U.S. Women's Open to go long at Interlachen

We know, we know already. The U.S. Open at Torrey Pines is going to be a long and mean test -- all 7,643 yards of it, the longest U.S. Open course in history.

Better get used to it, because there's another U.S. Open only two weeks later in June that's also going to be the longest ever played.

It's the U.S. Women's Open at Interlachen Country Club, which is stretched to 6,789 yards. And that's the longest women's Open of all time, beating 2005 site Cherry Hills by about 50 yards.

Cristie Kerr is the defending champion and she's going to find an Interlachen course that's difficult, but fair, according to Mike Davis, the USGA's senior director of rules and competitions.

"First of all, while it is our longest, it is important to note that we're going to play it to a par 73, so for those of you who think the USGA is fixated on switching par fives to fours, we've got five par fives this year.

"So my sense is that while Interlachen will certainly not play short, it's not going to play over-the-top long either unless we get heavy rains that just make the course play longer."

Interlachen, in Edina, Minn., a suburb of Minneapolis, is no stranger to the big leagues, having held five national championships, including the 1930 U.S. Open, won by Bobby Jones.

It was the third leg of Jones' historic grand slam.

Davis pointed out that in 1930, Interlachen played at 6,672 yards (and to a part of 72).

"So how about that?" Davis said. "The women are playing Interlachen longer than the men. Take that, Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen and Harry Cooper."

Donald Ross designed Interlachen, but the USGA has switched the nines for the Open, the way it was played for the 2002 Solheim Cup.

Davis said the fairways at Interlachen have a lot of undulations in them.

"Cristie would even agree there aren't a lot of flat lies at Interlachen," Davis said.

It's going to be a pushover? There's one flat lie right there.

And even though it comes up first on the schedule, Torrey Pines isn't the only U.S. Open course that's going to challenge the best players in the world.

thomas.bonk@latimes.com