Alvaro Quiros' hole-in-one helps win friendly game

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Alvaro Quiros, the long-hitting tour pro from Spain, made a hole-in-one in Wednesday's practice round at the Olympic Club. No big deal, right? It happens often on the PGA Tour, especially in practice rounds.

Not on a par-4.

Quiros aced the 288-yard, uphill 7th hole on the Lake Course. The ball landed on the front portion of the two-tier green, scooted up the slope and vanished into the hole.

"It was fun," Quiros said. "My caddie and I were discussing 3-wood or driver. It looks like we picked the proper club. We hit driver, and it found the bottom of the cup."

Quiros and fellow Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano did not see the ball roll into the hole, given the slope on No. 7. But they saw, and heard, the reaction of fans around the green. Quiros loved it, in part because the shot helped him beat Fernandez-Castano in their friendly match.

"We didn't see anything," Quiros said. "People in the grandstands behind the green stood up and started screaming. We thought maybe it hit the flag."

A short time later, Quiros staged an impressive power display on the practice range. He smacked one tee shot over the farthest fence. It bounced off the Comcast Sports Net Bay Area tent, more than 300 yards away.

Casey Martin, who had just finished hitting balls two stalls away, sat down on the grass for a few minutes to enjoy the show.

Oregon fashion update: One person on hand to watch Martin, the golf coach at Oregon, was Chip Kelly, the school's football coach. Martin occasionally chooses which colorful uniform the Ducks wear, so they flipped the equation this week: Kelly will decide what Martin wears during the Open.

"He had a tougher job than I have," Kelly said. "He outfitted 105 guys and I only have to outfit one."

Asked his plans for Martin for Thursday's opening round, Kelly smiled slyly and replied, "It will be very respectful of the game. It's secret, just like football. Gotta wait till game day."

Kelly plans to follow Martin for all 18 holes Thursday.

Tee talk at 16: One day after Phil Mickelson derided the new back tee at No. 16 - at 670 yards, the longest hole in U.S. Open history - USGA Executive Director Mike Davis confirmed his plans to use the tee for two of the four rounds.

Davis, naturally, did not share Mickelson's view.

"We have huge respect for Phil, but I would respectfully disagree," Davis said. "We really wanted to make it a true, three-shot par-5. I know there's a mentality that every par-5 ought to be reachable in two. But we wanted for two days to make it a true three-shotter, where if you miss one shot you might not be able to catch up."

Davis wouldn't say if he expects to use the 670-yard tee for Sunday's final round. He plans to use the tee once on Thursday or Friday and another time on the weekend. His other options on No. 16 are tees at 630, 609 and 540 yards.

Long memory:Scott McCarron, the longtime tour pro with Northern California roots (born in Sacramento, high school in Napa), is doing some television work this week at Olympic. He arrived at the course Wednesday without his Open credentials.

McCarron talked his way onto the grounds, but the security guard who recognized him had a question.

"You and Phil ever patch up your differences?" the guard asked.

McCarron, as you might recall, created a stir in January 2010, when he accused Mickelson of "cheating" in an interview with The Chronicle, for using a square-grooved wedge via a loophole in the rules. That loophole has since been closed.

Briefly: Davis and several players praised the redone greens on the Lake Course, suggesting more putts will be made this week than in previous Opens here. ... Shortest commute this week: Nationwide Tour pro (and Cal alum) James Hahn, who lives 10 minutes away in San Bruno. ... One clever pairing: Colt Knost and Michael Thompson. Knost won the 2007 U.S. Amateur at Olympic, beating Thompson in the final match.