Pebble Beach is ready to host the U.S. Women’s Open for the first time this week.
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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — This week, the U.S. Women’s Open heads to Pebble Beach.
Most golf followers are acquainted with the iconic course that traces the Pacific. As the annual host of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, together with internet hosting a number of majors and U.S. Amateurs, it’s a course that’s synonymous with the sport itself. But whereas the course has staged numerous iconic tournaments, it’s by no means performed host to the finest gamers in the world on the girls’s facet.
That modifications this week as 156 opponents head to the west coast in hopes of hoisting the Harton S. Semple trophy.
Ahead of this ground-breaking championship, GOLF.com caught up with USGA Senior Director of Championships Shannon Rouillard to get an concept of what to expect from the course because it hosts the U.S. Women’s Open.
Ed. be aware: This interview was performed May 2 at U.S. Women’s Open preview day at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Zephyr Melton: Obviously we’ve seen Pebble Beach host many tournaments — together with the U.S. Open — however we’ve by no means seen it host a U.S. Women’s Open. What can we expect from a course setup perspective that’s totally different for the girls?
Shannon Rouillard: Well, you’re going to see a number of issues which are related. Obviously, what’s going to be totally different is the yardage — that’s in all probability the greatest distinction. We can’t expect the girls to play the distance that the males do. But a number of similarities are going to be of their fairway widths. We’re trying to current bunker eyelashes like we did [at the 2019 U.S. Open] in addition to mowing fairways into choose bunkers. We assume it’s necessary to current an identical, scalable golf course as we have now historically performed in the previous.
ZM: With the girls taking part in a little bit bit totally different sport than what the males play, with variations in energy being chief amongst them, how does that current alternatives to arrange the course in several methods?
SR: The size is the greatest issue. Like I mentioned, there are such a lot of similarities in how we’re trying to current the golf course. But I do need to make it clear that it’s not the very same setup as for the males. The fairway widths should not an identical. While there are a handful which are the identical as in 2019, there’s nonetheless a lot that aren’t the identical. Again, it’s all about having a considerate method to the girls’s sport and the place they’re hitting it in the fairway. We need to make certain we’re presenting a job that requires accuracy off the tee, and precision of their shot-making on their method photographs. So, these are actually the issues we take satisfaction in being considerate about in fascinated by years prematurely.
ZM: How many instances do you play the course in preparation for this setup job?
SR: I strive to play every course that I arrange as soon as. It typically will probably be twice, however I do like to get a really feel for the course. But my sport is just not what these gals’ video games are. I’ve performed in a U.S. Women’s Open, method again in 1999 at Old Waverly Golf Club, however my sport is not there anymore. What I do have going for me is that I used to be a aggressive golfer for a very long time, so I really feel like I’ve a good suggestion of what it takes to compete mentally at a really excessive degree.
ZM: Will the tough be graduated? At LACC we didn’t see an intermediate reduce — will there be an identical look right here?
SR: There will probably be. An intermediate reduce, a main reduce and a secondary reduce.
ZM: Do you’ve got an concept on the lengths on that?
SR: We do, however there’s a course of for that which revolves round the climate. But we’re trying to have the intermediate reduce at about 1.5 inches. Currently for main we’re trying at 2.75 inches after which the secondary reduce will probably be 3.75 inches.
ZM: What’s your favourite gap at Pebble?
SR: Well, I don’t need to say the logical ones. (laughs) I feel the thirteenth gap is a fairly cool gap. The reverse-L bunker that the gamers have to carry over to hit that fairway. That inexperienced is a really difficult one as properly. Not to point out how small all of those greens are. I’ve mentioned it various instances, however as we all know, these greens are so tiny they usually look a lot totally different from the fairway than they do whenever you get on them. There’s a lot slope and character to these greens. While they give the impression of being quite a bit flatter from the fairway.
I’ve discovered that there are such a lot of gamers which have by no means performed this golf course, it’s been very stunning. Given the historic web site that that is, I feel that’s one thing gamers may have to recover from. It could also be a little bit overwhelming after they play it the first time. Just recognizing what an iconic course Pebble Beach is. It is perhaps robust for them to shift gears from admiring the course to getting down to enterprise and focusing getting ready to win a golf event.
ZM: Final query, what are you most enthusiastic about for this web site?
SR: It’s the starting of a brand new period for the USGA and for girls’s golf generally. We now have a long-term relationship in entrance of us with Pebble Beach, and the indisputable fact that there are going to be younger ladies watching on TV and right here on web site and have that chance to dream about taking part in in a future U.S. Women’s Open is basically thrilling to be part of. The future may be very brilliant for girls’s golf.
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