Golf: Monster 613m hole created at US Open

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits a drive during a practice round for the U.S. Open. Photo / AP

US golf officials have defended their decision to set up the longest hole in US Open history this week amid criticism.

The par-five 16th at San Francisco's Olympic Club has been stretched by 56 metres to a monster 613 metres, the difficulty of the length compounded by a sharp dogleg left and a fairway that begins to narrow past 275 metres.

Ken Venturi, the US Open champion in 1964, who grew up in San Francisco and knows the Olympic Club inside out, was critical of the change.

"This is going to be the highest-scoring par-five in history," Venturi wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle.

The change is one of several that have been made to the course since the US Open was last held at the course in 1998 and several players have been critical, notably five-times US Open runner-up Phil Mickelson.

Asked about the 16th, Mickelson said: "It's for sure the hardest hole on the course - and maybe the worst."

"I think great holes provide different strategy and different options. With the tee back on 16, it eliminates any options.

"I would never say it's unfair. I just wouldn't say it's a good hole."

US Golf Association Executive Director Mike Davis said he had to "respectfully disagree with that position."

"I think what we were trying to do, and I think we have succeeded, is that we really wanted to make a true three-shot par five," he said.

"And I know that par fives are supposed to be when an expert player hits three shots and then the third is on the green and they two-putt and I know that there's a mentality that every par five ought to be reachable in two.

"But we wanted for two days to make it a true three-shotter, where if you miss one shot you might not be able to catch up on it."

Elaborating, Davis said that the plan was to play off the back tees, at the hole's maximum length of 613 metres, on either Thursday or Friday and then either on Saturday or Sunday.

Another player unhappy with the extra length was Bubba Watson, one of the longest hitters on the tour, regularly driving it past 320 metres and one who would normally be expected to welcome such a change.

The Masters champion, however, sees it otherwise.

"You can't reach that hole in two. You can't reach that hole in two from the forward tee," he said.

"I don't know why it needs to be 670 (yards) with the deepest rough of the golf course.

"The golf hole is a dog leg with the highest rough. I hit driver, driver today (Monday practice) and still had, I think, 60 yards to the front.

-AAP