Nick Faldo dug in for his first look at Bethpage Black ahead of the 2002 U.S. Open. He managed his way around the brutal layout at 5-over-par for the week, good for a T-5 finish.

The course didn’t play much easier in its second major, the 2009 U.S. Open, which Lucas Glover won at 4-under.

It took a certain amount of restraint to contend those weeks, the ability to recognize when it was time to focus on damage control. Faldo says he was able to do that when the course first hosted a major in 2002, playing what was then the longest layout in U.S. Open history at 7,214 yards.

Speaking on a conference call ahead of next week’s 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black, Faldo was asked about the key to success at the first public course ever to host a U.S. Open.

“I remember if I missed a fairway on the (par-4s), I would then intentionally play for a five,” Faldo said. “Get it back in play, because it would always be a championship hole location, tucked in some corner, no point in forcing that and making a mess … I thought, hit it safe, 20-25 feet, in the right place, and if I lucked out I made a big putt for a four.”

Thing is, this isn’t a U.S. Open. Brooks Koepka shot 16-under to win the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive, and seven of the last nine winners have been 10 under or lower. CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz said that’s by design and it’s the reason he doesn’t expect conditions at Bethpage Black to be nearly as tough as we’ve seen in recent years.

“If we’re gonna get everybody to think this is gonna be knee-high rough for a PGA Championship, I promise you, it’s not going to look anything like it did for those two (U.S. Opens),” Nantz said.

It’s been a cool spring in New York, but the course is reportedly in good shape and it sounds like the move to May won’t have a drastic impact for this year.

Still, Nantz said he doesn’t buy the idea that Bethpage Black will show its teeth like it has in the past.

“I just wanted to issue one word of warning here,” Nantz said. “We’re all conditioned to think about Bethpage Black and how it was set up for the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Opens. It was never gonna be set up like (that), because it’s a PGA Championship. (Chief Championships Officer) Kerry Haigh and the PGA, they like birdies. It’s never gonna look like what it looked like back in 02 and 09.”

Haigh, who will be responsible for setting up the course, talked about his vision for Bethpage at last year’s PGA Championship in August.

“I don’t think it’s our job to try and manipulate something,” Haigh said. “We’ll set up a good, strong, fair test of golf and see how the best players do. So much depends on the wind and the weather. If we have soft greens and no wind, I would expect and hope that everyone will score well. If we have 25 mile-an-hour wind and very firm greens, scoring won’t be so good. It is what it is.”

Rory McIlroy said last week that he expects a usual PGA Championship setup and wasn’t planning to make an advance trip. If he and Nantz are correct, viewers might not recognize the course that gave players fits in the past.

“I would assume Bethpage is going to feel like a normal PGA Tour setup,” McIlroy said. “You’re not really going to have to do anything differently. I don’t know if guys are going to go up early and look at the course or not. I’m not planning to. I’ve never done that for a PGA before and I’ve done pretty well at them. Just treating it like any other event.”