Back in 2014, I remember my dad and I playing golf with Thom Smith, who told us about something interesting he planned to do in the coming weeks.
He was planning to take a trip to North Carolina to volunteer at both the U.S. Open Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open Golf Championship golf tournaments, which were being played in back-to-back weeks at Pinehurst No. 2.
Many in the Corbin community are probably familiar with Thom. He used to be the transportation director for the Corbin Independent School District for several years before serving as the athletic director for the district. He is also a former golf coach at Corbin High School. He is a good guy. Him and my dad still play golf together.
I had never heard about anyone I know volunteering at a professional golf tournament, which I thought then and still think was a cool thing to do.
Because most of the hotels relatively close to Pinehurst No. 2 were booked, I think he had to get a hotel elsewhere and drive like an hour each way to get to the course.
I remember he enjoyed the experience, and it was fun hearing his stories about the trip afterwards.
Having back-to-back major golf tournaments at the same course is rare. Pinehurst was the first to do it in 2014, according to Pinehurst’s website. Both the men’s and women’s opens are returning to Pinehurst No. 2 again in 2029 for back-to-back tournaments.
The ladies will get to go first this time playing the U.S. Women’s Open June 7-10, 2029. The men get their turn June 14-17, 2029.
Ever since I heard Thom talk about the back-to-back open championships at the same course, I have had a thought.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to have the U.S. Women’s Open and the Senior U.S. Open back-to-back instead as the course set-ups would be more similar.
Consider this. When the men’s open was played at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2014, the length of the course was 7,562 yards. The course set up for the ladies in 2014 was 6,649 yards.
By comparison, when the 1994 Senior U.S. Open was played at Pinehurst No. 2, the course length was approximately 6,961 yards, according to some online sources I could find. I have also seen other online sources, which have it a little longer or a little shorter.
In case anyone is interested, 54-year-old Simon Hobday won the Senior U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in 1994 shooting ten under par for the tournament. It was a one stroke victory over Jim Albus and Graham Marsh.
The course has been lengthened since then.
Martin Kaymer won the 2014 U.S. Open Championship at Pinehurst No. 2 running away from the field shooting nine under par for the tournament. Second place finishers Erik Compton and Rickie Fowler each shot one under par for the tournament. No one else broke par during the four-day tournament.
On the ladies’ side, Michelle Wie West won the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open Golf Championship shooting two under par for the tournament. Stacy Lewis took home second place shooting even par for the tournament. No one else broke par during the four-day tournament.
In other words, this is a pretty tough golf course.
If you have some local golf news you want to share, such as upcoming scrambles or recent accomplishments of local high school golfers, then e-mail me at mwhite@corbinnewsjournal.com. I may include the information in a future column.
