The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada announced today that the Ontario Championship hosted by National Pines Golf Club, an official event to be conducted at National Pines Golf Club in Barrie, Ontario, has been added to the 2017 schedule.

The 144-player event will take place September 4-10, leading into the season-ending Freedom 55 Financial Championship. The Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) will serve as the event’s Host Organization, with Brad Parkins as Tournament Director.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to announce the Ontario Championship hosted by National Pines Golf Club as the newest event on the Mackenzie Tour. Thanks to the support of our partners, ClubLink and the CJGA, we’re confident this will be an tremendous week of golf at an outstanding venue this summer,” said Mackenzie Tour President Jeff Monday.

National Pines, a 7,013-yard Tom McBroom design located 45 minutes north of Toronto, was opened in 1992 and hosted the season-ending Freedom 55 Financial Championship in 2007 and 2008.

“We are extremely pleased the Mackenzie Tour has selected National Pines to host the Ontario Championship in 2017,” said Brent Miller, Vice President of Corporate Operations and Member Services for ClubLink. “It’s wonderful to have this thoroughbred layout challenge the future stars of the PGA TOUR again.”

“So many of our ClubLink Members already know that an extra 10 minutes in the car up HWY 400 provides them a day of golf that is quite simply, complete. We look forward to showcasing National Pines again and reminding Southern Ontario golfers about this great 18 hole facility Tom McBroom built for us 25 years ago.”

Among the players who competed at National Pines in 2007 and 2008 is current PGA TOUR player and Olympian Graham DeLaet, who said he fondly remembers his experience competing at the course.

“I have great memories of competing at National Pines in 2008, and I know it will be an awesome host for a tournament like this. The guys that will be playing there are trying to make their way to the PGA TOUR, and this is going to be a great venue for those players to compete for a chance to make the next step in that direction,” said DeLaet.

The CJGA, which previously operated The Great Waterway Classic on the Mackenzie Tour from 2013-15, is a national junior golf association dedicated to providing high level competition and instruction to Canada’s junior golfers and operates tournaments throughout Canada.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to conduct an official Mackenzie Tour event once again and to work with one of our partners in ClubLink makes it that much more special,” said Brad Parkins, COO of the CJGA. “We look forward to working with the community to put on an exceptional event on an exceptional golf course in National Pines.”

Following the event, the top 60 players on the Order of Merit will earn a spot in the season-ending Freedom 55 Financial Championship at Highland Country Club in London, Ont., along with securing exempt status for the 2018 Mackenzie Tour season.

To view the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit click here.

Due to inclement weather only one Canadian completed their round-of-64 match at the Women’s Western Golf Association Championship on Wednesday at River Forest Country Club in Elmhurst, Ill.

Development Squad member and No. 17 seed Monet Chun (Richmond Hill, Ont.) fell 1-down to Cecily Overbey (High Point, N.C.).

Chun held a 2-up lead heading to hole No. 16 but Overbey closed with three straight birdies while Chun recorded a bogey, double-bogey, and a par.

When play was officially suspended at 6:58 p.m. local time after two weather delays Delta B.C., native Mary Parsons from the Development Squad was 1-up through nine on Caroline Smith (Inverness, Ill.)

All four Team Canada Amateur Squad golfers had matches in progress when play was suspended.

London, Ont., product Maddie Szeryk is all square through nine against Logan Otter (St. Peters, Mo.), and Victoria, B.C.’s Naomi Ko is 5-up through nine against Grace Curran (New Lennox, Ill.)

Jaclyn Lee (Victoria, B.C.) is 2-down through nine on Maddy Rayner (Southlake Tex.) and Ottawa’s Grace-St-Germain is 1-down through four holes against Angela Aung (Myanmar).

Ellie Szeryk, Maddie’s 15-year-old sister, is 4-up through nine on Jessica Ip (Richmond Hill, Ont.) and Valerie Tanguay (Saint-Hyacinthe, Que.) is all square after four holes in her match against the Philippines Mikhaela Fortuna.

For full scoring click here.

Father’s Day presents some interesting scenarios for me, a man who lost his father far too soon. Eventually, that void was filled in many ways by the man who became my father-in-law. I was in my mid-30s before my wife and I had the first of our three children. Not too long after, I was covering U.S. Opens, where the final round always falls on Father’s Day.

The common thread is golf and family, with the notable exception that my father never played the game and I didn’t take it up until my early 30s. But bear with me. The reason I started to play was that my in-laws, both golfers, gave my wife and I clubs. That started my addiction, one that led to me getting into golf writing. It changed the course of my life.

As much as I have been blessed to have a career in golf, the sport has meant more, much more, in a family sense.

My in-laws, my wife and I played many rounds together, followed by drinks and dinner. When the grandchildren reached the appropriate age, we organized the “Super Gramps Invitational” every summer. The extended family played nine holes and returned to the cottage for a bonfire and barbecue. Quips and barbs, but no prizes, were exchanged. No prizes, that is, except the permanent trophy which was always awarded, no matter what his score, to “Super Gramps.”

Our son now is 30, about the same age I was when I took up the game. He’s been playing, off and on, for most of his life. He was the first grandchild to play in the Super Gramps Invitational. One of my dearest memories is of three generations—he, his grandfather and me—playing together. He is passionate about golf, almost as much as he is about his wife, who also enjoys the game. They golf a lot together.

Our younger daughter and her fiancé both worked at a golf club for a couple of summers and golf whenever the opportunity presents itself.

My wife and I have played with them all, separately and together, to reconnect, to catch up on their busy lives. We all treasure the experience.

A month ago, our older daughter presented us with our first grandchild. As a memento, I gave him a copy of my Kids Book of Golf. Part of the inscription went something like this: “Dearest Carson, I hope we get golf together and, when I am gone, you think of me whenever you play the game.”

There is a reason golf is called “the game for a lifetime.” And, hopefully, beyond, in a legacy sense.

Golf has had a profound impact on not just my career, but on my family.

While it may not be a central theme to your life, trust me when I tell you that golf forms a bond that ties together a family as nothing else, let alone a sport, can.

I look forward to being the centrepiece of the “Patriarch Pro-Am” or the “Senator Scramble” some day. An event where everyone wins. But only I am guaranteed the trophy.

Perhaps we will schedule it for Father’s Day.

And then there were four.

Marc Hurtubise, Nick Kenney, Jean-Philip Cornellier and Bryn Parry punched their ticket to the final day of the PGA Championship of Canada sponsored by Mr. Lube and presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf.

The National Golf Club of Canada’s Nick Kenney secured the George Knudson bracket, with Jean-Philip Cornellier winning the Moe Norman bracket. Kenney and Corneiller will square off in the semi-final match at 7:45 a.m

In the other semi-final match Marc Hurtubise meets 2013 PGA Championship winner Bryn Parry of Vancouver at 7:30 a.m. at Deer Ridge Golf Club in Kitchener, Ont.

The two winners will play in the championship’s final match Thursday afternoon, with the winner taking home the historic P.D. Ross Trophy and the first place prize of $15,000.

“I’ve never actually thought about being a national champion,” Kenney admitted after his afternoon victory or last year’s champion Marc-Etienne Bussieres. “It’s one of those things you try not to think about, but it’d be really cool to win.”

Corneiller, the 26-year-old from Club de Golf Knowlton, said his goal for the week just to make sure he was still playing by the time Thursday rolled around.

“My goal for the week was to play on Thursday, so I’m really excited about being able to play two great matches tomorrow,” he said. “I’ve been really happy with how I’ve been playing for the past three days and I expect the same tomorrow.”

Of the four players remaining, only Parry has been this deep in the championship (winning in 2013 at Magna Golf Club and reaching the semi-finals last year at Victoria Golf Club). The 45-year-old feels that should work to his advantage.

“Each year in this championship I play more matches so, I’m playing more golf and figuring how things work,” Parry said.

