During round one’s scoring onslaught, even Pebble Beach’s par-5 14th yielded to the field, playing to a 4.788 average with three eagles, 48 birdies and just one double bogey.
A day later in the 2019 U.S. Open and with the hole cut 8 paces closer to the front edge, the 14th averaged 5.217 with only 17 birdies but 8 double bogies. Rory McIlroy, who was just two off the lead at the time, made seven.
Even with similar conditions to round one, a mere move of the hole forward brought the diabolical green’s false front into play. Any approach shot pin high but right of the flagstick rolled back down the fairway.
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In five previous U.S. Opens, the dogleg right hole which was often cited by players as their least favorite hole at Pebble Beach has ranked in the top seven holes in difficulty. In 2010, when a controversial chipping area left of the green drew the player’s ire, the 14th played to a 5.44 scoring average, the third-most difficult at Pebble Beach.
Since the last U.S. Open, the green was renovated in 2016, with 800 square feet of surface added and other elements softened. But still not enough for the field in round two.
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