By Stuart Hall

Hello,

I’m Interlachen Golf Club.

Hate to boast, not my style you know, but I am hosting this week’s U.S. Women’s Open. Just one of those things that happens every 62 years or so, you know. Also, did you know, Minnesota is the first state to host every USGA championship, so I guess I complete that.

People, mostly media type, you know, say I’m too long — 6,789 yards. I like to think I’m long and lanky. Isn’t long trendy? I mean, after all, I’m the longest U.S. Women’s Open layout by 40 yards.

Does that make me a diva? Or just a Donnie Ross diva.

People, you know, might make fun of the fact that there are 27 amateurs in the field of 156, but I don’t care. I love amateurs.

Bob Jones won the 1930 U.S. Open here, Glenna Collet Vare won her sixth and final U.S. Women’s Amateur here in 1935. Crikey, I even hosted the 1986 U.S. Senior Amateur and 1993 Walker Cup Matches.

This week, though, you know, we’re all about the professionals, like I was, oh … 78 years ago. They say the women’s game is much longer, which I’m good with. The Solheim Cup played 250 yards or so shorter six years ago, not a biggie.

I’m a humble sort, you know, and try to be modest. Kinda hard, though, you know, when I’m on national stage, so let me bring in Mikey, uhh Mike Davis, the USGA's senior director of Rules & Competition.

"In terms of a golf course, this is primarily a Donald Ross design," Davis said. "So the routing pretty much is what Ross did. There are four greens out on the golf course that aren't Donald Ross greens — the seventh hole, the eighth hole, the 10th hole and the 12th hole. The 10th and 12th are Robert Trent Jones greens and if you look at those greens, if you're an architecture buff, you can tell they're Trent Jones greens. And then the old pro here, Willy Kidd designed seven and eight.

But pretty much other than that you're looking at a Donald Ross course. They did fairly extensive restoration work a few years ago by Brian Silva and we happen to think they absolutely hit a home run with it. The bunkers look very much Donald Ross. A few of the greens were taken out to their original size and shape. And I think that it took a look at a few teeing grounds and tried to bring a few drive zones back into play.

"So it's a marvelous test, it's an old style."

As the pros have filtered through they seem to like it. You know, Ochoa, Sorentstam, even that 19-year-old girl, Yani Tseng. Fair seems to be the consensus.

Hey, did you see the 18th at Torrey Pines a couple of weeks ago? You know when Tigger put on a display for the world? Well, I’ve got this for you — the par-5, 530-yard 18th. I could easily see this Open coming down to the 72nd hole with someone making birdie or eagle, and that’s not just my opinion.

"If we don't have that much wind into us, we could reach that hole," Lorena Ochoa said. "I got an opportunity and excitement for the 18th green, I can't wait to finish."

But there are four other par-5 holes, as well, which is why par for me is 73. Does that give the longer hitters an advantage?

"Hopefully we have an advantage," Ochoa said. "But not only on the par 5s. The U.S. Open is a course so far, and it helps being able to hit an 8-iron instead of a 6 or 5. I'm not thinking about the par-5, but overall the rest of the course is very important to have that little extra distance."

So we’ll just have to wait and see. Get back to me on Monday and let me know your thoughts. I know at least one player will enjoy this week.

Stuart Hall is a freelance writer whose work has previously appeared on www.uswomensopen.com.