The player who sits atop the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC at the conclusion of the PGA Championship of Canada earns an exemption into the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

By virtue of his stellar play this week at Deer Ridge, Parry will jump to the top of the player rankings when they’re released Friday and earn the exemption into the RBC Canadian Open.

“It is obviously very cool and another exciting thing to look forward to this summer,” Parry said. “I’m really enjoying my equipment with TaylorMade having a special thing going with their irons, wedges and ball,” he said, adding, “and if the ball does what it’s supposed to do for those four days, it could be a lot of fun.”

Mishits and errant shots could be the product of bad balance. Team Canada Head Physiotherapist and Strength Coach Greg Redman is here to help you improve your balance.

Balance, or kinesthetic awareness, is critical to a smooth, co-ordinated and efficient swing. Why? Because each golf swing requires millions of neurons to communicate effectively and with minimal error in the blink of an eye.

The accuracy and speed of this communication plays an important role in your optimal swing. The better your balance and kinesthetic awareness, the better your weight shift from setup to backswing to impact. As your balance improves, you reduce the need for unwanted compensatory movements, which inevitably lead to swing faults and errant shots.

Additionally as your kinesthetic awareness improves, the more likely each body part will accelerate and decelerate with optimal timing. For example, the pelvis accelerates and decelerates before the thoracic spine, which is before the shoulders and before the wrists.

These two exercises, as shown by Team Canada’s Hugo Bernard, will improve your balance and body awareness during the swing.

1. Airplane

With your arms reached out to your sides, stand on one foot, balance yourself and flex forward at the hip while lifting the opposite leg into extension. Try holding this airplane-like position and balance for 30 seconds. For a progression of this exercise, close your eyes and try to balance for 20 seconds without leaning to one side or flapping your arms around like a bird.

2. Twisties

While holding an iron out in front of your chest at shoulder height, balance on one leg. Begin by rotating from side to side, first slowly and not through the full range. Then, as you improve, progress to a full range of hip and trunk rotation. Finally, do so with increased speed until you reach the pace of your ideal tempo swing.

Completing these exercises three to four times a week for three to five minutes per day will provide the benefits of a smoother and more co-ordinated swing.

This article was originally published in the Family Issue edition of Golf Canada Magazine. Click here to view the full magazine

Rory McIlroy couldn’t hold back on his complaints about the U.S. Open at Erin Hills, with an unusual twist: He was discouraged to hear the USGA is making it too easy.

The USGA said Tuesday that overnight storms and more rain in the forecast were making some of the native grasses lay down, which would create such dense rough that it would be virtually unplayable. So it set out to trim the thickest rough on the fourth, 12th, 14th and 18th holes.

This was bad news to McIlroy, whose power and accuracy off the tee is his strength.

“Really?” McIlroy said during his news conference.

His issue – and the opinion Kevin Na did not share when he posted video of thick stuff earlier in the week – was that the fairways were wide enough already.

.@McIlroyRory is not having the #USOpen fescue drama ?

"If you can't hit it within [the fairway], might as well pack your bag." pic.twitter.com/EapCbnSh98

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 14, 2017

“We have 60 yards from left line to right line,” McIlroy said. “You’ve got 156 of the best players in the world here. If we can’t hit it within that avenue, you might as well pack your bags and go home. These are the widest fairways we’ve ever played in a U.S. Open. Even the first and second cut is another ten yards on top of that. So if you’ve got 50 or 60 yards to hit into and you’re complaining about the fescue that’s wider than that, I don’t think that’s an issue.”

The grass is so thick that it’s essentially a one-shot penalty. The options are to take a penalty shot for an unplayable lie or hack it out to the fairway, assuming the player can get a club on the ball.

“I get that it’s thick and whatever, but it’s a hazard,” McIlroy said. “If you put red lines just right along that people wouldn’t complain. It’s a hazard. I don’t know. It’s a U.S. Open. It’s supposed to be a tough test. And if guys can’t put it into play within a 50-yard zone, I don’t think they’ve got much to complain about.”

