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2019 US Open @ Pebble Beach

Wally Fairway

By Wally Fairway
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Wally Fairway

Wally Fairway 5539

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The change in tour schedule is really starting to take shape - the US Open is only 4 weeks away.
And the first sectional qualifier was yesterday in Dallas at Bent Tree & Northwood; Japan qualifier is next Monday, May 27 and the rest are Monday June 3
https://www.usopen.com/qualifying/sectional.html

So the Dallas qualifiers include co-medalists Brendan Todd & Nick Taylor (-1) and Mike Weir, Scottie Scheffler along with 6 others - Coddy Gribble is the first Alternate losing a 3:2 playoff for the last 2 spots.

Here is the exemption categories and lists of exempt players (Ernie Els is in with a special exemption)
https://www.usopen.com/qualifying/exemptions.html - you can click on by player or by category to see who is exempt and how

 

 

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LTtxfan
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(Posting for folks not currently watching)   Awesome!!!

smwhorn
smwhorn

Humblebrag. For my dad's 75th birthday, I took him to Scotland for a golf trip.  We played The Old Course, Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, Gleneagles (Kings Course), Turnberry (Ailsa) and Royal Troon.  H

torre
torre

Great story from NYT.   Lengthy,  but worth the read.   "I've got this"   PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Gary Woodland grew up a serial monogamist, in love, depending on the season, with basketba

capnamerca

capnamerca 571

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As I will be for the next few years, I'm all-in emotionally on Mickelson. Love him or hate him, seeing him complete the Grand Slam would be good for golf, and AMAZING television.

Realistically, I expect one of the big boys to win this one. Brooks, DJ, Rory. Pebble always has teeth in an Open setup, but there's nothing they can do to make it any longer, so bomb-and-gouge still works.

If you want to bet outside the favorites, Finau has put up some really solid performances lately, and Fleetwood seems to be where Molinari was two years ago - ready and waiting to explode. If Spieth can find a fairway, he'll be right in it. Tiger could hit stinger 2i off every tee every day and probably shoot -6 for the week regardless of conditions. If the weather is shit, that might be good enough.

Force me to make a pick, and I take DJ. But I don't like how that feels, so let's go with Xander.

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EMAWesome

EMAWesome 101

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I'm kind of the opposite.  I think the fact that it is not bordering on 8,000 yards evens out the field in this case.   The greens are small and the holes are short enough that the DJs and Koepkas of the tour can find themselves bombing themselves into an awkward three quarters wedge shot instead of a full wedge.  Also no one ever goes at 14 in two no matter how far their drive is because that bunker in front of the green and the false front on the right side of the green pretty much eliminate anything more than a short iron from staying on the green.  No point in trying to predict a winner until I see the weather forecast for the tournament.

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Wally Fairway

Wally Fairway 5539

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Golf Digest with a write-up about sectionals, and lists by site of who qualified for Pebble

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/us-open-2019-sectional-results?mbid=nl_060419_golfworld_AM&CNDID=25661097&utm_source=nl&utm_medium=email&utm_brand=gd&utm_mailing=gw_monday_news_newdb_ACT_20190604 (1)&bxid=MTMyNjM1ODMxMDQ3S0&hasha=d1df39d0010c730022e7898b40974082&hashb=ca013244c28299b12ab53a17c3e4983083787212&spMailingID=15757162&spUserID=MTMyNjM1ODMxMDQ3S0&spJobID=1660219121&spReportId=MTY2MDIxOTEyMQS2

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Iowa Horn

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8 hours ago, Wally Fairway said:

Golf Digest with a write-up about sectionals, and lists by site of who qualified for Pebble

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/us-open-2019-sectional-results?mbid=nl_060419_golfworld_AM&CNDID=25661097&utm_source=nl&utm_medium=email&utm_brand=gd&utm_mailing=gw_monday_news_newdb_ACT_20190604 (1)&bxid=MTMyNjM1ODMxMDQ3S0&hasha=d1df39d0010c730022e7898b40974082&hashb=ca013244c28299b12ab53a17c3e4983083787212&spMailingID=15757162&spUserID=MTMyNjM1ODMxMDQ3S0&spJobID=1660219121&spReportId=MTY2MDIxOTEyMQS2

What goes in to selection of a course for the qualifying rounds, and does the USGA provide any input into the course setup at the qualifying courses?  It seems you would want the qualifying courses to be set up with the same philosophy as the US Open course, to produce qualifiers whose game is more suited to US Open setups.

Just curious, because that one Florida qualifier had a cut line at -11, and several other qualifiers had lots of players deep under par.

