Can We Ban Poa Annua Greens From Major Championships?

Tiger Woods just three-putted the fourth hole at Hazeltine by missing a four foot putt.  It is his third three-putt of the Championship and the second time that he has done it on the fourth hole.  My first instinct was to question Tiger's putting prowess and if it was fading.  But, then I was reminded by a commenter on Twitter that perhaps the culprit is the turf on these greens.

Hazeltine's greens are a mixture of overseed bentgrass and poa annua.  Poa annua is just a horrible grass type on which to putt.  Poa annua greens generally get beat up faster, generate more inconsistent green speeds, and are downright frustrating to deal with at times.

Woods is not the only player to be confused or frustrated by the greens.  The poa annua has been brought up as a topic by the players and in the television coverage.  Groups that played in the afternoon wave on Thursday and Friday were treated to well-trafficed, beat up greens.  It made putting more difficult in terms of bumps in the line and speed consistency.

It has been a joke regarding a number of players in the field that they can't make putts inside of ten feet but have much more success closer to 25 feet in sinking crucial putts.  It may well be due to all of the bumps and traffic near the hole.  There is less momentum required for putts starting closer to the hole, therefore it is more likely that they will go offline sooner.  Putts from further away are more likely to maintain line because of the speed needed to get them to the hole.

Given the advantages that Poa annua provides to course superintendents in cooler climates, this is not likely to change anytime soon.  Still, it kind of degrades a major championship to have greens looking like they do right now at Hazeltine.