Oakmont ‘built for a U.S. Open’ – USGA officer John Bodenhamer | Golf Channel

Oakmont ‘built for a U.S. Open’ – USGA officer John Bodenhamer | Golf Channel

PLANT HIS FLAG. 125th U.S. OPEN BEING CONTESTED, UNDER WAY NEXT THURSDAY AND CURRENTLY AT OAKMONT WITH ONE OF OUR PALS FROM THE UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION, LETS SAY GOOD FROOND TO EAMON LYNCH. >> THANKS, I AM HERE WITH JOHN, A MAN THAT SAID IF THINGS ARE GOING GREAT HE PROBABLY DOESN’T GET ENOUGH CREDIT, IF WRONG, PROBABLY TOO MUCH BLAME. BEFORE WE START TALKING OAKMONT AND ITS PLACE WITH THE CHAMPIONSHIP, HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS SPECIFIC DAY IN TERMS OF DNA OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP? >> IT IS A GREAT QUESTION, VERY IMPORTANT DAY TO THE U.S. OPEN, USGA IN GENERAL, EXEMPLIFIES WHAT WE ARE ABOUT. THE CHAMPIONSHIP, ALL CHAMPIONSHIPS YOU CAN ENTER FOLLOW YOUR DREAM THROUGH HARD WORK, PERSEVERANCE, THE MOST DEMOCRATIC IN GOLF, DOESN’T MATTER WHERE YOU COME FROM, GET YOUR BALL IN THE HOLE, YOU CAN PLAY. >> YOU ATTEMPTED YOURSELF TO QUALIFY. YOU KNOW I LOVE WATCHING, YOU CAME PAINFULLY CLOSE TO QUALIFYING ON GOLF’S LONG-EST DAY ONCE. >> YES, MANY YEARS AGO IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WHERE I GREW UP WHEN COMPETING, I GOT WITHIN ONE STROKE OF A PLAYOFF AT A PLACE OUTSIDE OF SEATTLE CALLED ENGLEWOOD GOLF CLUB. IN THAT PLAYOFF WAS A TEAMMATE OF MINE AT BYU, DICK ZOEKAL WHO LOST TO A FRIEND, ELFIN FANNING, IT WAS MY DREAM. >> PEBBLE BEACH. >> YEAH. >> WE ARE TEN DAYS FROM THE 10th U.S. OPEN HERE AT OAKMONT. IT IS ONE OF YOUR ANCHOR SITES. WHY KEEP COMING BACK TO OAKMONT? WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES THIS SUCH AN ATTRACTIVE VENUE FOR THE USGA? >> WE BELIEVE THERE ARE JUST CERTAIN PLACES IN OUR GAME WHERE YOU STAND ON THE FIRST TEE AND YOU LOOK OVER THE LANDSCAPE AND IT IS JUST MEANT TO PLAY THE U.S. OPEN. OAKMONT IS THAT PLACE AND IT IS, REALLY BUILT FOR A U.S. OPEN, THE CULTURE THIS CLUB IS TOUGHNESS, BACK TO BEGINNING, THE PHONES FAMILY, BUT MORE THAN THAT, I THINK IT IS GREAT ARCHITECTURE, YOU THINK ABOUT THIS PLACE AND THIS WAS THE ONLY LAYOUT THE HENRY FAMILY, SET FORTH WITH, THEIR ONLY GOLF COURSE, AND IT IS SAME ROUTING, SAME HOLES, 8th HOLE MOVED A ITBITAL BECAUSE OF CONSTRUCTION OF THE TURNPIKE BUT SAME GOLF COURSE, I THINK IT IS GREAT TESTAMENT, TIMELINESS, TIMELESSNESS OF OAKMONT. IT HAS JUST STOOD THE TEST OF TIME. AND IT OPENED AS 6,408 YARD PAR 80. LITTLE LONG– >> MIGHT SEE A LITTLE BIT AS WELL. >> CLUB PRIDEATIZESELF ON BEING AMERICA’S GREATEST TEST OF GOLF, A QUINTESSENTIAL U.S. OPEN VENUE. >> I UNDERSTAND WHY THE FAMILY NEVER DESIGNED A SECOND. GIL HANSEN HAS DONE A LOT OF WORK RESTORING THE VISION. WHAT ARE THE KEY THINGS THAT FANS AND PLAYERS ARE GOING TO SEE NEXT WEEK THAT WORKED HERE IN 2016? >> IT IS REALLY AN INTERESTING SORT OF RESTORATION, RESTORATIVE PROJECT. GIL TOOK, REALLY, KEY ASPECTS OF WHAT THE DESIGN WAS FROM THE FIRST DAY 1903 TO INTO THE 40, WHAT HAS BEEN RESTORED WILL BE THE FIRST U.S. OPEN GOLF COURSE, REALLY PLAYED AS INTENDED TO BE PLAYED, SINCE 1940s, WE THINK HAT IS REALLY COOL. I THINK, REALLY, WHEN YOU LOOK A WHAT GIL HAS DONE, EXPANSION OF THE PUTTING GREEN, THEY ARE LEGENDARY, STORIES THAT PLAYERS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SPEEDS AND LOCATIONS AND IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY. I THINK THE THING WITH OAKMONT ARE BUNKERS. ALONG WITH