La Jolla will be the center of the golf world for a week this month when the U.S. Open Championship visits Torrey Pines Golf Club from June 9 to 15. The 108th playing of the tournament is one of four majors on the golf calendar.
This year’s U.S. Open is being played in southern California for only the second time in the tournament’s history. In 1948, Ben Hogan won the championship at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.
It will also be the first time that the U.S. Open will be played at a municipal golf course and at a public facility on the West Coast. In 2002, Bethpage State Park’s Black Course was the first public course to host the U.S. Open.
“This is a chance for the city of La Jolla and this course to show the golf world that a public course can host this event,” said Mark Woodward, City of San Diego golf operations manager.
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are the favorites to win the U.S. Open. Woods is the best golfer in the world and has won five of the last six Buick Invitational tournaments held annually at Torrey Pines in January, while local boy Mickelson knows the course well and is a two-time Buick Invitational winner.
Last year’s champion Angel Cabrera will also be in the championship field. Cabrera recorded a one-stroke victory over Woods and Jim Furyk at the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa.
Course designer Rees Jones lengthened the south course to 7,607 yards in the redesign for the U.S. Open, making it the longest course to host the championship. The course will be a par-71. Woodward said that those who play the course regularly will notice high levels of overall maintenance and upkeep.
“This is the best the course has looked in 50 years,” Woodward said.
Players will be on the course for practice rounds from June 9 through June 11. The gates will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. for those with tickets.
The first and second rounds of the tournament begin June 12 and 13 at 7 a.m., with players beginning from both the first and 10th tees of the South Course. The last pairings in each of those rounds are scheduled to tee off at approximately 2:42 p.m. Times for the third and fourth rounds, held on Saturday and Sunday, will be determined by how many players make the cut.
Golf enthusiasts can get excited for the U.S. Open by attending a free screening of the HBO Sports documentary, “Back Nine at Cherry Hills: The Legends of the 1960 U.S. Open.” The screening will be held Friday, June 6 at Ellen Browning Scripps Park and is open to the public.
The film will start at sundown following a performance from jazz fusion band Incendio at 6:30 p.m.
“Back Nine at Cherry Hills” chronicles the 1960 U.S. Open, a pivotal moment in golf history when legends from three different generations of golf ” Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus ” squared off. The film looks at each of the legends in an in-depth manner. People can set up a picnic at the park in front of the high definition digital screen.
“It’s a great opportunity for families to come out and watch something that transcends golf, because it’s a great story,” said HBO director of corporate affairs David Castro. “It’s a great way to kick off the 2008 festivities.”
Although tickets for the U.S. Open are sold out, the Torrey Pines Golf Club is offering tickets and accommodations for the event. One-week accommodations including tickets start at $3,000, and full weekend passes for the tournament start at $500.
For more information, visit www.torreypinesgc.com.