English golfer Justin Rose, who won the US Open last June, is reportedly of the opinion that the re-design at Pinehurst could help him defend his title successfully next month.
Rose, who won the title at Merion outside Philadelphia last June from American golfer Phil Mickelson, said that he has never played Pinehurst and guys who played in 2005 would not have as much of an advantage because of the re-design.
According to Sport24, the South African-born English golfer, who ended a 17-year drought for Brit golfers in majors, said that there had been a lot of rough in 2005 and typical USGA-style fairways.
However, Rose added that this year Pinehurst is going to play more of a running game, more of a mix between a US Open and a British Open Championship as he is led to believe.
Rose said that he had not been to Merion at this stage last year so his preparations are going to be very similar.
Rose, who is currently placed at ninth place in the rankings, said that he is going to head up to the venue a week in advance, spend some time there, get to know the golf course and put a game plan in place as he did at Merion last year.
Pinehurst has reportedly undergone some major design changes since 2005, including a reduction in the rough, when it last hosted the US Open that was won then by New Zealand's Michael Campbell.