A decade ago, the spot now known as Chambers Bay was an eyesore.
The former sand-and-gravel quarry stood in contrast to the beauty of its backdrop — The Puget Sound.
But that was before Pierce County spent $20 million to clean and re-sculpt the site into the golf course that will host the U.S. Open this week.
Reclamation and reinvention are undertones of the first U.S. Open held in the Northwest.
Between Thursday and Sunday, several other storylines will emerge. Here are five that I’ll be watching from the course this week.
The course
Chambers Bay will likely remain center-stage even after the tournament’s first shots are hit Thursday morning.
The undulations, mounds and slopes are so extreme, some players have said it’s not fit to host one of golf’s four major tournaments.
Friday, Bubba Watson posted a video on Twitter that showed the circus-house nature of Chambers Bay’s greens. Standing with his back to the hole, the two-time Masters champion putt his ball up a slope to about 30 feet away from the hole. The ball then trickled all the way down into the cup.
USGA executive director Mike Davis said some tee boxes could even be placed on up, down or sideslopes. That drew the ire of several golfers, including Ryan Palmer.
“(Davis’) idea of tee boxes on down hills, up hills and side hills is ridiculous” Palmer told USA Today. “That’s not golf. I don’t care what anybody says. It will get a lot of bad press from the players. It is a joke. I don’t understand it. I just don’t know why they would do it.”
Depending on the setup, Chambers Bay could range from difficult to diabolical. We’ll see how far up that scale Davis chooses to go.
King me
Since Tiger Woods fell from atop the golf world, Rory McIlroy has become the face of the game more than anyone.
But he has a challenger. Jordan Spieth has settled in behind McIlroy as the No. 2-ranked player in the world.
Coming off his victory at the Masters, the 21-year-old Spieth could be considered the game’s premier player if he wins at Chambers Bay.
Neither McIlroy nor Spieth have the mass appeal Woods had in his prime. But the sport will be well served if these two go toe-to-toe for major championships for many years.
And about Tiger …
Triumphant Tiger or train-wreck Tiger. Which will emerge this week?
Tiger Woods hasn’t won a major since the U.S. Open seven years ago.
Since then, the 14-time major winner has shown flashes of brilliance. But more common have been feasts of tabloid fodder and stretches of mediocre golf that have dropped Woods to No. 181 in the world.
His poorest stretch came last week at The Memorial, in which he shot a career-worst 85 during the third round.
For interest’s sake, we should hope for one of two things from Woods this week — that he contends for the title or flames out spectacularly.
The missing piece
There’s one large empty spot in Phil Mickelson’s trophy case.
The U.S. Open is the only major not won by Mickelson, who at 45 is running out of chances. And unless he wins one, the U.S. Open will always be the one that got away.
In 2006, he led by two strokes with three holes to play. He held a one-stroke lead over Jeff Ogilvy on the 18th tee, where he hit an ill-advised aggressive drive that traveled well left of the fairway. A series of poor shots followed, which led to a double bogey and a lost championship.
After finishing runner-up in the last two majors, could Mickelson earn redemption and a career grand slam at Chambers Bay?
Hammer time
A cool thing about the U.S. Open is that it’s theoretically “open” to anyone. Each year, the field includes a crop of amateurs who play their way in through a qualification process.
Fort Vancouver High sophomore Spencer Tibbits gave it his best shot, advancing to the sectional qualifier last week in Cle Elum.
Fifteen-year-old Cole Hammer earned his way into the field by shooting 64 and 68 in a qualifier in Dallas, Texas.
Hammer will be the fourth youngest to play in the U.S. Open. Despite being just 5-foot-9, 125 pounds, he has already verbally committed to play at the University of Texas.
Hammer won’t contend for the title, but there are interesting stories among the 13 amateurs in this year’s field.
