Official U.S. Open Updates and Scores can be found at USGA.org


Follow us on Twitter
            
The U.S. Open at Lakeside


The Lake Course challenges professionals and amateurs alike with its narrow, tree-lined fairways and small, well-bunkered greens.

  • The Club hosted its first U.S. Open Championship in 1955, when Jack Fleck, a relative unknown from Iowa, defeated the favorite, Ben Hogan, in a playoff. Of the seven rounds under par for the tournament, Fleck put up three.
  • During the next U.S. Open Championship in 1966, Arnold Palmer dominated, leading by seven strokes with only nine holes left to play. Billy Casper tied him and then won the playoff.
  • In 1987, nine players went into Sunday within three strokes of the lead. The favorite, Tom Watson, was defeated, as Scott Simpson took the day, without the need for a play-off.
  • In 1998, Payne Stewart went into Sunday with a four stroke lead but the legacy of Hogan, Palmer and Watson loomed before him. He too would falter, allowing Lee Janzen to make his way to the top. No player broke par for the tournament and only Janzen equaled it.
  • In 2012, after starting Sunday four shots back from the leaders, Webb Simpson went two-over for the first five holes before putting together a string of birdies on 6, 7, 8, and 10. Graeme McDowell and Jim Furyk both needed birdies on 18 to force a playoff -- neither sank their shots and Simpson won his first major with a 1-over-par 281.


Lake Course Featured Holes


  • #1 - 520 Yards, Par Four

    • Chris Stein, Head Golf Professional  - The opening hole has been switched to play as a par 4 for the Championship. The prior four Championships it was played as a par 5. Players who find the fairway will have a medium to short iron into this 520 yard downhill hole. Drives that find the rough will bring the two bunkers 50 yards short of the green into play, so you may see some layup second shots to this very difficult par 4.

      Pat Finlen, Director of Golf Maintenance Operations - The first hole has been played as a par five in the past four US Opens.  For 2012, it will be played as a par four from a distance of 520 yards. The fairway will wrap around the left side of the left bunker and the right side of the fairway will roll through the middle of the bunker and out the back side. The approach has been widened to the right and a short grass area has been added to the right and rear of the green. The fairway width will be 29 yards wide. Bleachers will be installed at the rear of the tee near the Golf Shop as well as to the rear of the green. All of the brush to the right rear of the green will be removed so that bleachers can be installed in this area. After completion of the US Open, this area will be planted with native vegetation.

      Lake Course, Hole 1
  • #2 - 428 Yards, Par Four

    • Chris Stein, Head Golf Professional  - The second hole has been lengthened to 430 yards and the fairway has moved 6 to 7 paces to the left which makes the fairway much more narrow to hit. Many players will be using a 3-wood off the tee to find the fairway. The second shot to this narrow green from front to back is one of the toughest second shots on the course. Players should keep their second shots left of the hole so they have an uphill putt. The green slopes severely from the back right to front left.

      Pat Finlen, Director of Golf Maintenance Operations - The second hole will utilize the new back tee. Seven yards have been added to the left side of the fairway bringing into play the downward slope towards the third hole. This will allow balls to run away from the left side of the fairway landing zone. The fairway will be 34 yards wide. Bleachers will be installed to the right rear of the green.


      Lake Course, Hole 2
  • #3 - 247 Yard Par Three

    • Chris Stein, Head Golf Professional - Hitting this green in regulation is a great shot. You may not feel the wind on the tee, but as you hit your tee shot and the ball gets above the trees the wind will tend to move your ball from left to right. Aiming toward the left side of the green would be a good target. The green slopes front to back, so landing the ball on the front edge of the green would be ideal to hold the green.

             Pat Finlen, Director of Golf Maintenance Operations - The third hole will have a rear tee set adjacent to the practice chipping green. Bleachers will be installed to the left rear of the green.


      Lake Course, Hole 3
  • #4 - 430 Yard Par Four

    • Chris Stein, Head Golf Professional - In order to hit this fairway you will need to take a couple of things into consideration. A 3-wood or long iron off the tee is a smart play. A driver will put you through the fairway. The ideal tee shot is a slight draw to hold the left to right sloping fairway. You are left with an uphill second shot that requires one extra club. Keeping your second shot short right of any hole location will give you an uphill putt.

      Pat Finlen, Director of Golf Maintenance Operations - Several changes have been made to the fourth hole. Most notable was the removal of dirt down the center of the hole short of the fairway to allow better visibility into the fairway. The fairway width is 29 yards wide. The intermediate rough on the right side of the hole will be doubled in size.  The fairway has been extended closer to the left bunker and up and around the back edge of the bunker out to the putting green. This will allow for a bounce-in approach shot on the left side. The approach has been widened on the right side and wraps around the right side and rear of the green.


      Lake Course, Hole 4
  • #5 - 498 Yard Par Four

    • Chris Stein, Head Golf Professional - The fifth hole is just the opposite of the fourth hole and 40 yards has been added to this hole. A slight fade is the required shot shape to hold this fairway as it slopes right to left. The second shot will play a little shorter than the yardage as it is slightly downhill and the wind is usually at your back. You will want to keep your ball short left of any hole location to give yourself an uphill putt.

      Pat Finlen, Director of Golf Maintenance Operations - With the addition of two new rear tees in 2007, this hole will be much different than in 1998. The fairway will be a narrow 31 yard fairway at the turning point with a limited amount of rough on either side of the fairway before the tree line.


      Lake Course, Hole 5
  • #6 - 490 Yard Par Four
    • Chris Stein, Head Golf Professional - 45 yards has been added to this hole to bring the only fairway bunker on the course into play. The fairway bunker has been brought in to the right 5 paces. The rough has been moved further left in front and beyond the bunker which will allow tee shots to have more of a chance to roll into the bunker. The second shot will play a little shorter as it is slightly downhill and usually down wind. There is a false front on this green and ideally you want to be just short of any hole location which will give you an uphill putt.

      Pat Finlen, Director of Golf Maintenance Operations - Since the U.S. Amateur in 2007, two new rear tees have been added to the sixth hole. With a tight shoot from the back tee, the fairway bunker on the left will now be in play. The fairway bunker has been repositioned further right into the fairway with a width of only 25 yards between the bunker and the right edge of the fairway. The bunker has also been deepened to make it much tougher to have a shot from the bunker hold the green. The fairway has also been narrowed before and after the bunker to a width of 31 yards. Bleachers will be installed left and rear of the green.


      Lake Course, Hole 6
  • #7 - 294 Yards, Par Four

    • Chris Stein, Head Golf Professional  - The shortest Par 4 on the course will be a risk reward tee shot. I see most players going for this green, as being in any of the greenside bunkers is not a bad place to be. The rough will be high and thick around this green and it will make for a very difficult up and down for birdie on this two tiered green.

      Pat Finlen, Director of Golf Maintenance Operations - This short par four will see many different teeing areas used during the U.S. Open. From the back tee at 294 yards up to the shortest tee at 270 yards, players will easily be able to drive the green if they choose so. The rough around the green will be extremely thick and tall so there is a high risk-reward factor. With a two level green surrounded by bunkers, this hole will certainly create quite a bit of drama after six very tough holes. Bleachers will be installed to the center rear of the green.


      Lake Course, Hole 7
  • #8 - 200 Yards, Par Three

    • Chris Stein, Head Golf Professional  - The players will experience a very different 8th hole than the one they played in 1998. The hole stills plays uphill but we have added 60 yards. A medium iron will be needed as the green is well bunkered on the front left and right of the green. The beautiful Cypress trees guard the left side of the hole and make this one of our signature holes. The green angles right to left and a back left hole location requires a draw.

      Pat Finlen, Director of Golf Maintenance Operations -The new eight hole will be a dramatic shift from the old eight hole that played 134 yards. With a demanding tee shot needed through a shoot to a long narrow green with a false front, we should see some very good shot making on this hole. With no bleachers on this hole, fans will be allowed to sit along the hillside to the entire right side of the hole.


      Lake Course, Hole 8
  • #9 - 449 Yards, Par Four

    • Chris Stein, Head Golf Professional  - A downhill tee shot to this right to left sloping fairway requires a fade to hold this fairway. From there you will be face with a slight side-hill lie with a middle to short iron. Your second shot must be short left of the hole in order to have a straight uphill putt. This green slopes severely from back to front and one of the tougher putting surfaces on the course.