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C-Man

C-Man 27183

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1 hour ago, Iowa Horn said:

What goes in to selection of a course for the qualifying rounds, and does the USGA provide any input into the course setup at the qualifying courses?  It seems you would want the qualifying courses to be set up with the same philosophy as the US Open course, to produce qualifiers whose game is more suited to US Open setups.

Just curious, because that one Florida qualifier had a cut line at -11, and several other qualifiers had lots of players deep under par.

Pretty sure the USGA does not do much if anything to "set up" the courses for the qualifying tournaments.

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conVINCEd

conVINCEd 21469

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1 hour ago, C-Man said:

Pretty sure the USGA does not do much if anything to "set up" the courses for the qualifying tournaments.

They certainly don’t mow the rough (played Northwood right after they hosted US Open qualifying, lost 3 balls that barely missed the fairway, it was shin-deep).

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Incredulity

Incredulity 11644

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On 6/4/2019 at 5:27 PM, conVINCEd said:

They certainly don’t mow the rough (played Northwood right after they hosted US Open qualifying, lost 3 balls that barely missed the fairway, it was shin-deep).

I have played Deere Run a couple times, which is NOT a hard PGA set-up(Goydos 59), and the ankle deep rough there was a real eye opener when it gets to US Open type conditions from even the more highly regarded courses I have played.

Several times I found at least 2 other balls in the primary rough that weren't mine looking for a drive that didn't miss by much.

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LTtxfan

LTtxfan 49141

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Live Coverage:  FS1, FOX,  usopen.com, and the U.S. Open app.

Live championship coverage will begin at noon EDT on Thursday, June 6 when groupings and tee times are announced on FS1’s The Herd with Colin Cowherd show. FS1 will broadcast “Wednesday at the U.S. Open” on June 12 from 12:30-3 p.m. EDT.

The first and second rounds of the 119th U.S. Open on June 13-14 will air on FS1 from 12:30-7:30 p.m. EDT. The opening two rounds will be followed by coverage on Fox from 7:30-10:30 p.m. EDT each day. Fox will provide coverage of the third round on Saturday, June 15, from noon-10 p.m. EDT and the fourth round and playoff, if necessary, on Sunday, June 16, from 2-10 p.m. EDT.

Additionally, the USGA will provide live streaming from the U.S. Open on its digital platforms – usopen.com and the U.S. Open app. The USGA’s global digital coverage will include exclusive live action on three channels – two featured groups channels and a featured holes channel – on usopen.com and the U.S. Open app during the first and second rounds of the U.S. Open (June 13-14).

https://www.usopen.com/2019/articles/fox-to-broadcast-45-hours-of-u-s--open-coverage.html

 

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Wally Fairway

Wally Fairway 5539

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Tee Times are posted
2:09 - Spieth, Rose, Woods
1:47 - Molinari, Hovaland (a), Koepka
8:02 - JT, Kisner, BCD
8:13 - DJ, Phil, G-Mac

https://www.usopen.com/tee-times.html

Also it looks like the rough will be US Open length

https://www.golfchannel.com/news/patrick-cantlay-shows-pebble-beachs-extremely-thick-rough-ahead-2019-us-open

 

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LTtxfan

LTtxfan 49141

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Obviously the Koepka, Molinari, Hovaland (a) is predetermined for the U.S. Open... how are the other groups decided??

Tiger, Jordan and Rose in same group will be crazy.....

Hope Kisner tells Dechambeau to f'n play faster😆

 

Other interesting groups:

  • H. Matsuyama, Sergio Garcia, T. Fleetwood
  • Jon Rahm, M. Leishman,  Rory McIlroy

  • Haotong Li,  Bubba Watson, J.B. Holmes

  • Jhonattan Vegas, Patrick Reed, L. Oosthuizen

  • Jim Furyk, Henrik Stenson, Brandt Snedeker

  • Webb Simpson, Adam Scott, Matt Kuchar

  • Si Woo Kim, Rickie Fowler, Jason Day

  • Tony Finau, Jimmy Walker, Ian Poulter

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LTtxfan

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Sentimental Favorite..... Lefty

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/2019/06/07/mickelsons-close-calls-at-us-open/39556413/

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — A capsule look at the six runner-up finishes in the U.S. Open by Phil Mickelson, who needs this major for the career Grand Slam.

YEAR: 1999.

COURSE: Pinehurst No. 2.

SCORES: 67-70-73-70--280.

RESULT: Runner-up, one shot behind Payne Stewart.

YEAR: 2002.

COURSE: Bethpage Black.

SCORES: 70-73-67-70--280

RESULT: Runner-up, three shots behind Tiger Woods.

YEAR: 2004.

COURSE: Shinnecock Hills.

SCORES: 68-66-66-71--278

RESULT: Runner-up, two shots behind Retief Goosen.

YEAR: 2006.

COURSE: Winged Foot.

SCORES: 70-73-69-74--286.

RESULT: Tied for second, one shot behind Geoff Ogilvy.

YEAR: 2009.

COURSE: Bethpage Black

SCORES: 69-70-69-70--278

RESULT: Tied for second, two shots behind Lucas Glover.

YEAR: 2013.

COURSE: Merion Golf Club

SCORES: 67-72-70-74--283.

RESULT: Tied for second, two shots behind Justin Rose.

 

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LTtxfan

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22 hours ago, dcar00 said:

some good golfers in that group but it has to suck to come in 2nd to 4 guys who have only won one major.

Yeah Goosen, Ogilvy, and Glover are not folks Phil should lose to down the stretch in a final round of the U.S. Open...

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LTtxfan

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Had not heard this story until today about Tiger's U.S. Open win at Pebble Beach....

"Tiger Woods almost ran out of golf balls during 2000 U.S. Open rout"

Originally published June 12, 2010 at 4:57 pm Updated June 12, 2010 at 8:36 pm

Tiger Woods won the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in California by 15 strokes. One detail often overlooked in reflections on Woods' historic romp: He almost ran out of golf balls.

By  Ron Kroichick

Tiger Woods authored perhaps the most dominant performance in golf history in the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in California. He muscled approach shots from the rough, putted with a surgeon’s touch and steamrollered the field by 15 strokes, a feat no less staggering a decade later.

One detail often overlooked in reflections on Woods’ historic romp: He almost ran out of golf balls.  It happened on the 18th hole of the fog-delayed second round, on a Saturday morning. Woods already held a commanding lead when he hooked his tee shot into Carmel Bay, prompting him to unleash a burst of profanity captured live on NBC’s telecast.

Imagine the language Woods would have used had he known the ball then given to him by caddie Steve Williams was the last in his bag. Williams panicked when he discovered this and didn’t tell Woods, fearing his boss would “freak out,” according to one source who recently confirmed the incident.  Woods later acknowledged he didn’t learn of the near-gaffe until after he completed the hole.

“Stevie said, ‘I’d like for you to hit an iron, just to get it into play,’ ” Woods once said. “But I was swinging well, so I went with driver. Obviously, I didn’t know the complete situation: The only ball I had left was the one I teed up.”  Woods apparently took three balls out of his bag the previous night to practice putting on his hotel-room carpet. He forgot to put those balls back in his bag and figured he probably scuffed a couple of others on the course and gave them to kids in the gallery.  So he was down to two golf balls, and then one, on No. 18.

Another crazy layer to the story: Woods, in retrospect, assumed he would have been disqualified if he ran out of golf balls.

Meanwhile, Williams thought otherwise and planned to sprint to the pro shop to buy more if Woods hit another tee shot into the water.  As it turns out, according to a USGA rules official, a player can borrow a ball from another player or an “outside agency,” provided it is the same brand and type he was previously using. If Woods had failed to obtain another ball without “undue delay,” he would have incurred a two-stroke penalty.  Put another way: He still wins by a country mile.

Woods, age 24 at the time, overwhelmed Pebble Beach with an astonishing display of power and precision. He didn’t three-putt all week, dominated the field despite taking a third-round triple bogey on No. 3 and launched himself toward the Tiger Slam, with victories in the British Open and PGA Championship later that year and the Masters in April 2001.  “That was probably the most remarkable tournament in the history of American golf, to win by 15 shots,” Tom Watson said recently. “He emasculated the golf course.”

Woods takes aim on Pebble again when the Open begins Thursday.  Woods’ signature shot in the 2000 Open was his second on No. 6, an uphill par-5 hole along the water, in the second round. Woods lifted his blind, 7-iron shot out of thick rough, over the edge of Stillwater Cove and onto the green more than 200 yards away. “It just isn’t a fair fight,” NBC commentator Roger Maltbie said.  Woods shot 65-69 to open a six-shot lead at the halfway point and cruised home in 71-67 to finish at 12 under. And Pebble was hardly a pushover that week, as no other player broke par — Ernie Els and Miguel Angel Jimenez tied for second place at 3 over.

“Finishing second is good,” Els said at the time while smiling, “but it’s kind of embarrassing being 15 shots back.”

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LTtxfan

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USGA hoping to get back to old-style US Open at Pebble Beach

AP. 1:37 a.m. CDT June 10, 2019

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — The stage is set for what should be the ideal U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, perhaps the most popular of all U.S. Open courses with its magnificent Pacific coastline and small greens, with its history of high drama and great champions.  The fairways are roughly the same width as always at Pebble. The rough is lush and penal. The forecast is good. II don't think I've seen the golf course in better condition," said John Bodenhamer, the senior managing director of championships for the USGA.

So what could possibly go wrong?  Based on the recent run of U.S. Open mishaps, that's a question that lingers for some of golf's best players.  And the USGA can only hope it has the answer. "I think the U.S. Open has been in the past one of the most respected majors as far as the test you're going to face — fair, hard, a good test of golf," Rickie Fowler said. "I don't think you're going to find a lot of guys who say it's been a true test. Not all that stuff is coming together like it used to."

Fowler is still relatively young, and he's never passed the test at any major.  But he is not a lone voice on this. Phil Mickelson is playing his 28th U.S. Open, with a record six runner-up finishes, and he's praying for rain.   "One hundred percent of the time, they have messed it up if it doesn't rain," Mickelson said, so bitter about a pin position at Shinnecock Hills last year that he swatted a ball with his putter as it was rolling off the green. "The rain is the governor — that's the only governor they have. And if they don't have a governor, they don't know how to control themselves.". Tiger Woods, a three-time U.S. Open champion, at times feels like even he recognizes it.  "The Open has changed," Woods said. "I thought it was just narrow fairways — hit it in the fairway or hack out, move on. Now there's chipping areas around the greens. There's less rough, graduated rough. They try to make the Open strategically different. I just like it when there's high rough and narrow fairways and, 'Go get it, boys.'"

That's why the USGA might face more pressure this week than any of the players.  It needs to get this one right.  Some of it has been out of the USGA's control, such as the lack of wind at Erin Hills on a wide-open course designed for it. The fescue grass on the greens at Chambers Bay in 2015 was all but dead when the tournament started, and putting was severely difficult by Sunday. Jordan Spieth won when Dustin Johnson three-putted for par from 12 feet on the last hole.  Oakmont was a typical U.S. Open marred by a rules gaffe that led to Johnson and Shane Lowry playing most of the back nine while not knowing the score. The USGA waited until after the round to determine whether Johnson's ball had moved on the fifth green. The USGA handled it by the book — it just didn't account for the day of the week.  And then an ideal course at Shinnecock Hills changed on Saturday with a few new pins, a blue sky and more wind. The last 45 players to tee off couldn't break par.  "It's not lost on us, all that's been said and written," Bodenhamer said. "It's incumbent upon us to have a great U.S. Open — not just this year, the next several years."

Bodenhamer considered the list of U.S. Open champions at Pebble — Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Tom Kite, Woods and Graeme McDowell — and suggested Pebble Beach needs little more than window dressing to be the test it's always been.  There are a few changes. Rough has been restored left of the green on the par-5 14th, where in 2010 a shot that missed by an inch rolled for a mile — or so it seemed — and reasonable shots often rolled back to the players.  Bodenhamer said the fairways are slightly narrower than in 2010, and there are few instances of graduated rough, especially on the shorter par 4s.

This should be a typical U.S. Open.  Right?  "Golf course setup is not easy," former champion Jim Furyk said. "We're human. The golf course changes. Nothing is free of being able to screw it up. You're dealing with a moving target. As critical as we are as players, it would be difficult to be on the other side and set it up.". The problem in Furyk's view is how the USGA has responded to it over the years. If anything is going to go bad in a major, the U.S. Open is the chief candidate. That's the very nature of this major. It wants to live on the edge — players expect that — and invariably the line is crossed.

With so much negativity since 2014 — the USGA's finest but forgotten hour, setting up Pinehurst No. 2 for men and women in consecutive weeks — there has been a growing disconnect between the USGA and players it sees only once. "Pinehurst, they did a good job," Adam Scott said. "I recall being in the parking lot at Hoylake right after it and saying to Mike Davis, 'That was a good U.S. Open, well done.' Because I felt he needed that feedback. Obviously, it didn't go the right direction since then."

Davis, the CEO of the USGA who has been setting up the U.S. Open since Winged Foot in 2006, turned the control over to Bodenhamer, his chief assistant. Bodenhamer has kept an open mind as he listens to his staff (including agronomists), along with the superintendent and golf director at Pebble Beach, longtime Pebble Beach caddie Casey Boins, and several past U.S. Open champions including Woods, Furyk, Rory McIlroy, Ernie Els, Hale Irwin and Curtis Strange.  "They've earned the right to talk about the U.S. Open," Bodenhamer said. The USGA also hired former PGA Tour player Jason Gore to be available to players for any questions or concerns. Top rules officials for the USGA have been at PGA Tour events more than ever to build better relationships.

