Hole of the Day, Round 1: The Par-5 4th

The Church Pews bunker at Oakmont Country Club is among the most famous in the game. For the 125th U.S. Open, a “pew” has been added to the 110-yard-long feature, making a total of 13 berms that come into play for a pulled or hooked tee shot on both the par-4 3rd and par-5 4th holes. Our Hole of the Day for Round 1 is No. 4, with insights from Brent Paladino, USGA senior director of Championship Administration:

“There aren’t many opportunities to make a birdie at Oakmont,” said Paladino, “and No. 4 provides that potential. Although it’s 621 yards, it plays nearly 25 feet downhill from tee to green. That makes it reachable, at least to the front of the green, for nearly every player in the field.

“From the fairway, they’re likely to have between 260 and 300 yards to the flagstick, which in Round 1 will be positioned 26 yards from the front of the green and 6 yards from the right. From the left side of the fairway, they have a much better angle to reach in two shots, but tee shots down the left also bring the Church Pews into play.

“Players who miss the green with their second shot are likely to miss it short and right due to the fairway angle, and they will face what appears to be a fairly simple pitch shot to get up and down for birdie. However, there’s a small ridge 4 or 5 paces short of the hole, and another ridge a similar distance past the hole. It’s going to be very difficult to get it close to the hole from the right side, particularly out of the rough. I think we’re going to see a lot of pitch shots roll out, 10 to 15 feet past the hole.

“Unless a player is sure they can reach the green with their second shot, I think the better play is to lay up. The two favored options are to either hit a shot over the series of seven bunkers on the right side to leave about 50 yards in, or lay up to about 80 yards, which allows players to get more spin on the approach shot.

“There will be plenty of birdies on No. 4, there’s no doubt about it. But players will have to choose the best strategy to suit their game.”