Website: centerfornewsanddesign.com PLAYERS 2017 U.S. OPEN • ERIN HILLS TO WATCH Major FACTS DUSTIN JOHNSON & FIGURES Age: 32 117th U.S. Open Country: United States June 15-18 World ranking: 1 Erin Hills Golf Club, Majors: US Open (2016) Mystery Wisconsin Best finish: Won US Open memory: His For the second time in three The course: Wisconsin 6-iron to 5 feet for birdie on developer Robert the 18th at Oakmont to win. Lang was behind the years, the U.S. Open will be held building of a public golf course on pure at a course hosting its first Major pastureland with hopes of attracting championship and is unfamiliar the U.S. Open. The course about 40 miles to many players northwest of Milwau- kee was designed by Michael Hurdzan, Dana Fry and Ron SERGIO GARCIA Whitten. It opened in Age: 37 2006 and was Country: Spain awarded the U.S. World ranking: 5 Open four years later, Majors: Masters (2017) one year after Lang Best finish: Tie for 3rd at had to sell the course. Pinehurst No. 2 in 2005 It has the appearance US Open memory: Playing of links golf, with in the final group with rolling terrain and no Tiger Woods at Bethpage trees, surrounded by Black in 2002 and coping wetlands and a river. (not very well) with the It will be the second pro-Tiger gallery. time in three years that the U.S. Open is Dustin Johnson holds the trophy after winning the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in 2016. He looks to be the first repeat champion held on a public golf since Curtis Strange in 1989. course. oing somewhere new is starting slip down the stairs on the eve of the only major Mickelson hasn't won. Length: 7,741 yards to get old at the U.S. Open. Masters. And he hasn't won since then, G For so many years, everyone either, which is only noteworthy THE RULES Par: 72 (36-36) knew what to expect at the U.S. Open. because for the longest time he couldn't Davis concedes that the USGA is With few exceptions, its identity was a seem to lose. Johnson took his first tour feeling more pressure than usual to Field: 156 players traditional, tree-lined golf course with of Erin Hills after missing the cut at the have this U.S. Open come off without a RORY McILROY tight fairways and thick rough, fast and Memorial and declared that he liked it. hitch. A year ago, the USGA was Prize money: Age: 28 firm greens and tough pars. That's what Eight players in the field were at Erin publicly criticized when it did not $12 million Country: Northern Ireland the players would see at Oakmont and Hills six years ago for the U.S. Amateur. decide whether Johnson should be World ranking: 2 Olympic, Winged Foot and Oakland Hills. penalized for his golf ball moving on Defending champion: Majors: US Open (2011), But for the second time in three years, DEFENDING CHAMP the fifth green. That meant Johnson Dustin Johnson British Open (2014), PGA the U.S. Open is headed to a place no "You think?" Curtis Strange said played most of the back nine without Championship (2012, ’14) one has ever experienced in a major sarcastically when asked if he was knowing the score. He was penalized Last year: Dustin Best finish: Won championship. worried about his place in history as the one shot and it didn't matter. A month Johnson won his first US Open memory: Bounc- This year's stage is Erin Hills, giving last player to go back-to-back in the U.S. later, the USGA decided to penalize major championship ing back from an 80 in the Wisconsin its first U.S. Open. The only Open. Strange did it in 1988 and 1989. Anna Nordqvist during a playoff in the by closing with a final round to lose the similarities between Erin Hills and Tiger Woods never repeated in his three U.S. Women’s Open after her club nicked 1-under 69 for a Masters by winning the U.S. Chambers Bay two years ago are that chances, and he is the only defending the sand on the previous hole. Two three-shot victory at Open two months later. both were built as public courses and champion to even finish in the top 10. years ago, Chambers Bay had hardly Oakmont. The final are mostly devoid of trees. Erin Hills was Only one player has ever been close, any grass on the putting surfaces. And round was complicat- molded over pure pastureland about 40 and that was Retief Goosen. He had a now? "There is some of that," Davis ed by Johnson's golf miles northwest of Milwaukee that three-shot lead going into the final said on the USGA's pressure to get it ball moving on the dates back to the Ice Age when glaciers round in 2005 and shot 80. Strange has right. "Those things could have fifth green, and the in retreat naturally created the rolling seen enough of Johnson _ and of Erin happened anywhere. But they USGA telling him on terrain. It's not a links course, even if it Hills as a member of the Fox Sports happened to us." the 12th tee that he might look like one. There is no rough broadcasting team _ to realize it was in may — or may not — around the greens, rather the mounded jeopardy. Adding to Johnson's ability is THE MONEY be penalized. Johnson slopes of mown grass found at places his record. He was runner-up at The USGA, which in 2015 began a played the last seven like Pinehurst. Chambers Bay after 12-year deal with Fox, raised the prize holes not knowing the JASON DAY Jack Nicklaus wonders if the U.S. three-putting the money this year to $12 million. The score. He was Age: 29 Open has gotten away from its identity. 18th hole from 12 winner will earn $2.16 million, or 18 assessed the one-shot Country: Australia The four-time U.S. Open champion feet. He won percent of the purse. The runner-up penalty after his World ranking: 3 knows nothing about Erin Hills, though handily at would get $1,297,500, which is more round, by then a moot Majors: PGA Champion- Nicklaus wonders what was wrong with Oakmont. "I've than Angel Cabrera earned when point. the old Opens that tested every shot in finished second and he won the U.S. Open ship (2015) Curtis the bag and earned the reputation as first," he said. 10 years ago. Key statistic: This is the Best finish: Runner-up in Strange, the "toughest test in golf." Mike Davis, "Two-one-one would first time since Pebble 2011 and 2013 1989 US Open memory: One the executive director of the USGA, be nice." Beach in 1992 that a shot out of the lead going argued that only the nature of the test U.S. Open is a par 72. to the 18th at Merion in hasn’t changed. The overall exam is still TIGER & PHIL 2013, he hit into the strong. For the first time in 25 Making good: Dustin bunker and made bogey. "What Erin Hills doesn't have is years, the U.S. Open will be Johnson became the history yet," Davis said. "But everybody played without Tiger Woods seventh player to win had to start somewhere." and Phil Mickelson. Woods had the U.S. Open one year This one starts on June 15, and a fourth surgery on his back in after he was run- adding to the mystery of the golf course April and is out for the rest of the ner-up. The others is the form of some of the best players. season, making this the second were Tiger Woods, It was different at the Masters two straight year he won't play a Payne Stewart, Jack months ago because all the biggest major. This is the fourth time in Nicklaus, Bobby names in golf were winning _ Dustin the last seven years he doesn't Jones, John McDer- Johnson and Jordan Spieth, Hideki play the U.S. Open. Mickelson, mott and Alex Smith. Matsuyama, Rickie Fowler and rising with a record six runner-up JORDAN SPIETH Spanish star Jon Rahm. But since Sergio finishes, says he will be going to Noteworthy: Only once Age: 23 Garcia slipped on a green jacket, no one his daughter's high school in the last five years Country: United States inside the top 40 in the world has won a graduation during the opening has the U.S. Open World ranking: 6 tournament. round and said he would champion played in Majors: Masters (2015), US Johnson remains the favorite at No. 1 withdraw. Lefty last missed a U.S. the final group. Open (2015) in the world for the last four months. He Open in 1993 when he lost in a Best finish: Won never made it to the first tee at Augusta two-man playoff for the final Television (all times US Open memory: His National after bruising his back from a spot. The U.S. Open remains the EDT): Thursday-Friday, three-hole finish to win at 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (FS1), Chambers Bay — birdie, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. (FOX); Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 double bogey, birdie. 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