"Bethpage 17th Black Course, US Open 2009"

by Linda Hartough

The picturesque 17th Hole is a wonderfully designed par 3, slightly uphill with a sloping hour-glass shaped green. It is one of the four par-3 holes on the course all of which have deep, penal bunkers. With the green set at a diagonal, the hole requires and accurate iron shot and precise putting. It is not for the faint of heart. Tiger Woods withstood the challenge as the only player to finish under par at the 2002 championship, completing four rounds at 3-under-par 277 and winning his second U.S. Open title. In 2009, the Open returned to this dramatic course