Sean Quinlivan, the head pro at Shinnecock Hills, has analyzed for The Post how the 156 players in the field at the U.S. Open should play each hole.
The 51-year-old Quinlivan, who grew up in the southwest of Ireland, has been the head pro at Shinnecock for the past five years after spending the previous 12 years at Piping Rock on Long Island.
Here’s his hole-by-hole look at the 7,440-yard, Par 70 championship course, which is hosting its sixth U.S. Open:
No. 1 | Westward Ho
Par 4, 399 yards
“This is a pretty soft opening hole, relatively speaking. The guys will hit out there around 250 and it plays downhill. Just get something in the fat of the fairway and that’s going to leave them about 100 to 130 yards in. It’s a kind of low-stress opening hole.’’
No. 2 | Plateau
Par 3, 252 yards
“After you get an easy hole on No. 1, then you get right into it on Hole 2, which is a big-boy par 3. It’ll play anywhere from 230 to 260 yards for the event. It’s a pretty severe green. There’s some runoff on the back and a false front, especially on the front right of the green. Take par here and move on.”
No. 3 | Peconic
Par 4, 501 yards
“This is a big one — roughly 500 yards, slight dogleg left. It does help with the prevailing wind, and there’s a pretty nice downslope out there starting at 315 yards that kind of pinches out to the right. If you can catch that, you’ll pick up an extra 50 or 60 yards of roll. Hitting the fairway here is a premium. It’s a pretty severe green, a lot of runoff right and left on the front half. Distance control is quite important. It’s a tough two-putt — a deceivingly difficult putting green.”
No. 4 | Pump House
Par 4, 476 yards
“This is a good driving hole. To create the best angle on this green, it’s best if you can hug the left half of the fairway. There are two bunkers out there — one starting at 270 yards and the second at 320 — and those will get some action. This is a beautiful green, a lot of slope left to right with runoff all the way around, like a reverse saucer. Anything middle of the green here, regardless of hole location, will get you a decent look at birdie.’’
No. 5 | Montauk
Par 5, 592 yards
“One of the two par 5s. The prevailing wind is out of the south-southwest and is kind of down out of the right, so this played the easiest relative to par in ’18 [the last time Shinnecock hosted the U.S. Open]. This is the first real good look at birdie for the guys. The best play is to land something short of the green.’’
No. 6 | Pond
Par 4, 495 yards
“This is a big-boy hole. It’s a blind tee shot, but it’s actually one of the widest fairways on property out at the 300-yard area. The approach is to a pretty severe back-to-front sloping green. The left bunker is not a bad miss. The right of the green has a pretty severe kickoff and becomes a difficult pitch. Anything short or left is fine. Middle of the green here is a good play.”
No. 7 | Redan
Par 3, 187 yards
“One of my favorite redan holes [typically a hole with a narrow green angled away from the tee] I’ve had the opportunity to play. It’s a pretty severe slope right to left. Short and right are a real problem. Getting it on the green is a bonus, and even if you’re on the green, you’re going to have quite a tricky putt. Everything is going to have a lot of movement. This is one where if the guys can make four pars for the week, they’ll pick up a bunch of ground on the field.”
No. 8 | Lowlands
Par 4, 440 yards
“The tee shot here benefits those who can hit the ball the farthest. There’s a pinch of bunkers up the left half of the fairway. The first batch covers about 280 yards and the longest out there at about 300-plus. Creating an angle from the left half of the fairway is very helpful. The approach becomes quite intimidating — especially with any right hole locations. It looks like the flag is just floating in space.’’
No. 9 | Ben Nevis
Par 4, 482 yards
“It’s back up the hill with a beautiful look back up to the clubhouse. With rolling hills and the fescue, it’s a very attractive hole. It’s a wide fairway, and aiming at the right half of the clubhouse gives you a lot of room. Down the left half of the fairway, there is a release point over a hill and you can pick up a lot of yardage and have a wedge in. Hitting the fairway is really a premium.’’
No. 10 | Eastward Ho
Par 4, 415 yards
“I’ve looked at the data from 2018 and there were a number who laid back on the fairway hill, but there’ll be very few birdies from up top, where you’re looking at about 170 or 180 yards in, and it’s an intimidating green. If you come up short, it’s a problem. Over the back could be an even bigger problem. The guys that found the fairway at the bottom of the hill had a flip wedge in, and it yielded a lot of birdies from down below. It’s worth trying to go down the hill.”
No. 11 | Hill Head
Par 3, 157 yards
“An iconic par 3. It’s a very small green that effectively plays even smaller with the false front and runoff over the back left. Any miss big and left is a handful. If you remember Brooks [Koepka] making his chip over the other side into the bunker and then getting back up and down for four — one of the great bogeys [en route to winning the 2018 U.S. Open]. Distance control here is a premium. Having the ball stay short of the middle of the green is the play.”
No. 12 | Tuckahoe
Par 4, 469 yards
“I think this hole is going to yield some birdies. It plays a little shorter because the tee ball is downhill, so they’re left with short to mid-irons into the green.’’
No. 13 | Road Side
Par 4, 371 yards
“One of my favorites. It’s a great short hole playing at about 350 yards downhill. You’ll see guys going for this. I think most of the field has the power to drive the green side. It’s a very severe green, so a good pitch is probably to about 15 feet. The majority of the field will play back, hit something out there around 230, leaving a short iron — anywhere from a gap wedge to a nine iron. This hole should yield some birdies.’’
No. 14 | Thom’s Elbow
Par 4, 530 yards
“We go from the shortest holes on 13 to the longest par 4. You have to hit the golf ball in the fairway. If you miss the fairway, you’re most likely making bogey. Even shots finding the fairway are left with a long iron into this green. Landing something just short on the front is a good play. Anything middle of the green here will give you a decent look. A lot of guys just take par here. Par is a good score.”
No. 15 | Sebonac
Par 4, 409 yards
“Another one of my favorites. It plays downhill quite a bit, so it plays fairly short. The guys will want to land something about 230 yards and the ball will release down the hill 30 to 40 yards, leaving a short wedge shot anywhere from 115 to 140 yards to another elevated reverse saucer green complex. Any decent shot in, you have a really good look. If you miss the fairway, you’ll pay the price, because it’s very difficult to hold this green from the rough. You’ll be justly punished for a fairway miss here.”
No. 16 | Shinnecock
Par 5, 616 yards
“It’s one of our iconic-looking holes. You look right up that snaking fairway with the clubhouse in the background. A really beautiful hole, but it’s a lot of golf. The longest guys can get greenside in two. It’s a severe green that runs back to front with a lot of slope, so controlling spin on the third shot is a premium.’’
No. 17 | Far
Par 3, 176 yards
“This hole can vary quite a bit in length, from as short as 150 yards at a front hole location to 185 at a back right or back hole location. The green is tilted from right to left, so it requires a quality iron shot, well struck and high, just to stop it on the green. Par is a good number here.’’
No. 18 | Home
Par 4, 485 yards
“It’d be nice to have a stroke or two of a lead here, because this is a beast. It’s 490 yards and it’s an awkward tee shot — a dogleg left with a left-to-right sloping fairway. A lot of balls will stay short of the second bunker, probably a little over 300 yards cover. But it plays uphill a little, so it’s a big cover. The guys can challenge that and get a big reward — instead of a 4- or 5-iron in, they can have wedge or 9-iron. This is definitely one of the holes where hitting the ball a long way helps. It has one of the more severe greens on the property. I’d hate to have to make a 15-footer here.’’