US OPEN '15: Facts and figures for the 115th US Open golf championship

Published May 03, 2016

Facts and figures for the 115th U.S. Open golf championship:

Dates: June 18-21.

Site: Chambers Bay.

The course: Chambers Bay is a public course located south of Seattle along the Puget Sound on what used to be a sand and gravel pit that first was mined in the late 19th century. Once the mining stopped in 2001, the county decided to use the land for recreation, including a golf course built specifically to attract a U.S. Open. Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed the course, a majestic site played among dunes with severe elevation changes, a sandy base and fescue grass that requires less water and allows the ball to roll faster. The USGA plans to change par on two holes — Nos. 1 and 18 — which will play as either a par 4 or a par 5, though each round the course will play to a par 70.

Length: 7,648 yards (average). Course will play between 7,200 and 7,600 yards each day.

Par: 70 (36-34 or 35-35)

Cut: Top 60 and ties after 36 holes.

Playoff (if necessary): 18 holes on June 22.

Field: 156 players

Purse: TBA ($9 million in 2014).

Defending champion: Martin Kaymer.

Last year: Martin Kaymer of Germany became only the seventh wire-to-wire winner in U.S. Open history with an eight-shot victory at Pinehurst No. 2. Kaymer opened with 65-65 to set the 36-hole U.S. Open scoring record at 130. No one got closer than four shots to him over the final 48 holes. It was the first of a U.S. Open doubleheader. Pinehurst No. 2 hosted the U.S. Women's Open the following week.

Tiger Tales: Tiger Woods has never finished worse than a tie for 32nd over 72 holes in the U.S. Open.

Silver anniversary: Fifty years ago, Gary Player became the only player to complete the career Grand Slam at a U.S. Open. Phil Mickelson will try to become the sixth player with the career Grand Slam at Chambers Bay.

Noteworthy: This will be the first U.S. Open without Johnny Miller in the TV booth since 1994. Fox Sports takes over with Greg Norman as the chief analyst.

Quoteworthy: "I don't know what to expect. I know it will be hard." — Geoff Ogilvy.

Key statistic: Europeans, who had gone 40 years without winning a U.S. Open, have won four of the last five.

Television: Thursday and Friday, noon to 8 p.m., FOX Sports 1; 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., FOX. Saturday, 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. FOX; Sunday, 2 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., FOX.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/us-open-15-facts-and-figures-for-the-115th-us-open-golf-championship