Former U.S. Amateur champion Peter Uihlein had a different outlook.

He took a photo of the maintenance staff trimming away and tweeted, “Guess the USGA decided to be nice this week and cut down some of the rough.”

Guess the USGA decided to be nice this week and cut down some of the rough ? pic.twitter.com/RPHunJyKx1

— Peter Uihlein (@PeterUihlein) June 13, 2017

RULES OFFICIALS: The U.S. Open wants to be a little quicker with its communications over rules issues, especially in light of last year at Oakmont.

Dustin Johnson’s ball moved ever so slightly on the fifth green. The USGA realized a few holes later it needed a closer review. It told him about the possibility of a penalty on the 12th tee, and said he could review it after the round. That meant Johnson played the last seven holes not knowing what his score would be.

He won by four, then was docked one shot, so it went down as a three-shot victory. He still got the trophy, but the USGA looked bad.

USGA President Diana Murphy says there will not be walking scorers on the weekend for the first time. Instead, the USGA will station at least two officials on every hole (except for par 3s) and in other strategic spots along the course.

“We regretted the handling last year,” Murphy said in a meeting with golf writers. “We want to stay out of the way and not be part of the story.”

FIRST-TIME WINNERS: Zach Johnson won the British Open two years ago at St. Andrews for his second major. Since then, there has been nothing but first-time winners at the majors – Jason Day, Danny Willett, Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson, Jimmy Walker and Sergio Garcia.

When players don’t have a reasonable explanation, that can mean only one thing – it’s a cycle more than a trend.

Jordan Spieth, for example, noted that at one point he, McIlroy and Day had combined to win five of six majors when they were Nos. 1, 2 and 3 in the world.

“So maybe it’s a trend and maybe that’s the way that it happened to crumble there,” he said, without mentioning any particular cookie.

It’s way too early for a trend.

Not too long ago, first-time major champions had won 12 out of 13, from Lucas Glover in the 2009 U.S. Open through Webb Simpson winning the 2012 U.S. Open. The exception in that span was Phil Mickelson at the 2010 Masters.

And there was a time when Europeans couldn’t win a major. Paul Lawrie of Scotland won at Carnoustie in the 1999 British Open. It took 31 majors before another European won, Padraig Harrington at Carnoustie in the 2007 British Open.

Since then, Europeans have won 15 majors.

Of course, Tiger Woods won 12 of 33 majors during one stretch. That didn’t leave much room for anyone else.

McIlroy referred to it as a cycle.

“I just hope I end that streak this week,” McIlroy said.

PLAYOFF FEVER: A U.S. Open record is on the line this week at Erin Hills.

Dating to Tiger Woods winning the 2008 U.S. Open in a playoff over Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines, there hasn’t been a Monday playoff. That’s eight straight U.S. Opens, matching the longest streak without in U.S. Open history.

There also was eight years without a playoff after Lou Graham in 1975 at Medinah until Fuzzy Zoeller beat Greg Norman at Winged Foot in 1984.

The only really close call was Dustin Johnson missing a 4-foot birdie putt to finish one shot behind Jordan Spieth in 2015 at Chambers Bay.

MCILROY’S SUMMER: Rory McIlroy has played only six tournaments this year because of a rib injury that cost him seven weeks at the start of the year, and a recurrence of the injury that made him sit out six weeks ahead of the U.S. Open.

But he has a busy summer scheduled.

McIlroy is playing the Travelers Championship next week in Connecticut. After a week off, he plans to play three straight tournaments in Europe – the Irish Open (that he hosts), the Scottish Open and the British Open.

Team Canada continues to impress at the Women’s Western Golf Association Championship with Amateur Squad teammates Maddie Szeryk and Jaclyn Lee moving into a tie for second at 1 under par after 36 holes at River Forest Country Club in Elmhurst, Ill.

