hole for sure."
Olympic Club - despite playing to a par-70 - is well-known for its challenging layouts in past national championships. Playing at 7,170 yards, the course as a whole is nearly 400 yards longer than it was back in 1998, when it last hosted the U.S. Open.
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