Some 13 hours before the leaders reached the 18th tee, a decision was made that would change the course of the 2015 U.S. Open. All week the word was that No. 18 would play as a traditional U.S. Open finishing hole: A long, difficult par-4 where a player could card a “good” bogey and par required two precise shots and some solid putting. And then everything changed.
How a little bit of wind changed the 2015 U.S. Open
The 72nd hole of the 2015 U.S. Open was supposed to be a difficult par-4 on Sunday. Instead, a little bit of wind changed the course of the tournament.
When the course was set up early Friday morning, the wind was coming across the 18th from left to right if you were standing on the tee box. It was this wind that nudged USGA executive director Mike Davis to set the first hole, coming down the hill, as a par-4 and the final hole as a par-5. Without this decision, the 72nd hole of the 2015 U.S. Open looks very different.
And sure, the players ripped the setup when 18 played as a par-4 on Friday. Jordan Spieth double bogeyed it, calling it “the dumbest hole I’ve ever played in my life.” Despite speculation that angry comments influenced Davis -- and, come on, if Davis could be influenced the U.S. Open would look like the weather-induced birdiefest at Congressional every year -- players coming off the morning said it was the wind, and not them, that forced 18 to be set up as a par-5.
By making the final hole of the tournament a reachable par-5, the back nine was positioned to provide an exciting finish. Between the 18th, the drivable par-4 16th, and the drivable par-4 12th, the inward nine had plenty of birdie holes, and plenty of room for players to make a run. And the best players in the world did just that.
For an idea of how dramatic the difference between the two setups of 18, consider the statistics. As a 525-yard par-4 on Friday, the 18th saw no eagles, 17 birdies, 77 pars, 56 bogeys and six double bogeys or worse while playing as the fifth-toughest hole on the course. On Saturday, as a 604-yard par-5, the 18th saw one eagle, 30 birdies, 34 pars, nine bogeys and a single double bogey while playing as the third-easiest hole on the course. The shift between a difficult par-4 and gettable par-5 was dramatic.
We don’t know exactly what would have happened had the 18th played as a par-4 on Sunday. We do know that as a par-4 the landing area for drives on the 18th was the size of a postage stamp for all but the longest hitters (like, say, Dustin Johnson). And we certainly know that those players lining up eagle putts in the 12-foot range wouldn’t be happening either.
In an interesting twist, the wind flipped by the time the leaders came to the 18th. It was one final twist in a tournament that, despite the gripes, provided drama right up until its final moments.
See More:
