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One of tour's toughest holes is made even harder; not all complain, but some call it 'rubbish,' 'unfair'
By Brian Windhorst Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Sunday, Aug 05, 2007
Standing on the ninth tee and looking downhill at the lush green framed by the Firestone clubhouse, the famous water tower and hundreds of fans makes for quite the pretty picture.
For those who have to play it at this week's Bridgestone Invitational, though, the reaction is quite different.
Most players have said the conditions at Firestone Country Club this week are extreme especially the rough yet fair. But after three days of playing the vicious ninth, some nerves are getting raw.
''The ninth hole is rubbish,'' Justin Rose said. ''I think it's a pretty bad hole. It's a shame; well, it's not a shame, but the rest of the golf course is fantastic.''
The South Course's little monster took center stage in the third round Saturday when then-co-leader Zach Johnson got caught up in a web of rough and bunkers that led to a disastrous quadruple bogey that knocked him nearly out of contention.
But he was just the most high-profile example of a hole that some players are calling downright unfair.
Historically one of the tougher par 4s on the PGA Tour, No. 9 took an extra step this year when officials constructed a new tee box that was supposed to add about 10 yards to the length. Saturday, the tour's GPS-based and hyper-accurate Shotlink system put the hole at 507 yards, by far the longest it has played and nearly 30 yards longer than in some rounds last year.
Combined with a heavily sloping and fast-running fairway that pushes everything right, and a crosswind from the left on most days, players are finding it almost impossible to hit the short grass. And then it's almost impossible to get a manageable lie in the rough. On Saturday, just 12 percent of the players hit the fairway, and just 17 percent hit the green.
There was a reason why Aaron Baddeley's 3-under 67 was tied for the best round of the day. He was the only player in the field to birdie the hole, and that enabled him to pick up a shot and a half on the field.
With 43 pars, 33 bogeys, three double bogeys and two dreaded others (Mark Calcavecchia's 7 and Johnson's 8), the scoring average on the hole was 4.55. Only been 13 birdies have been made at No. 9 in the three rounds, and just 22 percent of the field has hit the fairway. Overall, the field is 105 over on the hole.
''It's not almost unfair, it is unfair,'' Justin Leonard said after his 1-over 71 on Saturday that included a par at the ninth. ''I've got nowhere to land the ball . . . that hole makes no sense to me whatsoever.''
The outcry from the players might influence officials to consider repositioning the tee or widening the right side of the fairway. Or, maybe the hole will just be left as one of the toughest par 4s the pros see all year. Not everyone is beating down the door demanding change.
''I hit a good drive, and I had a 7-iron in there; you could have got it close there,'' said Chris DiMarco, who is tied for fourth at 1 over heading into the final round. ''It's fair, and that's what makes it fun. It's a really good golf course, nothing tricked up.''
More or less, that is the approach of the ninth's greatest victim. Johnson was in the right fairway rough off the tee, the left fairway rough after a failed pitch out and then a greenside bunker. He then needed three chip shots to get on the green out of more gnarly rough behind the hole.
''It depends on what your definition of unfair is, I guess. I think for the most part the setup is good,'' said Johnson, who shot 76. ''It's hard for everybody.''
Brian Windhorst can be reached at bwindhor@thebeaconjournal.com.
Standing on the ninth tee and looking downhill at the lush green framed by the Firestone clubhouse, the famous water tower and hundreds of fans makes for quite the pretty picture.
Get the full article here.
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