Edoardo Molinari has ranked the 2024 version of Pinehurst No.2 as “easily the most difficult course” he has ever played, prior to this week’s US Open.
Molinari – a former Scottish Open winner and the World No.14 during the early part of his pro career – has teed it up on many of the planet’s toughest tests over 17 Major appearances, including Augusta National Golf Club, the Old Course at St Andrews, and Torrey Pines.
But while those three have their respective complexities, the 43-year-old says Pinehurst’s most famous of nine courses will be the most brutal he has ever experienced.
Both Edoardo and brother of Francesco are in the field at Pinehurst looking to win a Major for the first time since the latter’s success at the Open Championship in 2018.
If either is to do it, though, the Ryder Cup assistant captain believes they will likely need to make it around the North Carolina layout four times in around even par.
Greens are firm with run offs everywhere…and the actual surface where the ball can stop is very small!I think if the course keeps getting firmer until Sunday anyone finishing under par will have every chance to win!It’s going to be fun grinding out pars!2/2June 12, 2024
Ahead of his first round, Molinari posted on social media to share his thoughts on the upcoming venue. He said: “Really looking forward to playing this US Open at Pinehurst. Not your typical US Open setup as fairways are generous and there is no rough…yet it’s easily the most difficult course I’ve ever played!
“Greens are firm with run offs everywhere…and the actual surface where the ball can stop is very small! I think if the course keeps getting firmer until Sunday anyone finishing under par will have every chance to win! It’s going to be fun grinding out pars!”
A video shared by Preserved Links on X earlier in the week illustrated the point Molinari was making, with an experiment on the fifth green proving just how unrelenting the putting surfaces are at Pinehurst No.2.
One of the people in the video dropped a golf ball from shoulder height which then slowly trickled off the green before racing past a bunker and settling around 40 yards from its initial point of release.
On Monday, the 2023 US Open champion, Wyndham Clark admitted he was “amazed how fast the greens are” before…
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