How Pebble Beach plays differently for a women's major - ESPN

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Mina Harigae has never seen Pebble Beach like this.

Last year's U.S. Women's Open runner-up was born in Monterey, California, attended the nearby Stevenson School and has played the course over 50 times. Of the 156 players in this year's field, Harigae has perhaps the most knowledge of the course. And yet what she has seen so far this week and will continue to see throughout the week will be something different, in more ways than one.

«It was actually funny, in the practice round the last couple days it's actually easier to pick targets because there's more TV towers, grandstands,» Harigae said on Tuesday. «But the rough is gnarly.… It's not a resort golf course anymore. This is championship golf.»

That observation is music to Shannon Rouillard's ears. The USGA's senior director of championships was the lead figure in transforming Pebble Beach from a course Harigae has seemingly known her whole life to something new, and most importantly, something that will test the best female players in the world starting Thursday.

«It's really important for us to play at the cathedrals of the game,» Rouillard said. «We're trying to marry the architecture with the skill level and presenting a USGA test of golf that's going to test all aspects of their games along with really showcasing the golf course as well.»

Rouillard's task was not a straightforward one. The challenge in the work can be traced as far back as golf's history («Courses generally aren't designed for an elite female player,» Rouillard pointed out) and as recent as the game's present, where the reality is that it has taken far too long for women to play at the same venues men have for quite some time.

On a practical level, that means no data to