(Editor's Note: Russ Holden is a PGA Professional and the caddie for World Golf Hall of Fame member and 2004 European Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer. He also is CEO of the charitable organization, Caddy For a Cure. Holden's tour diary appears regularly on About.com Golf.)
(This diary entry was filed following Round 3 of the 2005 U.S. Open.)
More USGA stuff and then some today at Pinehurst. We played with Tom Pernice who is a wonderfully fun guy to play with. Pay attention, fantasy golf players: Pernice is really hitting it good. If you have the chance, pick him to win sometime in the near future!
Tom hit a gorgeous 6-iron off a tee on the 15th hole today that pitched 12 inches left of the hole. This was perfectly struck, off a tee, with tons of spin and very, very high. It hits and kicks dead left and ends up 10 yards left of the green. He has an almost impossible chip that he hits to 10 feet, then misses the putt and makes a bogey. How stupid is this?
I asked a USGA rules official today about my handicap theory ... wonderful answer I received. If these Tour players were to take the best 10 of their last 20 scores and multiply that by .96, most of these guys would be at least plus-4 handicaps. So, I asked the USGA official, how does the USGA rationalize making "par" a great score when the handicaps for these guys are clearly better than 0?
His answer was that the USGA only expects the player to "hit" his handicap once in four rounds. Ah-ha! So, who has shot 65 or 66 in this event, which would only be playing to their handicap? Peter Hedblom has the low round with a 66, so expect a flurry of 64s Sunday at the U.S. Open. Yeah, right - I don't think so.
What is really incredible is the number of volunteers here at Pinehurst working the Open. Around 5,400 volunteers for one tournament. They are walking around stepping all over themselves looking for something to do. It is amazing.
My favorite part of Pinehurst is the church bells that ring during the day. It is almost eerie at times, hearing those bells and thinking of Payne Stewart six years ago and the other many great players that have walked these fairways and heard the same bells.
Pinehurst, great place, great course.
