US Open - fast facts

US Open fast facts

(Hit it far)

Oakmont's par-five 12th hole is the longest in US Open history - by a massive 25 yards.

The 667 yard monster has the hardest fairway to hit because it slopes hard to the right.

The green also runs away from the players making it difficult to hold.

It also has its history. In 1953, Sam Snead trailed by one in the final round of the US Open, starting a slide in which he played the last seven in three over and lost to Ben Hogan.

Power hitter Trip Kuehne hit the green in two with a six-iron during the 2003 US Amateur. Then again it was 'only' 626 yards that week. What are the chances that someone will do it this week?

(US Open's longest holes)
Yards Hole Year
667 Oakmont No 12 2007
642 Southern Hills No 5 2001
640 Winged Foot No 12 2006
630 Olympic Club No 16 1955
630 Baltusrol No 17 1980

(Oakmont by the numbers)
8 - Number of times the US Open has come to Oakmont.
12 - Number of turf islands in the Church Pew bunker on the third and fourth holes.
13 - USGA championships played at Oakmont
23 - Total golfers in the seven previous US Opens at Oakmont who managed to break par.
102 - Length in yards of the Church Pews bunker following 2005 exapansion
156 - Golfers in the field
210 - Bunkers on the course
320,000 - Dollars won by 1994 champion Ernie Els
1.225 - Million dollars (minimum) for the champion
5,000 - Trees that have been removed since the 1994 Open

(First US Open)
The first US Open was played in October 1895 on Newport Rhode Island's nine hole course.

Considered something of a sideshow to the first US Amateur, which was played on the same course and during the same week, 10 professionals and one amateur started in the 36-hole competition.

Playing with a gutta percha ball, local assistant Horace Rawlins won the event with rounds of 91 and 82.

(Tee time madness)
The USGA spent hours setting up the draw for the benefit of television.

But apart from the traditional grouping of the defending US Open, US Amateur and British Open champions in Geoff Ogilvy, Richie Ramsay and Tiger Woods there are lots of other juicy groups.

Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott is a TV director's dream.

But there are also 'The Outsiders' in suprise major winner Shaun Micheel, Rich Beem and Ben Curtis and the Spanish Armada in Sergio Garcia, Jose Maria Olazabal and Pablo Martin.

Or what about the nearly men? Chris DiMarco and Colin Montgomerie have both lost twice in play-offs for majors and are still waiting for that first big win.

(Tee-off times and pairings for the first and second rounds at Oakmont County Club, Pennsylvania: US unless stated, all times BST, a=amateur)

Hole 1 Thursday/Hole 10 Friday:
1200/1730 Ken Duke, Sam Walker (Eng), Johnson Wagner
1211/1741 Craig Kanada, Jon Mills (Can), Tom Gillis
1222/1752 Allen Doyle, Olin Browne, Tom Byrum
1233/1803 Nick Dougherty (Eng), Trip Kuehne (a), Ricky Barnes
1244/1814 Ryuji Imada (Jpn), Vaughn Taylor, Michael Campbell (NZ)
1255/1825 Jose Maria Olazabal (Spa), Sergio Garcia (Spa), Pablo Martin (Spa)
1306/1836 Tiger Woods, Richie Ramsay (Sco, a), Geoff Ogilvy (Aus)
1317/1847 Justin Leonard, Rory Sabbatini (SA), Jerry Kelly
1328/1858 Retief Goosen (SA), Luke Donald (Eng), Angel Cabrera (Arg)
1339/1909 Bob Estes, Johan Edfors (Swe), Ryan Palmer
1350/1920 Woody Austin, Mathew Goggin (Aus), Pat Perez
1401/1931 Jason Allen, Mike Small, Geoffrey Sisk
1412/1942 Michael Berg, Jason Kokrak (a), Kyle Dobbs

1730/1200 Jeff Brehaut, Andrew Buckle (Aus), Darron Stiles
1741/1211 Martin Laird (Sco), Alex Prugh (a), Todd Fischer
1752/1222 Joe Durant, Steve Stricker, Joey Sindelar
1803/1233 Trevor Immelman (SA), Stewart Cink, Paul Casey (Eng)
1814/1244 Vijay Singh (Fij), Davis Love III, Henrik Stenson (Swe)
1825/1255 Jeff Sluman, Fred Funk, Toru Taniguchi (Jpn)
1836/1306 Camilo Villegas (Col), Lucas Glover, Aaron Baddeley (Aus)
1847/1317 Luke List, JJ Henry, Rod Pampling (Aus)
1858/1328 Lee Westwood (Eng), Chad Campbell, Carl Pettersson (Swe)
1909/1339 Brett Quigley, Anthony Wall (Eng), Hunter Mahan
1920/1350 Kevin Sutherland, Soren Kjeldsen (Den), Eric Axley
1931/1401 Joe Daley, Martin Ureta (Chi, a), Miguel Rodriguez (Arg)
1942/1412 Chris Condello (a), Adam Speirs (Can), Jacob Rogers

Hole 10 Thursday/Hole 1 Friday:
1200/1730 Michael Putnam, Rhys Davies (Wal), Lee Williams
1211/1741 Boo Weekley, Nobuhiro Masuda (Jpn), Bubba Watson
1222/1752 John Kelly (a), Graeme McDowell (NI), Kirk Triplett
1233/1803 Colin Montgomerie (Sco), Chris DiMarco, Tim Clark (SA)
1244/1814 Ernie Els (SA), Zach Johnson, Padraig Harrington (Ire)
1255/1825 Thomas Bjorn (Den), Ben Curtis, Stephen Ames (Can)
1306/1836 KJ Choi (Kor), David Toms, Mike Weir (Can)
1317/1847 Stuart Appleby (Aus), Scott Verplank, Robert Allenby (Aus)
1328/1858 Todd Hamilton, John Rollins, Anders Hansen (Den)
1339/1909 Niclas Fasth (Swe), Arron Oberholser, Nathan Green (Aus)
1350/1920 Nick Watney, Peter Hanson (Swe), Harrison Frazar
1401/1931 Philip Pettitt Jr (a), Warren Pineo, John Koskinen
1412/1942 Andy Matthews, Jeff Golden (a), Michael Block

1730/1200 Jason Dufner, Darren Fichardt (SA), Chris Stroud
1741/1211 Brandt Snedeker, Christian Cevaer (Fra), Steve Marino
1752/1222 Shaun Micheel, Charl Schwartzel (SA), Tom Pernice Jr
1803/1233 Nick O'Hern (Aus), Brett Wetterich, Robert Karlsson (Swe)
1814/1244 Kaname Yokoo (Jpn), Paul Goydos, Kenneth Ferrie (Eng)
1825/1255 Ian Poulter (Eng), Ryan Moore, Shingo Katayama (Jpn)
1836/1306 Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott (Aus), Jim Furyk
1847/1317 Lee Janzen, Steve Elkington (Aus), Rich Beem
1858/1328 Charles Howell III, Justin Rose (Eng), Sean O'Hair
1909/1339 Anthony Kim, Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind), Dean Wilson
1920/1350 Tim Petrovic, Marcus Fraser (Aus), Tripp Isenhour
1931/1401 DJ Brigman, Richard Lee (a), George McNeill
1942/1412 Frank Bensel, Todd Rossetti, Mark Harrell (a)