1.   And the source of discomfort, for a change, was not undulating greens or well-tucked pin placements.

2.   A misconception, though, is that pin placements are tougher this year.

3.   A rather large green can produce some challenging pin placements.

4.   All these sloping fairways and Augusta-swift greens and wicked pin placements could add up to one of the most trying Opens on record.

5.   But combine that with the pin placements...

6.   But there was plenty of trouble to go around in the swirling winds and hardening greens, even if pin placements were easier than Friday.

7.   Caddies, of course, trek out through the morning dew to check pin placements and the course yardage book is always in their back pockets.

8.   Despite some tough pin placements, the greens remained receptive, and those golfers in the fairway could get a little aggressive with their second shots.

9.   For the second consecutive day, wind and difficult pin placements turned this normally birdie-filled tournament into a grueling test.

10.   Hamilton was barely able to locate the ball in the thick Bermuda grass and had a slight chance to make good contact at the tough pin placement.