Every pin on the East Course, opened in 1912 and the shortest used for a major since 2004, is topped with a colorful wicker basket rather than a flag.
The exact origin of the idea remains a bit of a mystery and the identity of the person who makes them is kept a secret. But course designer Hugh Irvine Wilson, a mysterious Scottish immigrant who returned to his homeland and England for inspiration, is reported to have liked the look of shepherds' staffs while on his scouting trip.
The baskets, red on the front nine and orange on the back, are taken in every night to stop them being stolen and every player who wins at Merion is presented with one.
Of the four previous US Opens to be staged at the venue, three used the baskets with the exception being in 1950 when Ben Hogan won to complete the comeback from a head-on car crash that almost killed him 16 months earlier.
Olin Dutra won in 1934, Lee Trevino in 1971 and David Graham in 1981.
The baskets, featured in the club logo, can be clearly seen no matter which way the wind is blowing but they give no indication of the strength and direction it is blowing by the green. And, with a scarcity of trees near the greens at Merion, figuring out the wind gusts will prove difficult for the caddies.
Tiger Woods' caddie Joe Lacava told USA Today: "It's obviously different. It will be fun. But as a caddie, I won't say it's more difficult but we do use the flags to determine where the wind is up around the greens. It's a hindrance but I think it's neat and cool.
"We'll have to use the trees a little bit more, the wind charts, throwing up a lot of grass. We'll do a lot of things, but at the same time I like to think we'll get it figured out."
No comments:
Post a Comment