      Pat Finlen, Director of Golf Maintenance Operations -The fairway on this hole has been shifted quite a bit to the left to create a slight dogleg right. With a new rear tee and a narrow drive zone width of only 27 yards, tee shots landing at the turning point of the dogleg may end up in the left rough. The approach has been widened slightly into the right side of the green and dramatically increased to the left of green wrapping around to the left of the bunker and around to the back of the green. This short grass area will see many shots hit slightly left of the green ending up fifteen to twenty yards left of the green with a very demanding shot required to save par. Bleachers will be installed left and rear of the green.


      Lake Course, Hole 9
  • #10 - 424 Yards, Par Four

    • Chris Stein, Head Golf Professional  - This dog-leg right par 4 requires players to use a left to right tee shot to find the fairway. Players will be faced with a short iron into this fairly flat putting surface. The green slopes from front to back so you will want to land you’re second shot on the front of the green to keep your ball from rolling off the back edge. During the Open I see a lot of birdies being made on this hole.

      Pat Finlen, Director of Golf Maintenance Operations -The fairway on number ten has been moved 7 yards to the right to create a more demanding tee shot. The fairway has been narrowed to 27 yards causing players from the championship tee to curve their ball a bit more left to right as the fairway moves around the trees on the right. Bleachers will be installed left and rear of the green.


      Lake Course, Hole 10
  • #11 - 430 Yards, Par Four

    • Chris Stein, Head Golf Professional  - This straight away par 4 will usually play into a strong wind. The fairway has moved slightly to the left which gives the players a better angle into this green but also puts our beautiful Monterey Pines and Cypress trees more into play. Players will be faced with a short to medium iron into this two tiered green. The top section of the green is a fairly flat putting surface but the lower section slopes severely left to right. It would be ideal to leave you second shot below the hole if the hole location is on the bottom shelf.

      Pat Finlen, Director of Golf Maintenance Operations -This fairway has also been shifted further left to create a slight dogleg from left to right. This will make the flat part of the fairway on the right rough and bring the sloping left side rough into play as fairway. Bleachers will be installed left and rear of the green.


      Lake Course, Hole 11
  • #12 - 451 Yards, Par Four

    • Chris Stein, Head Golf Professional  - This hole has been lengthened 30 yards since the last Open and is now the most difficult hole on the back nine. The tee shot is an intimidating one through a narrow set of trees. Players will be faced with a medium iron into this small fairly flat putting surface. Two large bunkers guard the front right and front left of this green. The back and right of this green will be a closely mown area so any ball hit long or to the right will find a collection area further away from the green which will leave you a very difficult up and down.

      Pat Finlen, Director of Golf Maintenance Operations -This fairway has also been shifted left. With a demanding tee shot through a shoot, players will now have to shape their tee shot to keep it in the fairway. With the new rear tees, most tees shots will not get the big bounce over the ridge that was seen in the 1998 Open. A short grass area has been added to the right and rear of the green to again demand an exact shot into the green to avoid having a tough shot back to the green to save par. There will be no bleachers on this hole.


      Lake Course, Hole 12
  • #13 - 199 Yards, Par Three

    • Chris Stein, Head Golf Professional  - This 199 yard par 3 is guarded by a large bunker in front of the green and a bunker on the right side of the green. There is also a large Monterey Cypress covered by Ivy that may catch a ball if the tee shot is pushed slightly to the right. The green is very narrow from left to right which puts a premium on accuracy. The green slopes back to front so any shot kept below the hole will give you an uphill putt. The back and left side of this green will be closely mown, so any ball finding this area will be a difficult up and down, using a putter may be a smart option if you find yourself in this position.

      Pat Finlen, Director of Golf Maintenance Operations -A closely mown area has been added to the left and rear of the green. Shots landing on the left edge of the green may end up in the canal or intermediate rough next to the canal. Bleachers will be installed right and rear of the green.


      Lake Course, Hole 13
  • #14 - 419 Yards, Par Four

    • Chris Stein, Head Golf Professional  - This dog-leg left par 4 is going to see a few different tee shot options. Players may use driver to try and get to the bottom of the hill which will leave you with a sandwedge or use a long iron or hybrid to find this narrow fairway. The fairway has been moved quite a bit to the left which brings the row of trees left of the fairway into play. The green is guarded by two large bunkers on the left front and right front. The green slopes back to front so any ball kept short of the hole will give you an uphill putt.

