Ways to approach the fifth green at Pinehurst No. 2 | Live From the U.S. Open | Golf Channel

Johnson Wagner analyzes a number of hole locations on the fifth hole at Pinehurst No. 2 and the different ways to approach the challenging green ahead of the 2024 U.S. Open. #GolfChannel #USOpen #Pinehurst
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Ways to approach the fifth green at Pinehurst No. 2 | Live From the U.S. Open | Golf Channel
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guess who’s out at the fifth hole here at Pinehurst Johnson Wagner Wags what do you have for us at number five well Rich this is probably my favorite green complex on the entire property growing up as a kid playing North South Junior and Amer events uh it was always a par 4 and I thought it was the hardest hole on planet Earth uh got a couple front hole locations front right front left set up and just wanted to demonstrate how how violent this false front is on this screen so you can did a pretty good shot think you have a chance of holding actually I may have tossed that perfectly to get it to hold look how slowly this ball is coming Mel re what at least I’m out here hitting the shots all right we’re going to get one to roll off here this front front false front here sometimes it goes in the bunker sometimes it goes down into this native area that one’s in the bunker really deep bunker shot going to be pretty brutal here this one’s just going to trickle if you come up a little more short and it’s going to get down into go go ah didn’t get it there all we’re going to get one down in the native area and this is impossible if you’re down here in this area yes you can get some good lies but more than likely you’re going to get a bad lie I’ve been blessed with a good one it’s very Rocky down here and there’s all sorts of Love grass but this area or wire grass but this area gets so much action that I think a lot of the grass has been has been chewed up uh looking up here at this shot man thanks Andrew uh I’m literally I don’t care where the whole location is if you are down in this stuff you are trying to make sure that your ball’s not back down here after this one the sand is different it’s a little firmer so it’s actually pretty fun to play off of oh man probably should have stayed with the 60 degree on that one but I made pretty good contact I’m sure that’s over the back of the Green in the chipping area which is actually a pretty good spot to be to virtually any pan down here in the bunker let me see that 60 down here in this bunker you can see just how deep it is can’t see the surface of the green all you see is this wall of uh green that’s going to basically bring it right back down to you and again I’m not trying to get it close to that hole I think it’s too risky get me off the short grass and I’m actually looking like I know what I’m doing so one of the spots on this course where you think on the screen where you think okay this isn’t going to be a bad spot you somehow managed to keep it just short of the green right here and I’m going to use a putter on this one get my trusty caddy Andrew Bradley I watched him de green it about six times from this exact location I don’t know how that one ball stayed up but we’re right here and if you take a direct line at this whole location you are probably going to miss the green like a second shot at Pinehurst I feel like you have to play to the middle of the green even on a putt like this cuz the result of getting too aggressive can be brutal so I’m just going to be pretty conservative here watch how much this thing is going to break down towards that hole just insane how much pitch and movement is on the screen now talking with players and caddies that have been out here the right side is the myth these bunkers they feel like they can at least play a chunk and run or something down onto the green complex and and sort of get away with something and the back location back here I find to be pretty darn nice to any whole location you do have to be careful of these front ones how have I done this all right so we’re at right here this is I saw Matt coocher put one off the green to this front hole location from this exact spot about an hour ago and the problem is if you get aggressive and try to get it close there’s about a yard of green on the other side to keep it there I think I’ve hit that a little hard easy baby and that is gone the other front hole location right here on the front left got a little got a little scar on that ball this over here on the front right it’s so uphill you’ve got to hit this so hard knowing the other side is going off the front of the green and I didn’t get it out to the right enough and it’s going to it it’s just this golf course this green does everything that you’re scared of it forces you to be very tentative when you hit shots and brandle this is the putt you wanted me to hit back of the green let’s just say I’ve hit the most beautiful hybrid of my life into this par five I’ve kept it on the surface now I’m putting downhill or a chip fresh what was that or a chip or a chip shop from the fridge fa but I I think what’s so