Matt, aren't you supposed to be in class?
I agree with most of the late posters, including my son, that 1) a precise, imaginative short game and 2) having a plan is going to win this. I wish Seve and his magical short game were still around.
If I had to guess how it will play out, there is going to be a lot more birdies than in a typical US Open, because if you hit it into the correct section of the green, the putts are not difficult. But there will be a lot of long putts because of the very large internal contours, and the ball rolling away on the greens. As a result, I am guessing a lot of 3-putts, because I assume that those long putts will be severely punished if the greens are running at 12.
Very simply, there are some places you just cannot miss or you will have to make a 15 footer to save par, and that includes hitting the wrong part of the green, not just because you missed the green.
I played with a guy from the east coast at Chambers, and he walked off the course saying it is like they buried a bunch of elephants in the greens. My friends said the same thing about Old Macdonald. My thought to both comments, "hit it closer to the pin to eliminate the contours." The trick of course, is how do you get it close.
This is not a course where you have your distance, and hit it at the flag. At a typical US Open maybe you subtract five yards because you know the ball won't hold, but you aim and fire. That is not going to happen here. You will have to judge the bounce and roll more like at an Open. The uncertainty of the result will drive the pros nuts.
Also, if they miss the green, they will either be in the sand or have a tight lie. Almost everywhere (that I can think of) is mowed tight around the greens. There won't be any pro looking down slashing at the 4" rough because they misjudged the ball's reaction like at a typical US Open.
The course is very much right in front of you. So as I think about it and write this, any "unpredictability" is really shifted from the rough, either greenside or through the green, like at most US Opens, to the bounce on the approach at CB. I think that is why all of us who have played the course more than a few times believe that the “mickey mouse” comment is so unfair, and simply inaccurate. The contours are visible to all. So, if you hit the right side of a greenside hump, do you think it unfair that the ball bounces to the right? My advice, don’t hit the hump!
What you won't see is the bombers with much, if any, advantage, because the roll will counterbalance their aerial advantage.
One thing no one has mentioned in this thread, although everyone is aware of this fact, the course has been reworked since the US Am. My understanding was that the ball did not react as anticipated on some of the holes, which is why they reworked them.
Who leads the tour in putting from 15-20 feet? Jordan Spieth. He has to be the favorite. Not because he won at the Masters, but because Chambers will require the same quality short game and precise iron play that (everyone says) is required at Augusta. (An invite to Augusta will be generously accepted so that I can verify this fact.
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In conclusion, I am guessing a lot of pros will not like the course. Just like they don’t like blind shots, and just like some of them don’t like the Open. And like Rich said was proven at the US Am, I think the cream will rise to the top once again. It will be interesting.