USGA driven to great lengths at Oakmont's eighth hole

Now that we know the par-3 eighth hole at Oakmont Country Club could play as long as a whopping 288 yards, what do the players think? And what does the United States Golf Association say about a par 3 that will force some in the field to hit a driver? We asked, and they spoke in this exclusive feature.

By Ryan Smithson, PGATOUR.com Interactive Producer

It might be the most talked-about par-3 since the controversial dry-as-a-bone par-3 seventh at Shinnecock in 2004.

For the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club, the USGA has promised a par-3 eighth hole that will play significantly longer than the 252 yards it played in 1994.

The hole has a new tee that could make it play as long as 288 yards -- effectively forcing someplayers to hit driver. The USGA has defended the move, maintaining that the hole was designed to be played with a driver or a 3-wood.

In the 2003 U.S. Amateur, players were hitting long to mid-irons, so the USGA decided to change the yardage.

Notable quotes about the 288-yard eighth hole:

Mike Davis, Senior Director of Rules and Competitions for the USGA:
Folks, back in the 1927 Open it was 252 yards. It was built and designed for drivers, 3-woods. When you get out and play it, you'll understand it. It's one of Oakmont's largest greens, it's one of the flattest greens and has roughly 40 yards in front of the green at fairway height and slopes slightly downhill. So if you just get it over the cross-bunker, it will feed on to the green unless it's really wet and again, that's the way the hole was designed.

Again the USGA, when we were here for 2003 and we started watching players in the [U.S.] Amateur routinely hit 2-irons, 4-irons, 5-irons, a few of us shook our heads and said, 'This doesn't need to be done for the Open.'

We thought this distance would really put, you know, 1-irons, 3-woods, even drivers back in the players hands. If we have a few players that just cannot get it there, so be it, because at the end of the U.S. Open, we're looking for the guy that scores the lowest on 72 holes.

So I think it should be good fun, and a few other things about the eighth hole. You go back and look at the golden age of architecture and how many holes par 3s in the 1920s were designed to be long par 3s with drivers in your hands.

Do your research. You won't believe how many courses have 250-yard par 3s back in the 1920s when they were playing with hickories.

I think from our standpoint, we view it as really the only par 3 on Open courses we go to that we have this opportunity to do. We are excited, and I personally think the 16th hole -- the par 3 -- will still play tougher than eight.

Ernie Els, 1994 U.S. Open winner at Oakmont:
That might well be the most difficult of all of them, even including Bethpage. There's new length in there. Bunkering is unbelievable around Oakmont. The greens are the quickest we ever face. But it's a fair test, so I'm looking forward to it.

Henrik Stenson, 2007 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship champion:
Seems like a long one. I'm not -- personally I'm not that particularly fond of the long par 3s. I think most of the really good par 3s that we see around the world on the good courses are actually the short ones. I'm not into that strategy of just keep on making long par 3s. I think almost the shorter the better in a way.

Geoff Oglivy, 2006 U.S. Open champion:
At 288 yards, it's still a good hole. I understand it used to be 210 yards. I don't know what motivates someone to make it a driving par 3. I'll have to wait until I see it. I'm not going to bash a hole until I see it.

Jack Nicklaus, four-time U.S. Open champion:
And actually I think -- with what the golf ball does -- they've had to add 30 yards, other than the par 3s. Of course, I guess they added a lot to a par 3, there, didn't they?

Tiger Woods, two-time U.S. Open champion:
Just very curious to see how Oakmont is playing, we're going to play, what, the eighth hole, 900-yard par 3?

Adam Scott, five-time PGA TOUR winner:
See, I just think it's too long for a par 3. But when I was there, we were still on the other tee. They had them on the back one and I hit 3-wood the other day off the tee. I don't know, I mean, hopefully it's just an option.