Phil Tataurangi: US Open the ultimate test of golf skills

Phil Tataurangi

The US Open is the hardest tournament in the world to win. Not only are you battling the best players, you are invariably playing one of the best layouts in golf that has been fed steroids by the USGA.

Being the custodian of golf in America entitles the USGA to protect the par of these courses, even if it means running the risk of starving greens, having rough deeper than hay paddocks in November, and lightning-quick putting surfaces.

I have encountered putts that would be best described as "putting the ball on the bonnet of your car and trying to stop it halfway down".

Over the next few days the players will be tested like never before - except possibly the last time they were here at Pinehurst No 2 in 1999. That year Payne Stewart out-duelled Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh to win his second US Open.

Sadly, it is one of the lasting memories of Payne, as he died that year when his jet lost cabin pressure and crashed on the way to the season-ending Tour Championship. A memorial service was held on Tuesday to mark his life and his victory at this famous course.

Pinehurst No 2 may be one of the fairest and fiercest on the Open roster. The layout has great balance, requiring skill in every facet of your game. The two par fives run in opposite directions, as do the four par threes. The par fours are among some of the most difficult on the US Open rota.

The gently rolling sandbelt land has little elevation change and the bermuda grass rough is the thickest on tour. This tree-lined layout is unique in that none of the trees are actually in play, yet they frame every hole. There are 18 reasons this particular course may just go down as the most difficult in modern Open history.

The famed Donald Ross greens are what distinguish this from any other US Open venue. Not only are they extremely firm and fast, they have slopes that feed any shot less than perfectly executed away from the pin and off the green.

The short-mown surrounds sometimes channel the ball more than 20m away from the putting surface and provide the players with a multitude of shots to try to get up and down. The options include anything in the bag from the putter to Lob wedge to a 5 iron to the 3 wood. Most of the greens resemble small upside-down dessert bowls.

Certain qualities are a prerequisite to winning a major championship, let alone a US Open. At the top of that list is the ability to scramble along with driving accuracy. No other tournament punishes the errant drive more than the US Open, and this in turn puts extreme pressure on the rest of your game from the first shot of the day.

It is impossible to hit every green in regulation, and having the resilience to hole out time and again becomes crucial.

And with all the marbles on the line come Monday morning, it takes all the skills to post a competitive score and to do flat out what it takes to get the job done.

Whatever happens, you will see the best players in the world being tested in all their skills, and that still may not be enough to get them into red numbers.

* Phil Tataurangi is one of New Zealand's leading golfers.