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7-19-10
The 109th Wisconsin State Amateur Championship is taking place this week at the Bull at Pinehurst Farms in Sheboygan Falls. The par-72 course, designed by Jack Nicklaus, measures a difficult 7,332 from the back tees over rugged terrain.
The 72-hole tournament runs daily through Thursday, July 22. Spectators are welcome and there is no admission fee.
The 180-player field will be cut after 36 holes to the low 70 players and ties. And that cut number might be well above par, as The Bull presents some difficult challenges.
“The Bull is one of the most enjoyable golf courses in the state, but it’s also one of the most difficult,” said Bill Linneman, WSGA director of rules and competitions and the man who sets up the golf course. “It’s a hard place to stay on top of your game for four rounds. You’re going to make a mistake; it’s limiting how many you make that, I think, will determine the champion. The No. 1 test at The Bull is going to be patience.”
But while The Bull can be narrow and punishing for the spray hitter, it’s also long. (Linneman estimated it will play about 7,000 yards for the championship.) So competitors can’t just leave the driver in the bag all day and bunt it around this course. As a result, Linneman predicts the 109th Wisconsin State Amateur will favor a solid ball-striker. It seems unlikely that anyone who hits it around the yard and consistently scrambles to make pars will have a chance to contend.
“My description of The Bull is that there’s a disaster waiting on every hole,” said Pat Boyle, a two-time State Amateur winner who also won the WSGA Governor’s Championship at The Bull last summer. “You can’t force anything out there. You may get away with it one time, but there’s a 9 just waiting around the corner. It’s going to come down to course management.”
The Bull’s final holes could certainly produce a thrilling State Amateur finish. The stretch, according to Linneman, is comprised of “holes where you could see huge swings in scores. A player might make a birdie and another one might make a double or worse.”
No. 16 – which along with No. 5 is considered the most difficult hole on the course – plays uphill and measures 422 yards. The narrow fairway has wetlands on both sides, and a ravine cuts right in front of the two-tiered green.
The 17th is an unusual par-5 stretching 572 yards downhill with a green that is reachable with two well-placed shots, but it’s also hard to hold from a distance and surrounded by deep bunkers.
No. 18 features water from tee to green, and the tee shot can be uncomfortable for many players because the landing area is angled to follow the contours of a lake which the drive has to carry. Anyone who pulls that tee shot to the left will find water, so many end up bailing to the right. That makes for an exceptionally long approach to a green located against a creek on the right side. The lateral hazard is literally a few feet from the putting surface.
“It will be interesting (in the final round) to see which players have the guts to go at the flag and which players have the smarts, really, to just hit the green,” Linneman said.
Last year at Merrill Hills CC in Waukesha, Tyler Obermueller of River Falls GC won his first State Amateur title, shooting 4-over-par 288 (71-69-71-77) to win by one stroke. Obermueller has since turned professional is not defending his title this week.
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