The measure, though, is four days over Pebble Beach.  The goal is to present the toughest test of the year without it getting silly. For all the criticism, however, the quality of champions is strong — Brooks Koepka and Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Justin Rose, Woods, McIlroy and Martin Kaymer.  And it's difficult to argue with Koepka's observation that "we've all got to play it. We've all got to deal with the same issues."

One thing the USGA got away from is the moniker. Instead of the "toughest test in golf," the blue blazers more recently have called it the "ultimate test." It's just semantics, but Bodenhamer had an even better definition that might give the U.S. Open a fresh start with an old style.  "The best way to describe it is what I grew up with: When you see it, you'll know it's a U.S. Open," he said. "I think you'll see that this year."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/2019/06/10/usga-hoping-to-get-back-to-old-style-us-open-at-pebble-beach/39563085/

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ztejas

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22 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

Had not heard this story until today about Tiger's U.S. Open win at Pebble Beach....

"Tiger Woods almost ran out of golf balls during 2000 U.S. Open rout"

Originally published June 12, 2010 at 4:57 pm Updated June 12, 2010 at 8:36 pm

Tiger Woods won the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in California by 15 strokes. One detail often overlooked in reflections on Woods' historic romp: He almost ran out of golf balls.

By  Ron Kroichick

Tiger Woods authored perhaps the most dominant performance in golf history in the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in California. He muscled approach shots from the rough, putted with a surgeon’s touch and steamrollered the field by 15 strokes, a feat no less staggering a decade later.

One detail often overlooked in reflections on Woods’ historic romp: He almost ran out of golf balls.  It happened on the 18th hole of the fog-delayed second round, on a Saturday morning. Woods already held a commanding lead when he hooked his tee shot into Carmel Bay, prompting him to unleash a burst of profanity captured live on NBC’s telecast.

Imagine the language Woods would have used had he known the ball then given to him by caddie Steve Williams was the last in his bag. Williams panicked when he discovered this and didn’t tell Woods, fearing his boss would “freak out,” according to one source who recently confirmed the incident.  Woods later acknowledged he didn’t learn of the near-gaffe until after he completed the hole.

“Stevie said, ‘I’d like for you to hit an iron, just to get it into play,’ ” Woods once said. “But I was swinging well, so I went with driver. Obviously, I didn’t know the complete situation: The only ball I had left was the one I teed up.”  Woods apparently took three balls out of his bag the previous night to practice putting on his hotel-room carpet. He forgot to put those balls back in his bag and figured he probably scuffed a couple of others on the course and gave them to kids in the gallery.  So he was down to two golf balls, and then one, on No. 18.

Another crazy layer to the story: Woods, in retrospect, assumed he would have been disqualified if he ran out of golf balls.

Meanwhile, Williams thought otherwise and planned to sprint to the pro shop to buy more if Woods hit another tee shot into the water.  As it turns out, according to a USGA rules official, a player can borrow a ball from another player or an “outside agency,” provided it is the same brand and type he was previously using. If Woods had failed to obtain another ball without “undue delay,” he would have incurred a two-stroke penalty.  Put another way: He still wins by a country mile.

Woods, age 24 at the time, overwhelmed Pebble Beach with an astonishing display of power and precision. He didn’t three-putt all week, dominated the field despite taking a third-round triple bogey on No. 3 and launched himself toward the Tiger Slam, with victories in the British Open and PGA Championship later that year and the Masters in April 2001.  “That was probably the most remarkable tournament in the history of American golf, to win by 15 shots,” Tom Watson said recently. “He emasculated the golf course.”

Woods takes aim on Pebble again when the Open begins Thursday.  Woods’ signature shot in the 2000 Open was his second on No. 6, an uphill par-5 hole along the water, in the second round. Woods lifted his blind, 7-iron shot out of thick rough, over the edge of Stillwater Cove and onto the green more than 200 yards away. “It just isn’t a fair fight,” NBC commentator Roger Maltbie said.  Woods shot 65-69 to open a six-shot lead at the halfway point and cruised home in 71-67 to finish at 12 under. And Pebble was hardly a pushover that week, as no other player broke par — Ernie Els and Miguel Angel Jimenez tied for second place at 3 over.

