TIGER WOODS summed up the brutal Bethpage challenge facing the USPGA Championship contenders in two words: Holy Cow!
That was Woods first reaction after returning to the site of his 2002 US Open victory and discovering it was playing even longer than the daunting 7,459 yards on the scorecard.
With wet and windy conditions set to continue, champion Brooks Koepka reckons it will feel closer to 7,700 yards and Woods was in no mood to argue.
The 15-time Major winner said: When we first came up here last week to take a look at the golf course, my first thought was: Holy cow! You are going to have to drive your ball great here.
Its important not only to drive it long but you have to drive it straight.
Balls that are hit into the rough, you cant advance to the greens because the majority of these are elevated.
If they dry out by the weekend, its going to be hard to hold the ball on the green. I remember in 2002, by the weekend, they were lightning fast.
Guys were making bogeys left and right. Its going to be easy to make bogeys here this time, too and hard to make birdies.
The leading score by the end of the week is not going to be that deep.
Especially since they changed the par. It usually plays as a par-71, now its a 70, with the seventh hole played as a four instead of a five.
That par four on Bethpage Blacks daunting layout measures a whopping 524 yards!
'HOLY COW!'
And Woods, 43, added: This hole usually plays as a par five and you can see why.
I hit driver, five wood and came up short of the green and the same thing happened when I hit driver, three wood.
I dont usually come up short with a three wood at ANY par four, but this hole has lengthened quite a bit since I won here in 2002.
It was only 489 yards back then. The fairways are so wet we arent getting any run. And this hole is now seven yards longer than the fourth, which is playing as a par five.
You also have two other par fours over 500 yards, so its one big ball park!
Woods, still on a high after his sensational Masters triumph last month, added: The mantra has to be, if you are in the deep stuff, take your medicine, hack it into the fairway, wedge it onto the green and try to make a putt.
I know theres a theory on Tour to swing absolutely as hard as you possibly can and if you happen to get in the rough, you can still get the ball to the green with a wedge or short iron.
You cant this week. The rough is too thick. It is brutal in places. And its only going to get longer.
Even after four back operations and the same number of knee ops, Woods is still long enough to mount a serious challenge for a 16th Major which would close him to within two of Jack Nicklaus record.
But he will not be able to take the same liberties as he did at Augusta. There, Woods made two crucial birdies at the 14th and twice saved par on the fearsome 11th hole despite hitting it miles wide off the fairway.
ACCURACY A MUST
Woods told Golf TV: Because the course is so long, youve got to be able to move the ball out there, but you have to be long AND accurate.
The natural scoring holes are right out of the gate 1, 2 and 4. After that, its tough going until No11. Then you have 15-18, they arent easy. In fact, there arent a lot of gettable holes.
But Im excited to get out there. Coming up as early as last Wednesday meant we were able to take a look at the course in detail.
That meant I just had to play two lots of nine holes this week, and not go out there at all on Tuesday. So I should be refreshed and ready for the challenge ahead.
This is not only a big golf course, but this is going to be a long week the way the golf course is set up and the way it could potentially play.
I have a feeling this could be a hell of a championship.
Sir Nick Faldo fears the rough will be too penal for Woods.
He said: I cant see how he can survive the rough here and at Pebble Beach for the US Open. Hes just got to be on the straight and narrow.
Ill be really surprised interested is a better word to see how he copes with changing conditions, because if he does, that back must be bionic in there.
Rory McIlroy, who led the PGA Tours long driving stats last year and is second only to the freakish Cameron Champ this time, is convinced his length will be a big advantage.
The four-time Major champ is averaging 314 yards off the tee this season.
McIlroy, 30, said: With the rain the last couple of days, length is definitely going to be a big factor this week.
I mean, just short of 7,500 yards, par 70 its a long golf course, but one I like and Ive had some experience on.
Ive had a pretty good record at the USPGA, a couple of wins and other decent finishes. And Ive been playing great golf for most of the year. So yeah, I think I have a good chance here.
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