Public to choose the pin position for the par three 15th on final day of USPGA championship at Oak Hill

Novel idea to help educate the fans welcomed by Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods who will be trying to end his Major drought at the USPGA championship at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York.  Photograph:  Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Tiger Woods who will be trying to end his Major drought at the USPGA championship at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York. Photograph: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

As if the imposing rough, water hazards and sloping greens were not enough at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, this year’s US PGA has another unpredictable element: for the first time at a Major the public will choose the location of a pin.

Spectators can vote on the USPGA's website for one of four possible locations for the pin on the mid-length par-three 15th in Sunday's final round. The hole has water to the right of the green and three bunkers to the left. Each option brings a different hazard into play.

Educate fans
The US PGA says the idea is intended to "educate fans on how course set-up impacts a golfer's strategy in playing a hole; attract more people to the game; and help explain what hole location information players are provided each day".

The four potential pin placements were chosen by the 18-times Major winner and course designer, Jack Nicklaus. The pin placement will be crucial to the players on a tricky hole, which plays shorter than its 175 yards due to a downhill slope. One of the four potential pin locations is only four paces from the lake and a prevailing wind could present a significant problem.

Tiger Woods has backed the idea, arguing it could have been pushed further. “I think it would have been better served if you did it on all four days,” he said. “I think it would be more exciting for the fans to be a part of it. But one day, final day, it’s still exciting.”

READ MORE

Vote at picktheholechallenge.pga.com