Szeryk started the day T7 at 1 over par. She recorded five birdies and three bogeys on Tuesday to card a 2-under-par 70 and move to within one shot of leader Allisen Corpuz (Waipahu, Hawaii).

The London, Ont., native just finished her third year at Texas A&M, earning a First-Team All-American nod and finishing fourth in the nation with a season stroke average of 71.24 – helping her to nine top-10 finishes in 12 events.

Lee, started the day in a tie for fourth and the Calgarian had five birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey to post 1-under-par 71.

The Ohio State sophomore was the Buckeyes best player this season, leading the team with a season stroke average of 73.71 and five top-10 finishes.

Delta, B.C., product and Development Squad Rookie Mary Parsons is T5 at even par (72-72). The 18-year-old is coming off a win at the Future Links driven by Acura Pacific Championship in May.

Szeryk and Lee’s Amateur Squad teammate Naomi Ko (Victoria, B.C.) is T14 at 6 over par after a second-round 77 (+5) and Parsons Development Squad teammate Monet Chun (Richmond Hill, Ont.) is T17 at +7 after a 4-over-par 76 in round two.

The fourth member of Team Canada’s Amateur Squad, Grace St-Germain (Ottawa, Ont.), is T29 at 9 over par alongside Jessica Ip (Richmond Hill, Ont.).

Ellie Szeryk – Maddie’s 15-year-old sister – is T32 at 10 over par. Valerie Tanguay (Saint-Hyacinthe, Que.) is T51 (+14).

Sarah Beqaj (Toronto, Ont.) is part of a 12-women playoff for the final spots in the championship flight after a two-day total of 159 (+15).

64 women will advance to the match-play portion of the tournament.

For the full leaderboard click here.

For the first time, Saskatchewan will play host to a major LPGA Tour event as Golf Canada and Canadian Pacific (CP) have announced the 2018 CP Women’s Open will head to Regina’s Wascana Country Club from August 20-26, 2018.

“We are very excited to bring the CP Women’s Open to Regina and the province of Saskatchewan in 2018,” said Tournament Director Brent McLaughlin. “Saskatchewan is a tremendous golf community and we are confident Wascana Country Club will be a fitting test to challenge the world’s best women’s golfers.”

Through its CP Has Heart campaign, CP will once again be making a significant charitable donation within the host community. In its first three years of title sponsorship, from 2014-2016, the campaign has raised over $4.5 million in host communities.

“We are proud to be part of such a high-profile event on the LPGA Tour and are excited to bring the tournament to Saskatchewan, an integral province within our rail network,” said Martin Cej, Assistant Vice-President of Public Affairs and Communications for CP.  “In coordination with our CP Has Heart campaign, we look forward to leaving a significant charitable legacy in the Regina community.”

After a three-year recruiting process, Wascana Country Club finally earned its opportunity to host the stars of the LPGA Tour after originally submitting a bid back in 2014. The club is one of only four private golf courses in a province that counts 206 total facilities.

“We are delighted to have been chosen to host the prestigious 2018 CP Women’s Open, as this will be a chance for us to show the world what the city of Regina has to offer,” said Michael Fougere, Mayor of Regina.

The Wascana Country Club has welcomed more than 30 notable championships since its founding in 1911, including the PGA of Canada Championship in 1992; the Saskatchewan Men’s Amateur Golf Championship six times, most recently in 2005; and the Saskatchewan Women’s Amateur Golf Championship 10 times between 1915 and 1990. The 18-hole championship course set in the wetlands of Saskatchewan will also play host to the 2017 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship later this summer in August.

“Our board of directors, members and staff are truly excited about hosting this most prestigious event,” said Greg Dukart, Chief Executive Officer of Wascana Country Club. “Our venue is ready and our championship golf course will provide a memorable and unique examination to the world’s greatest female golfers. We are looking forward to being part of the great history of the CP Women’s Open.”

Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship has traditionally featured one of the strongest fields on the LPGA Tour vying for a total purse of $2.25 million USD, one of the largest purses on tour. The CP Women’s Open welcomes the top players on the LPGA Tour including CP golf ambassadors Brooke Henderson and Lorie Kane and fellow Canadian Alena Sharp, along with past champions and LPGA stars such as Lydia Ko, Ariya Jutanugarn, So Yeon Ryu, Suzann Pettersen and Michele Wie.

“The Greater Regina Area is emerging as one of the best places in Canada to host an event, convention or trade show. Our unique assets and attractions combine to create what we call, the Regina Advantage. The 2018 CP Women’s Open Championship will help showcase Regina and all we have to offer to a world-wide audience,” said John Lee, President & CEO of Economic Development Regina. “

First conducted in 1973, Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship has allowed the brightest stars of the LPGA Tour to shine on Canadian soil and to inspire the nation’s next generation of female golfers.

As part of ongoing Canada 150 celebrations, Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club will host the 2017 edition of the CP Women’s Open later this summer in Canada’s capital.

Information regarding tickets, volunteer opportunities and corporate hospitality for the CP Women’s Open can be found at www.cpwomensopen.com.

It took a little extra time Tuesday at Deer Ridge Golf Club, but the round-of-16 matches are set at the PGA Championship of Canada sponsored by Mr. Lube and presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf.

A five-man for the final three-spots playoff, that lasted three holes was needed to determine the PGA Championship of Canada match play bracket. Kevin Senecal, Nick Kenney and Ed Maunder outlasted Oliver Tubb and Lee Curry.

With their playoff victories, Senecal will play first-seeded Wes Heffernan, while Kenney meets the No. 2 seed Sonny Michaud, and Maunder squares off versus Brian Hadley, who holds the course record at Deer Ridge (a 59 in 2013 during the PGA of Ontario Championship).

After his round Tuesday, Heffernan said he’s playing confidently which he believes is the recipe for success in match play.

“I’m playing pretty well right now and my game today was in a good spot,” he said. “I’ve got some confidence heading into the match play portion of this tournament and that’s the sort of thing you need if you want to win.”

The other matches include:

• Marc Hurtubise & Alf Callowhill
• Bryn Parry & Gordon Burns
• Colin Murray & Dan Greenwood
• Marc-Etienne Bussieres & Philippe Gariepy
• Craig Hocknull & Jean-Philip Cornellier

For the full leaderboard, click here.

Both Parry and Bussieres are past PGA Championship of Canada winners. Bussieres, however, looks to become the first back-to-back winner of the championship since Knudson won in 1976 and 1977. In 2016 at the Victoria GC, the 29-year-old from Club de golf Longchamp bested Billy Walsh 3&1 on the 1893 A.V. Macan-designed, seaside links gem in the championship’s final match.

The only other player who remains at Deer Ridge with a national championship to his name is Craig Hocknull, who claimed last year’s PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada.

The winners of the morning matches Wednesday qualify for the afternoon quarterfinal matches. The eventual champion will win four match play rounds, adding his name to the historic P.D. Ross Trophy.

The player who sits atop the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC at the conclusion of this week earns an exemption into this year’s RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

Designed by Canada’s Thomas McBroom, a designer known for his indelible golfing concepts that have resonated with players the world over, Deer Ridge is unlike any other creation in the architect’s canon. Opened in 1990, Deer Ridge was ranked the 69th best golf course in Canada by SCOREGolf in its 2016 rankings.

Attendance to the PGA Championship of Canada sponsored by Mr. Lube and presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf is free and spectators are encouraged to attend during championship play.

To follow the PGA Championship of Canada sponsored by Mr. Lube and presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf online throughout tournament week, go to pgaofcanada.com, or visit the PGA of Canada on twitter, instagram.com and facebook.com

Remember last year, when Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson played a round for the ages, trading birdies and spectacular shots until Stenson finally came away with the British Open title?

The U.S. Open won’t be like that.

First off, barring a long rain delay on Thursday, Mickelson will be absent, attending his daughter’s high school graduation in California.

