The 2024 US Open got underway on Thursday, and the greens at Pinehurst No. 1 were every bit as challenging as anticipated. There was no better illustration of that than one particular bunker shot we saw from Collin Morikawa.
Morikawa hit his tee shot into a greenside bunker at the par-3 9th hole. He had plenty of green to work with, which made the shot look fairly routine to those watching at home. That is, until Morikawa’s ball landed about 20 feet short of the pin and proceeded to roll all the way off the front of the green.
"That's gone. That is absolutely gone."
Be careful where you miss around and on the greens at Pinehurst No. 2. pic.twitter.com/m0Uz1uxmMN
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 13, 2024
Morikawa pitched his third shot on and two-putted for a double bogey.
The greens at US Opens are always extremely fast. Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina is also known for its turtleback-shaped greens, so getting the ball to stop is even more difficult. We saw that with the crazy video that went viral earlier in the week.
There is no tournament that punishes inaccurate shots more than the US Open. Morikawa certainly will not be the last player to catch a brutal break at Pinehurst No. 2 this week.
