Hole lotta options: What USGA could do with Nos. 8 and 12

golf course • SaharaOAKMONT, Pa. – One of the key questions this week for USGA setup man Mike Davis is how he will handle the eighth and 12th holes at Oakmont, which can be stretched to extreme lengths.

At 288 yards, the eighth hole is the longest par 3 in U.S. Open history. When the Open was last held here, in 2007, the hole was played all the way back twice and moved up to the 252-yard tee the other two rounds. It played as the fifth-most difficult hole that year, at nearly a half shot (.46) over par.

Though the hole features a big, flat green with a pitched area short that could propel balls on the putting surface, players will likely be hitting the longest clubs in their bags.

“That hole…