Playing over an arm of Lake Merced, the dogleg 18th at Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco is an inspired finishing hole, daring players to challenge the water and cut distance off the 468-yard par 4.
Just one problem, it’s the 18th hole.
With Harding Park hosting the eighth President’s Cup, today through Sunday, many matches will be over by the time they get to No. 18. In the Presidents Cup, which features match-play competition, the average round lasts 16.3 holes.
So Harding Park has been re-configured to ensure that the best holes get the most visibility. No. 18 has become No. 15 and will be lined with corporate tents.
No hole at Harding Park will retain its usual number, although the sequence will be familiar. The three holes leading up to No. 15 are the same, all running along Lake Merced.
“A good hole is a good hole,” said Geoff Ogilvy. “It really helps when it’s in a setting like this.”
Ogilvy is one of the leaders of the International Team, coached by Greg Norman, which seeks to win for the second time. The U.S. Team, coached by Fred Couples, is undefeated on home soil. The previous four times the U.S. hosted, the event was played at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville. The Ryder Cup-style competition was established in 1984.
“The difference between the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup is all of these international guys are all members of our tour,” said U.S. leader Tiger Woods. “So the fans know all of these guys. We see them week-in and week-out.”
Woods played college golf at nearby Stanford, but the Harding Park he will walk this weekend is vastly different after a $16 million renovation in 2002. The course hosted the WGC-American Express in 2005, when Woods defeated John Daly in a playoff.
Harding Park opened in 1925, two years after the death of President Warren G. Harding in San Francisco. Some players have questioned the less-than-pristine condition of the municipal facility. Others like it.
“The rough isn’t crazy. It’s probably just how the average San Francisco guy who comes to play this golf course [finds it],” said Ogilvy. “Normally we go to golf courses and the rough is this high and the greens are stupid and they have put new sand in all the bunkers, and I think that’s a shame.”
With several risk/reward holes, Harding Park should provide an entertaining venue. Two par 4 holes, No. 13 and No. 17, are drivable from the tee. The first and last holes are par 5s that can be reached in two shots.
“There’s 24 players and when you’ve got that traffic light going over the golf course, it’s easy for a golf course to come to life,” said Norman.
For this Presidents Cup, all signs are pointing to the light being green.
