BEST viewing areas ON-COURSE 18TH GREEN GRANDSTAND << Sit and watch the 18th green at Pinehurst No. 2 in a 4,500+ seated grandstand, where one of the most memorable moments in sporting history happened when Payne Stewart made a putt to win the 1999 U.S. Open Championship. 3RD GREEN/5TH GREEN << One of the more interactive areas on course where you can see the 3rd & 5th green, along with the 4th and 6th tee shots. We will have grandstand seats in this area, which will provide great views of all this action which includes a short par-4 (3rd hole), a par-3 (6th hole) and the 4th and 5th holes, which will be two of the more talked about holes since the 4th is now a par-4 and the 5th is a par-5. Or heartache. “I personally don’t think it’s a smart play to try to drive the green on No. 3, because there is so much trouble around the green,” Whitley said. “But if you can get it in a greenside bunker that is an easy par, an up-and-down 50 percent of the tie for a birdie for most of the field. Most will play short of that waste bunker on the right with a 4-iron. Heck, Zach Johnson will lay up every day and probably birdie it three of the four days.” And on No. 13? “If you go for it and miss left, you might lose a ball over there now in that stuff,” Crnko joked. “And the green is sitting up elevated, and it has probably the hardest pin location of the entire golf course if they put it on the front right,” added Whitley. “It has a false front and if you hit it past that hump, past the flag, good luck – you may spend 10 minutes going difficulty of a strategic ‘thinking man’s’ layout. “On a shorter par-4 you would expect the penalty to be greater, if you miss the fairway as it gets narrower the further you get from the tee,” Farren said. “We’ve talked so much about wider fairways in 2014, and they are significantly wider than they were in the 2005 Open, but there is still much to be paid penalty-wise if you do stray from the fairway, or try to hit it farther up the fairway on some of these shorter holes than your skill set might allow.” CLOSING STRETCH Expect a handful of players to be within striking distance in the final round, with the closing stretch at No. 2 providing a stage for pure drama. Manufacturing a series of pars on holes 16-18 – a 520-yard par-4, a 200-yard par-3 and an uphill par-4 – on Sunday would be 17TH GREEN << The 17th green is a great par-3, which inevitably will have a big impact on the outcome of the Championships. The grandstand for this hole actually sits players left of the 18th tee so spectators will be able to watch the demanding par-3, while still being on top of the players on the 18th hole teebox. 8TH GREEN << With a grandstand conveniently located players right of the 8th green, you’ll be able to see both the 8th hole and the tee shots on the 9th tee (par-3), while being close to a food court in case you want something to eat or a refreshment. 13TH GREEN << Being able to watch the professionals tackle this challenging green will provide for an entertaining place to sit during the Championship. Centrally located, too. DRIVING RANGE/PUTTING GREEN << Allows you to get an up close look at how the players prepare to compete in our National Championship, there will be grandstand seating behind the practice range tee box. Photograph © David Droschak up and back, not even able to keep the ball on the green. If the pin is there, hit it to the middle of the green, get your par and get out.” The 13th hole is a classic example of the Coore/Crenshaw restoration work on No. 2, displaying the diversity of the plant material as well as the severity and a monumental task for anyone on the first page of the leaderboard. “A lot of them are going to drop one or two shots, possibly three coming down the stretch, especially if they are not playing all that well,” Whitley said. “It would almost be simpler to try to just make pars and let everyone else make the mistakes.