“Finishing second is good,” Els said at the time while smiling, “but it’s kind of embarrassing being 15 shots back.”

This is a pretty well known story but thanks for the share. Hilarious that Stevie was like, "fuck, what's the quickest sprint from here to the pro shop"

Rory at +1000 seems juicy to me. I'd have to check his record at Pebble though. I know his first PGA he won in pretty rough conditions. 

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Wally Fairway

Wally Fairway 5539

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So make your guesses, if you want:

Winner & winning score to par
Cut line (score it takes to be inside the cut)
Best finish for a player who has previously won a major
Best finish for a player who has not previously won a major (looking at you - Rickie)
Which of the favorites has the best finish (Tiger, Brooks, DJ, Molinari, Rory, Jordan)
Phil - misses the cut, only makes the cut, top 25, top 10, wins
 

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ztejas

ztejas 43411

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Fuck it I'll take Rory but something tells me he's just not there yet. 

Rory - 3 under

Cut - +5

I don't understand this one, Rory has won a major so is it the same pick?

Dechambeau - 1 under

Rory again? You're asking me the same question 3 times

I'll take Phil makes the cut - barely misses on T25

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Wally Fairway

Wally Fairway 5539

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WSJ article about Palmer, Eastwood, Ueberroth and others buying Pebble Beach in 1999

Quote

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif.—Twenty years ago, one of the most coveted pieces of golf real estate in the world was back on the market. Pebble Beach, the picturesque, seaside host of this week’s U.S. Open, was about to be sold by the Japanese company that had bought it only seven years earlier. It would be the fourth time in two decades that the iconic course changed hands.

Peter Ueberroth—former Major League Baseball commissioner, architect of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and longtime Pebble Beach visitor—imagined how the ownership carousel could continue.

“I was worried that a major American company would throw a great big number at it and then once they owned it, figure out an exit strategy five years later,” Ueberroth said. “It just seemed to me this isn’t a place that should be shuffled around.”

That simple idea—that Pebble Beach is not an asset to be flipped but rather one to be preserved—has changed the course of its history.

It was powerful enough to help Ueberroth assemble an ownership group that included actor and director Clint Eastwood, late golf legend Arnold Palmer and former United Airlines chief executive Richard Ferris. It was compelling enough to clinch the deal at a price of around $820 million, despite higher offers from rivals. And it solidified Pebble Beach, now in its 100th year, as one of the country’s most reliable hosts of championship golf.

im-79779?width=620&aspect_ratio=1.5
Clint Eastwood, left, and Peter Ueberroth on the 18th hole at Pebble Beach in 2013. Photo: Dane Andrew/Zuma Press

In a rare move, the U.S. Golf Association announced the return of the U.S. Open in 2019 before the previous Open here in 2010 had even been played. Likewise, no matter how this week goes, Pebble Beach is already set to host its first U.S. Women’s Open in 2023 and another U.S. Open in 2027. That’s in addition to the annual celebrity pro-am that has been a mainstay of the PGA Tour for decades.

The Pebble Beach Company, whose assets include three other nearby courses and three hotels, is decidedly a for-profit venture. The listed rate for a round of golf at Pebble Beach is $550. But it also operates more like the caretaker of an old cathedral than an outfit wholly devoted to quarterly targets.

It has spent around $500 million on upgrades ranging from the course to the hotels to a new practice facility. As part of a long-debated expansion agreement with environmental regulators, it also agreed to leave undeveloped more than 635 acres of forestland it owns. Company executives declined to detail its finances, beyond saying it is profitable.

“Some people would have bought it and, if they had hedge fund money or whatever, would have to show a return,” Ferris said. “Our focus has been on the preservation of this natural treasure in an economically sound manner. I would say we are patient.”

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Former United Airlines chief executive Richard Ferris, left, and Arnold Palmer. Photo: Stan Badz/PGA

The ownership group includes more than 100 minority investors whose identities have remained a closely-kept secret. Ueberroth said they include some of the most prominent business executives in the U.S., including several owners of MLB, National Football League and professional soccer teams. One person privy to the list said it includes Charles Schwab, founder of the eponymous brokerage firm. A spokesman for Charles Schwab Corp. did not comment.

The investors were billed as an ultra-wealthy equivalent of a concerned citizens group. Shares sold for $2 million each. It was akin to buying a stake in a professional sports team—less a financial decision than an emotional one.

“There was a currency of ego attached to it,” said Alastair Johnston, the longtime agent for Palmer, who died in 2016. “They were paying with no objective analysis of the investment beyond the basics of what they knew about it. There was a lot of idealism involved.”

