LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The PGA Tour has arrived in Louisville — but not at Valhalla.
For the first time, the ISCO Championship will be contested at Hurstbourne Country Club, land steeped in Kentucky history and reimagined for modern championship golf.
What players are finding this week is a course that doesn’t require brute strength as much as precision, patience and a solid plan.
“You’re going to see a lot of good golf,” said Louisville native Stephen Stallings Jr., who has played the course hundreds of times, perhaps as much as anyone in the field. “The greens are really good, and the rough’s high, so it’s going to be a lot of precision. I think players are going to struggle this week.”
If they do, it’ll likely happen from the start.
The opening hole, normally a par 5 for members, has been converted into a challenging par 4 — and it could become one of the tournament’s defining features, according to players after some practice rounds Wednesday.
“It’s just not an easy hole as a par 4,” Stallings said. “You’ve got to hit a really good tee shot, and then if you’re lucky enough to find the fairway, the green’s not easy to hit either. It’s going to definitely be the hardest hole this week — if you make a five, you can’t get too mad.”
J.B. Holmes, a Campbellsville, Kentucky, native who led Kentucky to an SEC championship and went on to win five times on the PGA Tour, will play for the first time in Louisville since he helped the USA to the Ryder Cup win at Valhalla in 2008.
His take on No. 1: “It’s a pretty difficult hole to start out on as a par 4 with the water running up against it. It’s a good par 5 hole. It’s a little short I guess on Tour for it to be a par 5, but it’s definitely going to be — you shoot fours there this week you’ll be beating the field for sure.”
Holmes is known for long drives but he acknowledged that won’t be at a premium this week at Hurstbourne, which will play just a tad shorter than the tour average.
“More than distance this week, it’s key to be in the fairway,” Holmes said. “So if you’re struggling with driver or a club you’re not sure of, it’s better off to probably club down and make sure you get it in the fairway. And it’s really firm. The ball’s rolling out. You can hit a 3-wood 300 yards out here, so it’s one where it’s really going to be key getting it in the fairway. The greens are small, so if you miss irons in certain spots, it will be tough to get up and down.”
Firm greens and small targets. Multiple players noted the short-game challenge of Hurstbourne — especially if the weather stays dry and conditions remain fast – though the weather forecast provides no promise of that.
“I feel like it’s a great course. It’s going to be a good test,” said Michael Thorbjornsen, who’s coming off back-to-back top-25 finishes, including at last week’s John Deere Classic. “Greens are definitely firmer than they were at last year’s site, and even last week I’d say, so that’s going to be a good challenge. It’s not a pushover golf course.”
“You’re going to have to play away from some pins with it being a little firmer,” said Adam Hadwin, a former University of Louisville player. “Hopefully it stays that way. We’ll see what weather brings us. Fairways are running, so it’s going to play shorter than the yardage says on the scorecard. But I think there’s a good mix of holes.”
Still, there’s a sense of opportunity in the field. The par-70 layout features a handful of driveable par 4s and accessible par 5s, as well as several scenic holes — especially the finishing stretch with the clubhouse perched above the 18th green.
“You’re going to see guys kind of play it two different ways,” Hadwin said. “They’re going to try and cut corners and bomb it over and just play from the rough, or lay up to the corners and have a little bit longer in. Just depends on what they feel best suits their game. I think the small greens are great. I think they’ve got enough movement on it that you’re going to have to play some angles on some holes.”
“It’s a fun golf course to play,” Thorbjornsen said. “And it suits my game well.”
For some, the week is a homecoming. For others, it’s a chance to gain some momentum. And for Hurstbourne, it’s a historic moment — hosting its first-ever PGA Tour event on land that once was home to a revolutionary war hero and the birthplace of the Union commander at Fort Sumter – the first battle of the Civil War.
For Stallings and four former teammates from St. Xavier High School who all made the field, it feels like home – but different.
“It’s just really weird being able to sit in player dining at a place where I’m here on a normal day,” Stallings said. “So it’s been cool.”
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