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After talking to Ogilvy and San Diego native Pat Perez about the Torrey story, a question fast presented itself and the ultimate answer was frankly astounding.
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Forget eagles. The last time a player won the Open by a shot with a birdie on the 72nd hole was in 1926, when Bobby Jones turned the trick at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio.
Eighty-two years? Relatively speaking, the days when amateurs like Jones ruled were when dinosaurs walked the earth. But since closing par-5 holes have been few -- the Open has mostly featured a tough par-4 as its closing hole -- opportunities for winning birdies have been greatly reduced. Indeed, there was considerable dissent within the USGA ranks about whether to convert the 18th at Torrey into a long par-4 hole in keeping with tradition over the years, but Davis' side won the spirited argument.
Now, sit back and imagine the rest for a moment.
Once it was determined that it would play as a par-5, officials had to determine where the tees would be placed on a hole that will measure 573 yards from the signpost next to the back markers. But Davis warned not to get fixated on that figure, because he has little intention of playing from the tips. If they did, as Perez warned, the beauty of the hole would largely be ruined because few could reach the green in two.
"Then it basically becomes a 100- or 120-yard par-3," said Perez, who has played hundreds of rounds on the course. "We can't reach the green in two, so we will all be laying up to the same spot. It becomes a matter of who hits the best wedge shots."
Said Ogilvy: "You might as well put the markers up there and say, 'Let's play it from here.'"
Excellent points, those. Players also wouldn't be pressed to hit drivers off the tee if they were going to lay up. The prerequisite to pound a driver into a realistic fairway "go zone" will make the hole infinitely more interesting.
"It is our intent to keep sneaking tee markers up (even in Rounds 1 and 2), where well-struck tee shots will leave a player with a choice," Davis said in an e-mail. "And our intent is that it this choice will not just be for the Bubba Watsons, but for players of average length.
"The hole should play with a slightly helping, left-to-right crosswind. We will watch the hole closely in practice rounds. Candidly, I don't know what to expect in terms of roll on the fairways. We've aggressively top-dressed them to hopefully get roll, but kikuyu is a very tacky/grabby grass.
"The point of all this is that you may see tee markers up at 540 yards (or less) if that's what it takes."
With presumably firmer fairways, the hole will play shorter than when the course annually hosts the PGA Tour's Buick Invitational in late January, in the dead of an often wet California winter. The green will be similarly firmer, of course, so launching a 3-iron second shot could be an adventure in itself when it lands.
However it plays out, at least the setup will provide guys some options: "Excitement, difference, variance," Ogilvy said, citing his seldom-seen list of design preferences.
This time, his wish seemingly will be granted. Players and fans alike will be the better for it as the shadows, plus potential eagle and birdie putts, fall in Sunday night's final moments.
"I truly hope that Sunday's hole location -- which I think and hope will have the most risk-reward of the four days – coupled with the tee markers up far enough will make eagles possible," Davis said. "Obviously the stars would need to line up for an eagle to win, but ...."
But nothin'. Picture hometown hero Phil Mickelson, one shot off the lead as he stands on the 18th tee with 40,000 fans screaming in his ear. Instead of parking one in a hospitality tent, like he did to hand the title to Ogilvy at Winged Foot, he bashes two clutch cannon shots to find the green.
The waves of shock and awe would register on the Richter Scale readings. The locals would doubtlessly carry him off the green on their shoulders.
Which, in my book, beats a stretcher. Any day.