PUTTING GREEN EXPANSIONS, THE BUNKERS ARE MAGNIFICENT, IN THE FAIRWAY AND AROUND THE PUTTING GREENS. I THINK, THANKFULLY, FOR THE PLAYER’S SAKE THEY ARE NOT FURROWED BUT STILL PRETTY DARN TOUGH. >> CAN WE GET THOSE FURROWS BACK FOR NEXT WEEK? VERY MUCH TRADITIONAL U.S. OPEN MOST GOLF FANS HAVE BECOME ACCUSTOM TO AND ENJOY OVER THE YEARS. >> THAT IS RIGHT. WE BELIEVE WE CAN SHOWCASE ALL OF AMERICA’S GREATEST VENUE, GOOD GINNING OF OUR STRATEGY, THE FIRST PILLAR. WE GO TO AMERICA’S GREATEST VENUES AND I THINK WE CAN SHOWCASE ALL OF THOSE GREAT VENUES ACROSS OUR COUNTRY. BUT HERE I THINK EVERYBODY IS IN STORE FOR A GOOD OLD FASHIONED U.S. OPEN. >> THE LAST MAJOR WAS PLAYED LAST MONTH, PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, THERE WAS SOME CONTROVERSY OVER EQUIPMENT TESTING WHICH USGA CONDUCTS INVITATION OF OTHER ENTITIES IN THAT CASE, PGA AMERICA, PGA TOUR, ANYBODY IN GOLF KNOWS IT DOESN’T PASS A STRESS TEST. THIS BECAME SOMETHING OF A CONTROVERSY. TRYING TO IMPLY THERE SOMETHING NEFARIOUS. WHAT IS EQUIPMENT TESTING THAT WILL BE IN PLACE FOR THE U.S. OPEN? >> WEWILL TEST DRIVERS HERE AT THE U.S. OPEN. IT IS SOMETHING PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, PGA OF AMERICA INVITED, PGA TOUR THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AT MULTIPLE EVENTS. THE PLAYERS KNOW IT, THEY ARE FAMILIAR WITH IT. RANDOMLY WE WILL TEST THE DRIVERS OF A NUMBER OF PLAYERS, AND WE DO IT EARLY IN CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK, AND THE PLAYERS WELCOME IT, THEY WANT TO WIN EQUIPMENT THAT CONFORMS AND SO THEY ARE VERY SUPPORTIVE. YOU KNOW, I THINK WE KEEP IT KIND OF UNDER THE RADAR, WE DON’T WANT IT TO BE A DISTRACTION TO THE PLAYERS, BUT THEY ARE COOPERATE SXFB IT WORKS WELL. WE THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS DONE THE RIGHT WAY AND EVERYBODY IS PLAYING WITH THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT. >> LUCAS GLOVER SUGGESTED SOME DON’T HAND OVER THEIR GAMER DRIVER, THEY MAY HAND OVER A BACK UP DRIVER, ALSO TALKED ABOUT THE IDEA OF EVERYBODY OUGHT TO BE TESTED RATHER THAN JUST RANDOM SAMPBLING. ARE YOU CONFIDENT THE WAY IT IS SET UP NOW IT IS SUFFICIENTLY ROBUST? >> WE ARE CONFIDENT, WE BELIEVE IN THE INTEGRITY OF THE PLAYERS, YOU KNOW, AS I SAID, THE PLAYERS FULLY COOPERATE THE TOUR INVITES US IN, OTHER MAJORS, AND SO WE FEEL VERY CONFIDENT AND IT IS WHAT THE PLAYERS WANT. >> BY THE END OF TODAY, BY THE TIME NIGHT FALL COMES, THE FIELD IS GOING TO BE LARGELY SET FOR THE UNITED STATES OPEN. DO YOU ANTICIPATE ANY SPECIAL INVITATIONS EXTENDED BETWEEN NOW AND NEXT WEEK? >> IN ALL HONESTY, WE DO NOT. I THINK ONCE WE GET THROUGH TODAY, GOLF’S LONGEST DAY, HOPEFULLY WITH NO WEATHER THAT WILL DELAY US INTO TOMORROW, WE WILL HAVE OUR FEEL. WE WILL LET SOME THING MRAZ OUT, SAVING SOME SPOTS FOR YOU KNOW, HOW OWGR SETS UP AND JUST IN CASE SOMETHING HAPPENS TO THE CANADIAN OPEN THIS COMING WEEK, WE WILL SAVE A FEW SPOTS BUT WE WILL LARGELY BE FULL FIELD AFTER TODAY. >> LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. GREA

USGA chief championships officer John Bodenhamer talks about the importance of Golf’s Longest Day to the ethos the U.S. Open, why Oakmont is the perfect venue for this year’s tournament, driver testing and more. #GolfChannel #USOpen #Golf #USGA
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Oakmont ‘built for a U.S. Open’ – USGA officer John Bodenhamer | Golf Channel
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