This year's US Open will feature the longest hole in tournament history, according to an article from the Associated Press.
The new record-setter is the par-5, 670-yard 16th. According to the article, the hole's challenges transcend length:
If length weren't enough, the sharp dogleg left feels like a constant U-turn and the fairway narrows right at 300 yards.
The flag is often blind until the third shot, and ones that miss long or left will bounce even farther away because of the grass mowed razor-thin beyond the tiny green.
"The reason we did that is we really felt that would make it a true three-shotter," said USGA executive director Mike Davis, who oversees the course layout. "The wonderful thing about that hole is that from the back, if you miss any one of your shots, it's awful hard to catch up."
The article goes on to say that from the 15th green to the 16th tee, golfers have to walk backwards about 100 feet.
Only three times in history has the US Open had holes 650 yards or longer. The old record was 667 yards back in 2007.
For more on the US Open, you can stick with this stream, or head over to SB Nation's golf hub. You can also check out SB Nation's YouTube channel:
