Penal Tactic Captures Presidents Cup Pros' Attention

Min Woo Lee noticed a three-foot-tall, wooden, split-rail fence a few yards off the fairway on the first hole at the Presidents Cup. It ran down the entire left side of the first, second, and third holes. Lee, playing for the International team captained by Geoff Ogilvy, humorously questioned his captain about the design.

This unusual out-of-bounds feature, part of the Medinah Country Club redesign by Ogilvy’s team, intensifies the pressure of early tee shots in a team event. While the holes normally play differently for Medinah members, the Presidents Cup routing places this challenging stretch at the start.

Players are reacting to the novel hazard. Collin Morikawa recalled his first team event, where he felt he could be aggressive. At Medinah, he commented, "I would say 3 is a lot more gettable than the first two, but the first two holes, I mean, it comes up right against it, and I’ve never seen anything like it." Si Woo Kim noted that in past Presidents Cups, he could hit errant shots and still make birdie, but at Medinah, "If it misses left, you pretty much give the hole." Justin Thomas acknowledged the psychological effect, stating, "It’s very nerve-racking."

The fence is positioned very close to the fairway on the par-4s and par-5. On the 495-yard, par-4 first hole, it’s mere yards away. On the 460-yard, par-4 second hole, it’s even closer. The distance on the 592-yard, par-5 third hole is in between. The fence extends close to the green. Reports suggest the grass between the fairway and the fence was recently grown, possibly to slow down incoming shots. Beyond this wooden fence is another fence separating the course from traffic, prompting the creation of the inner barrier.

During the first day of play, both fences were visible. The pin on the second hole was set just four paces in. While most players opted for straight or right shots, some flirted with the left side. One Masters champion ended up with his ball near the fence.

In the Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns vs. Min Woo Lee and Sunjae Im match, the first and third holes saw safe play. However, on the second hole, Im’s tee shot hit the fence and bounced back into play. Scheffler commented on the approach: "You have to take it on; that’s really all it is. You can take a slightly more conservative target, but at the end of the day, you have to hit a really good shot."

In the Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele vs. Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune match, Matsuyama had to position himself on the top rail of the fence to hit his second shot after his first went left. He made an awkward swing, moving the ball only about 50 feet.

In the Justin Thomas and Jackson Koivun vs. Corey Conners and Nico Echavarria match, Koivun went out of bounds on his tee shot on the second hole. His fourth shot also neared the fence by the green.

In the Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa vs. Ryan Fox and Adam Scott match, Fox also went out of bounds with his tee shot on the second hole.

In the Chris Gotterup and Patrick Cantlay vs. Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim match, Si Woo Kim hit his tee shot out of bounds on the second hole.

With four days of competition, hundreds of tee and second shots will be played on these opening holes. Xander Schauffele viewed the situation optimistically, noting that with a fence, there's a chance a ball might bounce off it, unlike white stakes. He added, "Trying to find something positive."