ERIN, Wis. – Thanks to modern technology, the idea of Erin Hills being a bona fide “big ballpark” can be quantified.
As one caddie explained early Wednesday at the U.S. Open, he took more than 30,000 steps to round this week’s venue during a practice round on Tuesday.
Balancing those inherent physical demands with the need to learn a first-time major venue has become a crucial part of this week’s preparation.
Billy Horschel, for example, made an early scouting trip to Erin Hills two weeks ago to learn the course but has limited his actual time on the course this week to just nine holes on Monday and another nine on Tuesday.