When the Solheim Cup visits Inverness Club in Toledo next summer, the course will be missing one of the most iconic trees in the history of golf. In the 1979 U.S. Open that was held at Inverness, Lon Hinkle found a short cut at the par 5 eighth hole.
In the first round of the 1979 U.S. Open, Hinkle found that by aiming left off the eighth tee box down the adjoining 17th hole’s fairway, he created a shorter second shot into the par 5 eighth’s green.
USGA officials and Inverness Club members were rightly put off by Hinkle’s brashness. When play resumed on Friday for the second round, players were shocked to see a new 15-foot Norway Spruce blocking the left side of No. 8 tee box to thwart Hinkle’s attempt to short cut the hole.
The new tree didn’t deter Hinkle, however and he was able to thread the needle between the tree and continued to play down No. 17 to reach the eighth green.