The 1969 death of Pebble Beach developer Samuel Morse sparked an ownership shuffle that lasted for three decades. In 1979, 20th Century Fox, flush with cash from the original “Star Wars” movie, bought the resort for $81.5 million.

Two years later, it came under the control of oil magnate Marvin Davis, who bought Fox and then kept Pebble Beach after selling the movie business in 1984. Davis drew criticism for allowing the condition of the course to deteriorate while fielding offers for it. But that paled in comparison to the controversy generated by its next owner.

After Japanese developer Minoru Isutani bought the resort in 1990 for a staggering sum of $841 million, he tried to finance the deal by selling private memberships and limiting public golf access. When an intense public backlash scuttled that plan, Japanese lender Sumitomo forced Isutani to sell to an entity it partly owned.

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Clint Eastwood searches for his ball in the beachside rough on the fourth hole at Pebble Beach in 2002. Photo: Mike Fiala/Associated Press

Bank officials cited concerns over whether the course would be ready for the 1992 U.S. Open as a reason for the takeover. When the new entity, Lone Cypress Co., later began fielding offers for Pebble Beach in 1999, few parties had more at stake than the USGA.

 

The course was just a year away from hosting its fourth U.S. Open, which generates the vast majority of the USGA’s revenue. “All of a sudden it was like, ‘Who’s going to buy it? What kind of commitment are they going to have?’” said USGA chief executive Mike Davis.

One bidder was private equity firm KKR & Co. Schwab was initially involved with another bidder, according to two people familiar with the matter. A spokesman for Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group declined to comment.

But Ueberroth had dealt with Japanese companies and believed the sellers, wary of being blamed for degrading Pebble Beach, would be swayed by the idea of handing the course to the most credible caretakers.

His first call was to Eastwood, whose longtime local civic involvement included a stint as mayor of Carmel. Eastwood is also wildly popular in Japan. Ueberroth then added Ferris, his former partner in the hotel business, and Palmer, who gave them trust from the golf world.

None of the four could simply write a check for the resort—their investments were for less than $20 million each, according to two people familiar with the deal. Ferris met with a group of syndicated lenders to sell them on their plan.

“This won’t be a home run,” Ferris recalled telling the group. “It probably won’t be a triple. It might be a double. But it won’t ever be less than a single. It’s like putting your money in Fort Knox.”

Ueberroth said the highest bid for Pebble Beach exceeded $1 billion. But his group’s offer was not contingent on an extensive vetting process. They offered to close in 10 days.

“We didn’t need to bring in people to see how much the real estate was worth,” Ueberroth said. “We just said, ‘We’ll buy it.’”

There was just one thing left to do before the closing: raise a few hundred million dollars from investors. General Electric Pension Trust was one of them. But the real feat was courting 132 private investors who put up between $2 million and $10 million each.

Relying on their combined Rolodexes, Ferris said he and Ueberroth did it in about a week.

“There was a bank account that had a zero balance in it, and all of a sudden wire transfers started showing up,” another person involved in the deal said. “It went from zero to, ‘Bingo!’”

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Tiger Woods during the fourth round of the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in 2010. Photo: Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

The sale closed on July 31, 1999. Palmer spearheaded a series of changes to the course, rebuilding greens and adding bunkers in an attempt to move it closer to its original design. Since his death, his estate has sold its shares in the company.

Eastwood, 89, played a leading role for years in navigating the local politics of an expansion plan approved in 2012, which included a new hotel. The company had to agree to drop other proposed additions such as a new golf course.

The minority shares rarely change hands, but their value has more than tripled, according to Ueberroth, who said they sell for $7 million to $8 million. Both Ueberroth, 81, and Ferris, 82, have installed one of their children on the company’s board of directors.

For now, and potentially for another generation to come, Pebble Beach is not for sale

 

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Mileslong

Mileslong 4728

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Posted

The USGA is going to syringe the greens to keep them from becoming too fast. I hope they don’t slow them down too much. I’m glad to hear they are letting the rough grow. Erin Hills was the biggest joke of a US Open ever.

Bomb and gouge shouldn’t be in play at the US Open. You must have narrow fairways, thick rough and fast but fair greens, hopefully some nice wind as well.

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LTtxfan

LTtxfan 49141

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Posted
10 minutes ago, Mileslong said:

 I’m glad to hear they are letting the rough grow. Erin Hills was the biggest joke of a US Open ever.  Bomb and gouge shouldn’t be in play at the US Open. You must have narrow fairways, thick rough and fast but fair greens, hopefully some nice wind as well.

