3 Things: 45th U.S. Senior Open, Rounds 3 and 4

Thirty-six holes of the 45th U.S. Senior Open are officially in the books at The Broadmoor’s East Course. The field of 156 competitors – 138 professionals and 18 amateurs – has been whittled down to 64 (all pros).

Even with the precipitation this week that slightly softened the course, only nine players are in red figures at the midway point. Seventeen golfers broke par in Round 1, but the East Course began to show its teeth on Friday with firmer conditions beginning to take shape.

Two major champions (Padraig Harrington and Stewart Cink) and a player who has lurked in previous majors (Mark Hensby) share the lead at 6-under 134. They will play together in Round 3 as the USGA is employing threesomes and a two-tee start for the final two rounds.

All of which makes for some interesting narratives as the championship hits the stretch run. Here are 3 things to know for the weekend:

Putter Boy

So much of the chatter going into the championship was centered around the green complexes of the East Course. Constructed at the base of Cheyenne Mountain, the putting services designed by Donald Ross and Robert Trent Jones Sr. have been called by Jack Nicklaus and others as the most difficult in golf, even more diabolical than Augusta National Golf Club or Oakmont Country Club, site of the 125th U.S. Open two weeks ago.

Because of the slopes and mountain effect, no putt is considered a gimme, and three putts have been plentiful throughout the championship.

One player who seems to be dialed in is co-leader Mark Hensby. The Australian, who turns 54 on Sunday, leads the field in birdies (15) and putts per green (1.54). In Friday’s second round, Hensby drained a pair of birdie putts of 20 feet or longer (Nos. 1 and 8). The putter has offset inconsistent ball striking. Hensby is tied for 41st in greens in regulation (24 of 36) and is T-100 in fairways hit (17 of 28).

“I don't think I fired at a flag on the back nine [on Friday], which was my first nine,” said Hensby, who finished third three years ago at Saucon Valley. “I was just trying to get it to spots where I was comfortable two-putting or trying to two-putt from. Obviously, that's hard to do around here. But I think the pin positions dictate everything…The biggest thing is being committed to what you're doing.”

Power and Precision

Two great attributes for any golfer are being able to generate distance while also being accurate. Long and crooked doesn’t necessarily translate well on major-championship layouts such as The Broadmoor with its 4- to 5-inch rough combined with firm, undulating greens with lots of slope.

A quick glance at the stats this week, one will find that co-leaders Padraig Harrington and Stewart Cink are fourth and fifth, respectively, in driving distance (averaging 321 yards and 319.3 yards) while at the top of greens in regulation. Cink has missed just one green (No. 18 in Round 1) and Harrington is tied for second with U.S. Senior Open rookie Soren Kjeldsen (31 of 36).

That leads to more birdie opportunities, and both have made their share over the first two rounds. Harrington is tied for second with 10 and Cink has converted nine (T-4).

If those numbers continue over the weekend, both should have an excellent shot of hoisting the Francis D. Ouimet Trophy; in Harrington’s case a second time in four years.

“Neither of us have hit our stride here,” said Cink, “But I have a feeling that Harrington and I are going to be in it late [on Sunday].”

Added Harrington: “We're seeing that in all of golf, that if you can shorten the hole with good tee shots, you're going to make the game easier.”

Tale of Two Nines

It’s no secret that the East Course’s opening nine plays slightly easier than the second nine. With two reachable par 5s (Nos. 3 and 9) and a drivable par 4 (2nd hole), excellent birdie opportunities await early in the round. In fact, the outward nine is playing 1.75 strokes easier than the inward nine.

Statistically, seven of the toughest 10 holes reside on The Broadmoor’s second nine. The 482-yard, par-4 11th is the toughest hole through two rounds (4.66), while Nos. 10 (fifth hardest), 12 (third hardest), 13 (sixth toughest), 14 (eighth most difficult), 15 (fourth hardest) and 17 (10th hardest) have all been brutes. No. 17, at 519 yards, is the longest par 4 in U.S. Senior Open history.

With this difficult and challenging stretch, it is a good bet that the champion will be the player who can navigate these holes the best.

David Shefter is a senior staff writer at the USGA. Email him at dshefter@usga.org.