U.S. Open Golf 2010: How To Win at Pebble Beach

Pebble Beach has been a pillar of American golf since the late 1920s, when it hosted its first USGA event (the 1929 U.S. Amateur Championship), and it has remained relevant for the past 71 years due in large part to it's ability to keep the 21st century power game off of its majestic shores.

Any U.S. Open requires an immense amount of skill to win. However, Pebble Beach will emphasis some skills not often associated with this modern era of bomb-and-gouge golf.

The 2010 U.S. Open will be a throwback to the days when accuracy off the tee, and surgeon-like skills around the greens were more sought after than 350-yard drives.

Here are three things our 2010 U.S. Open Champion will need to do this week:

1) Find The Fairway

Pebble Beach is playing just over 7,000 yards from the tips (7,040 to be exact). 

Aside from a few holes here and there, it doesn't matter if you can drive the ball 345 yards or 275 yards, Pebble Beach has already equalized the field. 

Due to the short golf course, slick fairways, and the severe trouble players will find themselves in if they miss a fairway, Pebble Beach is a ball strikers paradise.

Who needs all the hoopla about groove changes, golf ball specifications, etc., when a course can immediately eliminate bomb-and-gouge golf?

2) The Short Game

Pebble Beach's greens are about the size of a billiards table, and Mike Davis and the gang at the USGA will have those greens running about as fast as billiards tables in order to make sure there is no repeat of 2000, you know, when that fella formerly known as Eldrick won by 15 strokes and made a complete mockery of what was meant to be the toughest test in all of golf.

This means that no mater how well a player is striking the ball this week, he is going to miss a fair amount of greens—advantage short game wizards.

Late in the day as the poa begins to grow out, the greens are going to be about as unpredictable as, well, that same fella that won by 15 strokes back in 2000. 

Players who continually leave themselves five to six footers for par saves, will almost certainly be slamming their trunks on Friday evening.

The ability to chip, flop, punch, and pitch shots to within tap-in range will be vitally important this week.

3) The Mind Game

Pebble Beach favors excellent ball strikers. The catch is, excellent ball strikers are typically not used to missing a large number of greens—enter Pebble Beach’s greens, which are the smallest of any on tour.

The greens at Pebble Beach average only 3,500 square feet, which is minuscule when compared to the 6,000 square foot greens touring professions are accustomed to targeting.

Even the world's best ball strikers are going to have to get up and down from some hairy locations in order to score well this week.

Continually having to get up and down from dense, ankle-high rough, is mentally challenging for the weekend hacker out with his buddies and a case of beer late on a Saturday afternoon. 

When there are millions of dollars on the line, not to mention major championship glory, battling to get up-and-down for four straight days can be downright exhausting.

He who keeps his wits about him and remains patient for 72 holes will be our U.S. Open Champion come Sunday evening (late Sunday night on the East Coast).

For more U.S. Open news, insight and analysis, check out The Tour Report.