Some thoughts after walking the front nine:

Man, this course is pure. I remember being in awe the first time I stepped foot on a nice, well-manicured country club, and I feel that same awe stepping onto a top course in the world for the first time. The fairways look like carpets, the terrain is striking, and the course is brilliant strategically. It’s my first time seeing the top pros and their swings in person, too. Just really cool stuff and I’m so excited to be out here.

It’s decidedly not firm. It’s not like the course is soaked or balls are ripping back off the front of greens, but shots are easily holding greens from everywhere. There’s a lot less brown in the grass than in 2018. As we’ve discussed, this is essential preparation for the forecasted wind, and I say that as someone who would love a “borderline” course. If things were as fast as possible right now, players would straight-up not be able to finish holes tomorrow. Here’s Tyrell Hatton hitting a putt from a spot on the fourth fringe where I did not think a ball could stop:

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Today’s wind is lightest of the week, which combined with the practice-round middle pins and aforementioned softness makes the course look relatively easy.

Whoever said to walk a course backward was onto something. It was nice to know what was around each green as I looked at it from where players will hit their approaches.

Some spots are harsher than others, but most sides of every green roll off into collection areas or bunkers. Seeing it in person really drives home how much better of a test that is than when rough stops any shot that rockets through a green. If you miss your spot, your ball wants to keep moving away from the hole.

How much big misses will be punished will be hit-or-miss. There is a smattering of chop-out fescue mixed with trampled down or sandy/patchy rough.

Why is the pond there on 6? It’s not in play off the tee and ends about 50 yards short of the green. Only three balls found the pond in 2018, all second shots from the left rough.

Seven, the par three with a redan green that slopes severely to the left and back, lives up to the hype. I watched two groups come through and the two high, proper shots stopped close to the hole and the two low draws rolled off the back left. Any chip or putt that was moving toward the left side of the green wanted to keep rolling and rolling, and this is with soft conditions and little wind. Wind out of the west (the prevailing direction) will boost balls down the slope. A strategically placed grandstand will hopefully block some of tomorrow’s southwesterly wind to keep the hole playable, but it’s fully exposed to the westerly wind the rest of the week. I will say that a miss long (as long as it’s not right) is a lot more manageable than I thought.

My thought from the ninth fairway: THAT’s the green? All the way up there? Any front pin looks so sketchy with the false front in play. There’s actually a bit of a backstop to back pins, though, which is different from every other hole out there.

Seeing Graeme McDowell out there with his full OKGC golf bag and getup cracked me up.

On to the back nine…