interesting about this putt is that you you you’re so tentative with the speed because you don’t want it to go past I think I’ve hit that just a hair hard but it’s really good speed it’s dribbling past the hole and that thing is gone either in the bunker or back down in the native area this is probably the most questionable green on the golf course but I absolutely love what it does and I think it’s a better par five than a par four that was going to be my question Johnson because so many of the players looking at this hole it’s not a green that’s receptive to a long iron it it absolutely is a third shot green but is it worth it going for it because even the third shot you feel feel like it’s hard to get close if you have a wedge in hand it it is I I I got out here a little bit ago Matt coocher came through and hit a beautiful three-wood he said he was 258 yards out it landed into the upslope trickled past the hole and stopped right here on the back edge of the green he then walked up and hit a few wedges I mean even from 85 90 yards you are trying to hit a wedge into the center of the green you just cannot get aggressive at any pen on the screen Johnson I’m not telling you anything you don’t know but no no I’m just saying it you not that you needed proof of this but Paige is in fact the only mature person up here I I do I do want to ask you this I I do want to ask you in the driving area if we go back to the driving area on this hole uh we know how wide the Fairway is but on the left side not 5 in out of the out of the Fairway is some of the really thick vegetation lining what from about 280 to 300 is that right is is well that left bunker I think roughly is 288 to cover and it’s around that bunker and just past it and what what it does unfortunately for a guy like me if I were playing it really penalized the shorter hitter the longer hitters like Rory Scotty they’re going to be able to get Bryson they’re going to be able to get it past that stuff down that left side and not have to worry about it but the left side this native area down this Fairway that left side’s some of the thickest stuff I’ve seen Johnson I I’m going to finish with with a general question to you it’s obviously it’s obvious you’re struggling with your chipping and I know you’ve been viral all over the place and and a lot of your your friends and on tour as you were out there today you know have come up and given you words of encouragement had a bit of fun with you about it I I I and there’s a serious question can you just give me a kind of a a snapshot of the two or three pieces of advice that you’ve got in terms of chipping uh from from your peers because I know that they’ve all been watching and and they’ve all given you some uh some good thoughts so I I know it’s not an easy part of the game we know that particularly around here um and and I think a lot of people at home will benefit a lot from what what you’ve been what what you’ve been told from your peers uh well I was walking down the driving range Paul today and and Billy horel said Johnson get over here I’m going to help you and he said he said that he used to have the same issues what what I what I do is I drag the handle when I’m chipping and it changes the bottom so I have to go like this what Billy hell and his coach Todd Anderson told me to do was to I I hinge my wrist so I’ve got to unload it at some point and whenever I’ve learned how to chip to release the the club head i’ I’ve tried to do it under the ball and I either fat it or skull it and so what Todd Anderson and Billy told me to do is to release it here and really embrace the contact with the ground and I’m telling you what Paulie I hit six shots on the driving range today with Billy hell 60° and I feel like a new man not good enough to pull it out on live TV tonight but I look forward for the rest of the week well Hey listen not to further complicate things here but everybody wants to help you I was walking today with Gabriel yead who’s a short game coach to so many players he’s absolutely wonderful having great success out here and as we were talking about some of his students o shaa being one of them he said you know by the way I can help Johnson Wagner and I was like all right give it to me I I’ll I’ll tell him he said he said all all people who struggle with their chips it’s an acceleration problem from the top down they’re all accelerating he goes so they’re he said if you get them to accelerate going backwards it will flip the switch and they’ll chip better he goes I’ve worked with and cured he said so many different yippers by getting them to accelerate on the back swing so just throwing it out there for you Johnson something to play with tomorrow if you green it or hold a chip shot this week it may well be a viral moment for all of us hey well I i’ I’ve played a lot of golf with Gabe and I saw him and I my problem is I’m too quick off the ball I don’t think I need to accelerate anymore but I appreciate it I’m going to stick with Todd Anderson right now Todd’s my guy second second to Scotty Sheffer one of the themes in golf 2024 the whole world want to help our pal Johnson Wagner