While I’m in DelMarVa playing Ballyhack and covering the Potomac Cup preview – complete with a stint with Steve Czaban on Fox Sports radio Tuesday afternoon – Ryan Ballengee has a terrific preview of Congressional. Mike Davis goes over some of the changes the players can expect when the course hosts a U.S. Open instead of a Kemper/Booz Allen/AT&T.
From the article:
“First, the course no longer ends on a par 3. That was changed in 2003 when the club – in hopes of getting this 2011 Open – agreed to re-route the course so that its then 17th would close out the course. The change has been on display in three PGA Tour events since, but has not been the cauldron for the National Open. The course now ends on a downhill par 4 with a peninsula of water guarding the sides and back of the smallish putting surface. The membership considered putting holes from the adjoining Gold Course into play for the Open like was done in ’64 (and for the ’76 PGA Championship) or even trading off with the Blue permanently. Ultimately, this move made the most long-term sense for the club.
Congo Blue will also be longer than it plays for the AT&T National or the ’97 Open. For those events, Congressional is a 7200 yard, par 70 course. Next June, it will be 7568 yards on the scorecard and par will be 71. Mike Davis and his staff have invented seven new tees for the Open that will add some 300 yards to the numbers on the card. Davis says, though, that in accordance with his style as setup ace for the governing body that Congressional will almost assuredly never play that total length.
Fairways had their contours changed and the Davis-described “waviness” of them was largely eliminated. Davis said the design characteristic was a relic of the 60s and 70s, which took Congo’s stiffing, deep bunkers largely out of play. Davis will mow the fairways so that they come more into play, but not create targets overly generous for the Open.”
Great stuff, Ryan. See everyone from Ballyhack and Lake Presidential.