And though Erin Hills, at first glance, may look like the sort of British links course that Mickelson and Stenson tore up last summer, Stenson will be the first to tell you it most certainly isn’t.

“Golf at the U.S. Open has always been a bit harder than at the (British) Open or any of the other ones,” Stenson said.

So true.

In the closing round at Royal Troon, Mickelson and Stenson combined for 14 birdies, an eagle and 19 pars, and Stenson won by three shots with a closing score of 20-under par. A few weeks later, at the PGA Championship, Jimmy Walker made a key birdie on No. 17 to outlast Jason Day, who, playing one hole ahead, kept pressure on Walker by making eagle on 18. Walker shot 14 under to win by one.

And at this year’s first major, the Masters, Sergio Garcia beat Justin Rose in a playoff to close out a riveting day of golf. Garcia and Rose tied at 9 under in regulation.

The last two U.S. Opens, meanwhile, have been most notable for Dustin Johnson’s three-putt on the 18th green at a baked-out Chambers Bay, then Johnson’s three-shot win last year at Oakmont despite a scoring/rules dust-up that left him playing the final seven holes without knowing the exact size of his lead.

Over the last five years, the average winning score of the other three majors has been 12.2 shots below par. At the U.S. Open over the same period: 3.1 under.

“The U.S. Open, you normally play on golf courses that are tricked up just to the limits, sometimes over the limits and sometimes just underneath,” Stenson said.

Much has been made about the creation of Erin Hills, built on a 650-acre tract of Wisconsin farmland that was, according to USGA executive director Mike Davis, simply screaming to have a golf course built on it. It was developed specifically with the idea of hosting a U.S. Open.

It’s huge, the longest U.S. Open course ever, at more than 7,741 yards (with room to make it even longer). Some fairways are almost wide enough to land a Boeing 767 airliner.

“You could fit 2 1/2 fairways at Winged Foot into the No. 10 fairway here,” Davis said.

But when the USGA gives, it almost always finds other places to take away.

Already this week, some players were complaining about the depth and stickiness of the rough . That tall, hay-like grass lingering just outside those massive fairways? It’s fescue, but not all of it is the typically wispy stuff you see on the edges of British Open courses. The mist floating into the vegetation from the irrigation systems at Erin Hills has made some of it healthier than expected.

A little demonstration from Kevin Na about the dangers that wait for the players at Erin Hills this week ?#USOpen #GolfUK pic.twitter.com/1ZkKfRZRbL

— Open Stance Golf (@OpenStanceGolf) June 12, 2017

Meanwhile, author Ron Whitten, who helped design the course, said among his proudest achievements are the bunkers, most of which don’t have flat lies and aren’t nearly as well-manicured or maintained as what these players face on a weekly basis. There are 138 of them covering what will be the first par-72 test at a U.S. Open since Pebble Beach in 1992.

“I’m surprised more players aren’t complaining about the bunkers,” Whitten said.

The USGA will look at the forecast and try to set up holes to dampen, not exacerbate, the effect of wind that can blow as hard as 30 mph. Davis said it blew that hard last Saturday, and conditions were so extreme that play likely would’ve been suspended had the tournament been going on because balls on the greens wouldn’t stay still.

“We try to make the course exacting,” Davis said. “If it’s too exacting, we’ll be back here in the media centre” to explain why.

It wouldn’t be the U.S. Open without some chance of that happening.

It’s why Stenson is easing into a week at this monster of a major course, where it’s expected to be humid with temperatures in the 80s most of the week. His hay fever is bugging him, too. He played 18 on Monday and will go only nine holes Tuesday and Wednesday. The key to the week for him, and anyone in the 156-player field: “Patience and pars.”

“It’s certainly a tiring week,” Stenson said. “But it’s all worth it if you stand there with the trophy on Sunday.”

Editors note: as of 2:00 p.m. ET the USGA is cutting some of the rough on holes No. 4, 12, 14, and 18.

Visit the 2017 U.S. Open website here.