2 days ago
The 'church pew' bunker at Oakmont for the U.S. Open, explained: History, facts
The 'church pew' bunker at Oakmont for the U.S. Open, explained: History, facts
Oakmont is setting up to be a tough U.S. Open test that, as always, will make golfers suffer through some of the gnarliest rough and beyond.
That includes one of the quirkier challenges you'll see at this tournament: the "church pew" bunker that's between the third and fourth fairway at the Pennsylvania course that's hosting golf's toughest test.
You're going to hear about it all week and stare at it, wondering how the heck someone came up with a bunker that has little hills built into it. Hit it in there and you might be facing disaster.
What's the history? What's with the name? All of that will be explained for you:
What is the church pew bunker at the U.S. Open?
Again: it's between the third and fourth fairway. Here's more from Golfweek:
This beast of a bunker spans 26,000 feet, 109-yards long and 42- yards wide, three-feet tall and 550 tons of sand. And for the 125th U.S. Open, there will be 13 pews.
What are the church pews at Oakmont made of?
They're berms of dirt and grass.
Who built the church pews at Oakmont?
What we do know: back in 1903, there were six bunkers on the left at No. 3, but those were then converted into one giant bunker with six "pews." Over the years, the bunker has expanded and pews were added.
More from The Athletic:
With the pews tracing back to the years between the 1927 and 1935 U.S. Opens, there is a working theory that they were not a creation of [founder] Henry Fownes himself, but rather his son, William C. Fownes. At the time, W.C. was one of the best amateurs in Western Pennsylvania, competing frequently. Every year, he teed it up in one particular tournament in Atlantic City, New Jersey. And en route to that event, either traveling via the turnpike or the train, he would stop in Philadelphia and stay with his sister, Amelia.
How hard is it to hit a shot out of the church pews?
For that, we need Johnson Wagner to show you:
So, uh, good luck with all that, golfers.
