Sure, we all figured Washington’s proudest Coug would go for one of the outstanding par-3s at Palouse Ridge, like the uphill 11th or the treacherous 13th. Instead, he showed that while his heart still lies east of the mountains, the mountains in question — at least in this case — are the Olympics, not the Cascades. He also certainly didn’t back down from a challenge — the 12th is easily Gold Mountain’s toughest par-3, measuring 175 from the white tees and an absurd 251 from the tips, which at nearly 7,200 yards, we assume only the college teams and pros that come to Gold Mountain for championships and qualifiers ever dare attempt. Its saving grace is a significant downhill slope, which makes the hole play a club or two shorter than the scorecard indicates. Don’t take too much off, though, or you’ll find yourself in one of two deadly front bunkers, while players who go long run the risk of hacking out of some tall grass towards those very same traps. Just don’t Coug it.