Sounds like this weekend Pebble may play more like the 2018 Ryder Cup venue -- Albatros Course of Le Golf National (near Paris). As a result, we might see Molinari, Rose, and Finau in the hunt to win on Sunday.  

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Goodman

Goodman 3273

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Posted (edited)

Great Shack story on the 1929 event. https://golfweek.com/2019/06/07/shackelford-1929-u-s-amateur-had-enormous-golf-pebble-beach/

Amazing to me how good golf architecture was during the golden era and I am glad we have a minimalist trend over the last 20 years with guys like Coore & Doak.

Great photos of Pebble from 1929 in this link, they definitely messed up some of these holes over the years. Wish 6 & 7 were still like this.

https://www.usga.org/galleries/a-rare-look--1929-u-s--amateur-at-pebble-beach.html#expanded

PebbleBeach1929Aerial.png

 

 

Edited by Goodman
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pops

pops 6980

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Posted

My dad was there today followed Phil and rham for a few holes. Said Mickelson was hitting it past him. I can't even wrap my head around that. I've watched rham on a course I know well and he hit it in places that were flat out ridiculous. 

Phil is definitely hitting bombs. 

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LTtxfan

LTtxfan 49141

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, pops said:

My dad was there today followed Phil and rham for a few holes. Said Mickelson was hitting it past him. I can't even wrap my head around that. I've watched rham on a course I know well and he hit it in places that were flat out ridiculous. 

Phil is definitely hitting bombs. 

Haven't seen the specific holes mentioned yet, but players will be hitting fewer Drivers at this US Open than at most other US Open venues because Pebble Beach is not a long course.

Commentator on the Golf Channel said that's a good thing for Lefty since he has been recently struggling with his Driver....

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LTtxfan

LTtxfan 49141

Posted
Posted

Poor Brooks is the "Rodney Dangerfield" of PGA

Brooks Koepka on slight by Fox: 'Somebody probably got fired over it or should'

STEVE DIMEGLIO | GOLFWEEK

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. - Brooks Koepka's swagger is on point, his confidence is at its peak and his form is in shape heading into his historical chase of a three-peat in the U.S. Open.

Now add another chip on his shoulder.

The latest culprit to slight Koepka is Fox Sports, which didn't put the two-time defending champion and the world No. 1 in one of the network's ads previewing the national championship at Pebble Beach.  The snub lit up Koepka, who has used perceived and outright slights as extra fuel to ignite his dominance in majors. He is trying to join Willie Anderson as the only players to win the U.S. Open three consecutive years.

"There's been a couple of times where it's just mind boggling. It's like, really? Like, how do you forget that?" Koepka said Tuesday at Pebble Beach. "Just kind of shocked. They've had over a year to kind of put it out. So I don't know. Somebody probably got fired over it or should."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/2019/06/11/us-open-brooks-koepka-fox-ad-slight/1426286001/

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ztejas

ztejas 43411

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Posted
9 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

Poor Brooks is the "Rodney Dangerfield" of PGA

Brooks Koepka on slight by Fox: 'Somebody probably got fired over it or should'

STEVE DIMEGLIO | GOLFWEEK

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. - Brooks Koepka's swagger is on point, his confidence is at its peak and his form is in shape heading into his historical chase of a three-peat in the U.S. Open.

Now add another chip on his shoulder.

The latest culprit to slight Koepka is Fox Sports, which didn't put the two-time defending champion and the world No. 1 in one of the network's ads previewing the national championship at Pebble Beach.  The snub lit up Koepka, who has used perceived and outright slights as extra fuel to ignite his dominance in majors. He is trying to join Willie Anderson as the only players to win the U.S. Open three consecutive years.

"There's been a couple of times where it's just mind boggling. It's like, really? Like, how do you forget that?" Koepka said Tuesday at Pebble Beach. "Just kind of shocked. They've had over a year to kind of put it out. So I don't know. Somebody probably got fired over it or should."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/2019/06/11/us-open-brooks-koepka-fox-ad-slight/1426286001/

This dude doesn't show up to play at anything but majors, has won 4 of the past 9, and I'm supposed to beleive that theres a "chip" on his shoulder?

And now he's complaining about a promo video? 

What?

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Lerka Lerka

Lerka Lerka 1086

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In case anyone else was wondering who Willie Anderson was.

William Law Anderson (21 October 1879 – 25 October 1910) was a Scottish immigrant to the United States who became the first golfer to win four U.S. Opens, with victories in 1901, 1903, 1904, and 1905. He is still the only man to win three consecutive titles, and only Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, and Jack Nicklaus have equalled his total of four championships. He is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

 

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