'We Are Going To See Some Big Numbers' - Claude Harmon III Predicts Six Hour Rounds At US Open And Pros Playing 'Ping Pong' On Pinehurst Greens

Claude Harmon III has warned fans to expect rounds of up to six hours this week at the US Open due to Pinehurst No.2's difficulty.

Fans are rejoicing at the brutally difficult conditions on show so far this week but it could come at a cost as players try to manage their way around the undulating and demanding putting surfaces at this year's US Open venue.

Harmon III, whose impressive stable of players includes US Open champions Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson, admitted that it could be slow going this week and players in the late wave on Thursday likely won't finish due to pace of play.

Speaking on his Son of a Butch podcast, Harmon said: "So I think this week is a lot about managing the expectations. I think the rounds are gonna take forever. I don't think we're gonna finish, I certainly don't think people are gonna finish Thursday. The field's too big and the golf course is just too difficult."

The field is made up of 156 players this week, with the final tee time going out at 2.42pm local time on Thursday.  

"You're going to see guys playing hockey, ping pong, around these greens, you know miss a green, try and go for, run it over the other side of the green and we are going to see some big numbers," Harmon continued.

"I think we're looking at in excess of five hours, I think we could get into six hour rounds this week because the test is just so difficult. That's what the USGA wants, they want this to be the toughest test possible."

Harmon isn't the first to have used the words 'ping pong' this week, with 15-time Major champion Tiger Woods admitting in his address to media that even he had been de-greening putts during practice rounds.

"Granted, I know the surrounds were burnt out in '05, but the greens were not like what they are right now. That's very different," Woods said.

"The shot selections around the greens I think are more plentiful this year from either putting it to wedging it. As you said, 6- or 7-irons. I've used long irons and woods around the greens, and I've seen a number of guys do the same thing. There's a lot of different shot selections, and the grain is going to play a big part of it. 

"The last few days playing practice rounds - I'm guilty as well as the rest of the guys I've played with - we've putted off a lot of greens. It depends how severe the USGA wants to make this and how close they want to get us up to those sides. But I foresee just like in '05 watching some of the guys play ping pong back and forth. It could happen."

Woods also predicted long rounds and said that concentration will be key for competitors this week.

"It's just making sure that I keep hydrated and the mental tax that the heat will bring. It's going to bring it to all of us, not just me. Everyone is going to be tested," he said.

"It's going to make for long rounds with the falloffs and run-offs on the greens. The rounds time-wise are going to be a little bit longer. Then when you're out in the heat for that length and period of time, that's going to take a little bit of wear and tear on you."

Viktor Hovland and defending champion Wyndham Clark also referred to the greens as being "borderline" earlier this week, with the USGA revealing that they should be running at around 13.5 on the stimpmeter.

Players are set to be challenged to the maximum over the four days in what is shaping up to be a US Open for the ages.