Owned by Pierce County, the Chambers Bay course opened for play only eight years earlier in June 2007. It was constructed a former quarry that faces Puget Sound and an active freight railroad.[3] A Sounder commuter train platform at Chambers Bay with service from Seattle was planned by Sound Transit for the tournament, but was later cancelled due to logistical and financial challenges.[4]
The course was laid out differently each day, with course totals ranging from 7,384 yards (6,752 m) on Sunday, to 7,695 yards (7,036 m) on Friday. Holes 1 and 18 were played as either par-4 or par-5: the first was a par-4 and the 18th was a par-5 for three of the rounds, switching only for the second round on Friday, and the course was par 70 for each round.[5]
^ In Round 2 on Friday, Hole #1 was played as a par 5 and #18 as a par 4; par was 36 out and 34 in.
Source:[8][9][10][11]
Criticism of the course
Chambers Bay was subject to criticism for its bumpy greens, unfair course design, and poor accessibility for spectators.[12][13] Former U.S. Open champion Gary Player called it "the worst golf course I might've ever seen in the 63 years as a professional golfer", and Henrik Stenson said that the greens were like "putting on broccoli".[14]
Field
About half the field consisted of players who are exempt from qualifying for the U.S. Open. Each player is classified according to the first category in which he qualified, and other categories are shown in parentheses.
1. Winners of the U.S. Open Championship during the last ten years
Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson both posted rounds of 65 (−5) to share the lead after the first round. Johnson recorded four birdies on his back-nine and did not make a bogey until the par-3 9th, his 18th hole of the round. Stenson, meanwhile, birdied four of his last five holes to tie Johnson for the lead. Jordan Spieth, the reigning Masters champion, was three strokes back after a 68.[21] Three-time champion Tiger Woods opened with a round of 80 (+10), his worst score ever at the U.S. Open.[22]Brian Campbell, a senior at the University of Illinois, was low amateur after a round of 67 (−3), two behind the lead.
The first hole was set as a par-4 at 501 yards (458 m) and the 18th hole as par-5 at 617 yards (564 m), with the course at 7,497 yards (6,855 m).[8][23] The scoring average for the field was 72.72 (+2.72)[8] and 25 players had under-par rounds.[21][24]
Masters champion Jordan Spieth shot a round of 67 (−3) to tie Patrick Reed for the 36-hole lead. First round co-leader Dustin Johnson got as low as 7-under before bogeys on three of his last five holes dropped him to a stroke behind the leaders.[25]Jason Day was just two shots off the lead playing the 9th hole, his 18th of the round, when he collapsed from vertigo. After being treated by medical personnel for several minutes, Day was able to finish the hole and made bogey, dropping to three behind and a tie for 9th place.[26]Tiger Woods missed the cut with a two-round score of 16-over-par, his worst 36-hole score in a major.
The 1st hole was set as a 593-yard par-5 and the 18th hole as 514-yard par-4, with the total yardage at 7,695.[9] The scoring average for the field was 73.48 (+3.48)[9] and 18 players had under-par rounds. J. B. Holmes and Louis Oosthuizen had the low rounds of the day, 66 (−4).[24]
Louis Oosthuizen again had the low round of the day, 66 (−4), moving him into a tie for 5th place. Despite suffering from vertigo, Jason Day scored 68 (−2), the second lowest round of the day.[28]
The 1st hole was set as a 499-yard par-4 and the 18th hole as 577-yard par-5, with the total yardage at 7,637.[10] The scoring average for the field was 73.13 (+3.13)[10] and only 6 players had under-par rounds.[24]
Four players began the final round tied for the lead for the first time at the U.S. Open since 1973. In the final pairing with Jason Day at 3 pm PDT, Dustin Johnson recorded two birdies on the front nine to take sole possession of the lead, then lost it with bogeys on three out of four holes to begin the back nine.[29] In the penultimate pairing, Jordan Spieth and Branden Grace both birdied the par-4 12th to tie, but Grace fell from contention on the 16th after his drive went out of bounds and he made double bogey. Spieth holed a 25-foot (8 m) birdie putt at the 16th to open up a three-stroke lead, but then three-putted for double bogey on the par-3 17th to fall into a tie with Louis Oosthuizen. Oosthuizen began the round three shots off the lead and quickly dropped further behind with three consecutive bogeys on the front-nine. Beginning at the 12th, however, Oosthuizen birdied six out of his last seven holes to tie Spieth. At the par-5 18th, Spieth hit the green in two and proceeded to two-putt for birdie. Johnson recovered from his bogey streak with a birdie at the 17th, then also found the 18th green in two.[30] Faced with a 12-foot (3.7 m) eagle putt to win the championship, Johnson's attempt rolled three feet (0.9 m) past the hole, then missed his birdie putt to tie. Expecting a Monday playoff, Spieth suddenly gained a one-stroke victory for his second consecutive major title.[31][32][33]
With the win, Spieth became the sixth to win both the Masters and U.S. Open in the same year and the first since Tiger Woods in 2002. He also became the first to win two majors before the age of 22 since Gene Sarazen in 1922, and the youngest U.S. Open champion since Bobby Jones in 1923.[34] After opening with a round of 77 (+7), Oosthuizen shot 199 over his last three rounds, tying the U.S. Open record for lowest 54-hole score. His score of 29 on the back-nine also tied a tournament record.[35]
The first hole was set as a par-4 at 443 yards (405 m) and the 18th hole as a par-5 at 601 yards (550 m), with the total at 7,384 yards (6,752 m).[11] The scoring average for the field was 71.29 (+1.29)[11] and 22 players had under-par rounds. Adam Scott had the low round of the championship, a 6-under-par 64 to tie for fourth.[24]
This was the first U.S. Open televised by Fox Sports, which began a 12-year contract to televise the championship and other USGA events. The previous 20 years (1995–2014) had been by NBC Sports, preceded by 29 years (1966–1994) on ABC Sports.
