THE COURSE:
The Olympic Club 7,170yrds, par 70
Location: San Francisco, California, USA.
Established in 1860 The Olympic Club is the oldest athletic club in America. The course was originally designed in 1924 by Willie Watson and Sam Whiting and apart from a couple of minor alterations it remains true to its original design. The course is characterised by narrow tree-lined fairways and small, well-bunkered greens. The 2012 US Open will be the 5th staging of the event at The Olympic Club.
The 18th hole is by today’s standards a very short par 4 finishing hole measuring only 344yrds. Accuracy off the tee is paramount, leaving a short, uphill second shot to a green that slopes from back to front. In 1998 when Lee Janzen came from behind to beat Payne Stewart the 18th green was considered “unfair” because of the speed and slope and has since been slightly reshaped to reduce it’s severity.