Dottie Pepper to broadcast U.S. Women's Open in Southampton

One of Dottie Pepper's first assignments as an ESPN analyst last month was getting to know all she could about Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton, where she will broadcast the U.S. Women's Open June 27-30.

"It took me almost five hours to walk the course and get my work done," the two-time major champion said.

That is a reflection of her industriousness, but mostly it is a statement about the course. It took her that long to study the greens and the myriad slopes and speeds that are on them. "I think it's very much a second-shot golf course. Most of the landing areas are pretty wide, there's not one where you really need to shape a shot hard in any direction. But I think the green complexes are definitely going to tell the story," she said.

"If the weather doesn't interrupt, it's going to play very much the way the designers had hoped it would. The greens are so big, but yet so small."

By that, she meant that golfers will have to be precise in where they put shots. Just being on the green doesn't help if the hole is two breaks away.

The Saratoga Springs native, and daughter of a former Detroit Tigers prospect, appreciates any site in the state, especially one next door to the National Golf Links of America and Shinnecock Hills. "I think it's going to be a fabulous venue," she said, "and I think it's going to be great for the girls to get out there in the heart of such great American golf.