      Pat Finlen, Director of Golf Maintenance Operations -This fairway has seen a dramatic shift from the right to the left. A more demanding tee shot will now be required as the fairway moves to the edge of the slope above the canal on the left side. The narrow fairway may cause many to ease up on the tee and hit something other than a driver. Those hitting driver from the tee may be able to move the ball under the trees on the left down into flat area short of the green. There will be no bleachers on this hole.

      Lake Course, Hole 14
  • #15 - 154 Yards, Par Three

    • Chris Stein, Head Golf Professional  - The shortest par three on the course should yield quite a few birdies. Three large bunkers surround the front, left and right side of this green. If you do not carry the front bunker your ball may plug in the large face which could bring in double bogey. The wind usually will blow right to left and while on the tee you may not feel the wind as the tee is guarded by brush and trees. The green slopes back to front so any ball kept below the hole will give you an uphill putt.

      Pat Finlen, Director of Golf Maintenance Operations -A newly rebuilt green with a deep bunker center and short of the green will require an exact shot from this short par three. Bleachers will be installed left and rear of the green.

      Lake Course, Hole 15
  • #16 - 670 Yards, Par Five

    • Chris Stein, Head Golf Professional  - A new tee will be in place for the Open which will make this Par 5 the longest hole in Open history at 670 yards. This is a sweeping dog-leg left and hitting this fairway is crucial in order to hit this green in regulation. This will definitely be a three shot hole and players will be faced with a wedge or more for their third shot into this well bunkered green site. A large bunker in front of the green and one left of the green will come into play with a poorly hit third shot. The green slopes back to front so keeping your ball below the hole is ideal. There is also a closely mown area left and back of this green, so any hole location on the left side of this green will require you to play your third shot right of the hole.

      Pat Finlen, Director of Golf Maintenance Operations -New tees have been added to the former 609-yard Par 5. A new tee at 625 yards has been added as well as a new tee at 670 yards. The 670-yard tee will probably see action on two days of the competition. This will require a demanding tee shot be placed to the right side of the fairway to set up the second shot. In addition, we may see the forward 570-yard tee be used to take the driver out of play due to the dogleg left and to avoid driving through the fairway. The approach in from of the green has been narrowed to 23 yards making a second shot short of the green be placed perfectly to avoid rough. A short grass area has been added to the left and rear of the green again making any shot to the left side of the green in danger of running away from the green. Bleachers will be installed center and left of the green.

      Lake Course, Hole 16
  • #17 - 505 Yards, Par Five

    • Chris Stein, Head Golf Professional  - A short Par 5 will be reachable for long hitters, hitting this fairway will require a right to left tee shot into this left to right sloping fairway. The long hitters will be faced with a risk – reward decision. Going for this green in two can yield eagles, birdies and bogeys as there is a closely mown area right and back of this small sloping green. If your ball finds this closely mown area you will be faced with a diabolical pitch uphill which if not hit precisely the ball can find its way back to your feet. So again, putter may not be a bad idea to use in this situation. This green slopes severely back to front; keeping your ball below the hole will give you an uphill putt.

      Pat Finlen, Director of Golf Maintenance Operations -This hole has previously been played as a par four. During the 2012 U.S. Open the hole will be played as a par five. A new tee has been added 15 yards left and 17 yards short of the current rear tee. This shorter tee will also see more players going for the green in two on this uphill short par 5 that usually plays into the wind. The addition of a large short grass area starting before the right side green bunkers and extending to the rear of the green will be in play. Players going for the green in two and missing right, will see their balls end up in the rough some fifteen to twenty yards left of the green. Bleachers will be installed to the center rear of the green.

      Lake Course, Hole 17
  • #18 - 355 Yards, Par Four

    • Chris Stein, Head Golf Professional  - The finishing hole at Olympic club is a spectators dream. A large amphitheater surrounds the 18th green. A short finishing hole will require an accurate tee shot to find the fairway. The uphill second shot will require a short iron to the smallest green on the course. The green is surrounded by four bunkers and the green slopes back to front. Again keeping your ball below the hole on your second shot is vital so a three-putt does not come into play.

      Pat Finlen, Director of Golf Maintenance Operations -The fairway width on this short par four has been decreased to 21 yards wide the entire length of the fairway. With this green being the smallest on the Lake Course, a demanding tee shot will be required to set up the second shot. With a narrow small green surrounded by thousands of fans, we are sure to see a great finish to the Championship on this hole. Bleachers will be installed to the center rear of the green.


      Lake Course, Hole 18