Fairways of Life is joined by PGA Tour Player Ben Kohles, the 2023 Player of the Year on the Korn Ferry Tour who is set to compete at the 2024 US Open. Ben shares his thoughts on the Pinehurst #2 Course as well as his preparations through his practice round to make a run at the US Open title.
Ben Kohl’s one of the competitors in this US Open Ben good to see you my friend how much you had a chance to see the golf course how what are your thoughts in terms how it sets up for you um love it um I you know growing up in car North Carolina is not too far from uh home so um you know having this week off I wasn’t in the memorial so uh I flew home on Wednesday night and uh came here Thursday Friday you know played a couple rounds um took Saturday off hung out with the family and uh came back Sunday so um yeah I’ve already I’ve already knocked out uh like 45 holes or so and um whoa yeah but that was you know last week I didn’t even do anything yesterday just some practice yesterday I’ll play nine today and nine tomorrow so nice easy light uh you know activity kind of heading into the week obviously with the week AAS the conditions are going to be different than what you faced uh in some of these prior rounds but I am curious about how you feel the golf course sets up to your eye from tea boxes and shots it’s it’s so beautifully Donald Ross and now cor khaw renovated I think it it shows you exactly what’s out there what does it tell you yeah no it’s great I mean like you said yeah it was a little soft the greens were a little soft um last Thursday and Friday so you know that’s why I kind of waited didn’t didn’t do much yesterday they had some rain I think Sunday night um so yeah it was it was good to get you know get a nine in today nine in tomorrow hopefully see the conditions a little more like they’re going to play during the during the tournament um yeah it it’s it’s a great Golf Course um I really like you know I played it before they had the changes and and after as well and it’s I I really like how it looks right now um you’re the first one I’ve talked to that that’s played the golf course recently uh how has the love grass grown in what is it once we get off the perimeter of the fairways yeah um so it’s I think they doubled or tripled all the little the little grasses that were in there so um there’s a ton of ton of it in there but um I’m not sure how penal it’s going to be I think I feel like you have to get unlucky to not be able to H hit a shot up by the green um it it might be the key thing is of course with Pinehurst greens it’s going to be very difficult to control it and maybe stay it on the green I do feel like you’ll be able to for the most part get it up there um but you know in terms of like having to chip out or really being stymied I think my guess would be about 25% of the time so still still a harsh penalty if if you can hit fair enough when you get up around the greens how tight are the lies what are you doing in terms of bounce and soulle on your wedges to get up and down yeah um it’s they’re very tight um and I would imagine with uh you know getting even firmer and faster throughout the week um you know honestly I’ve been putting a lot um you know kimer obviously did did a pretty good job proven formula in um 2014 so um yeah they they roll really well I think um you know hitting obviously there’s certain spots that you just really want to avoid obviously long on most of the holes is not no good um um and yeah I mean that’s I think it was nice to get all that prep done kind of early you know late last week and um yeah just kind of enjoy the course of the day you know see how the bunkers are are feeling um you know see how the greens are rolling I I really think even coming here Sunday um I feel like they’ve had the greens you know I was like man they are a little soft but they are running super fast I’m not sure how much faster they can get him um and like I I saw wendam had a little comment yesterday in his presser about being borderline um yeah I think I think it’s going to be awesome I think um I saw a good tweet yesterday too um I forget who it was maybe uh was Michael Kim and he said you know they’ve instead of going like slow and then getting progressively faster throughout the week it’s almost like they kind of start pretty fast and so then they can kind of control the speed throughout the week in little sip of water here and there just exactly if they can maintain it and just out of curiosity because because we started down this road what are you doing in terms of your wedges this week are you going any lower bounce or anything like that no I mean I I have a uh no not lower bounce for sure um I uh yeah because it’s still pretty grainy I mean most of the most of the spots are a little into the grain you know once they roll off because it’s all obviously kind of Dow grain running away from the grein so no I kept everything the same that I have um you know it’s it’s uh I feel like the the firmer it almost gets um you know the less grainy it kind of is because it is is pretty smooth so um but yeah it’s it’s a you know that’s that’s what Pinehurst is made of you know those those Turtle Back greens and um you know it’s gonna be a fun challenge it’s awesome all right so you were saying that so you’re comfortable with where you are you’re comfortable that you hit the shots when you need to hit them uh is that an Ascension is that an evolution is that a maturity for a player that when you get to that position to say this is my time I think so yeah I mean you know you you kind of keep putting yourself in there in those positions throughout your career and and it’s just kind of all about Lear you know I feel like I’ve just done a really good job of you know taken all the experiences I’ve had and kind of uh you know figured out a way to to really kind of prepare going into into tournaments and and um you know it’s it’s certainly didn’t have it so much the beginning of this year but um you know feel like I I figured some stuff out and found some stuff that that’s kind of helped and and that’s really helped Ben tell us about your your path weight to get here to Pinehurst for the US Open yeah um you know having a great uh year last year on the corn fairy tour and and uh you know securing that number one spot was uh was pretty huge and got me you know into players in US Open obviously being close to home where I kind of grew up you know it’s pretty special so uh yeah just looking enjoy the week um you know super excited and uh it’s gonna be awesome we’re excited for you too before we let you go though I do want to ask you about your sponsors I can see physically some of them that that you have on you you want to go through them yeah absolutely Stitch um you know they’ve been a great partner of mine um this year they uh yeah kind of based out of kry North Carolina where I uh grew up um dreamfinders homes um and Adam Adam’s uh cable equipment that’s over here over here Ace Adam Adam’s cable equipment and um yeah Titus and FootJoy um have been big sponsors throughout my career so uh you know can’t thank him enough before I let you go because I I tell you guys this all the time you guys being defined by tour players that you’re in a position where you inspire people you’re you’re living the dream that many people have uh what message do you have for people that are harboring their own dream keep believing um you know that’s uh you know it’s something you just you really got to dig down and truly believe within yourself and I think that’s uh you know the greatest thing you can keep doing and uh you know just keep fighting for what you believe in and and what you want to accomplish uh you got to put it out into the universe if you want it to happen and and that’s you know kind of where you got to start words to live by Ben coold good luck this week my friend appreciate it great to see
