Prepping for the U.S. Open

The folks at the U.S.G.A. and NBC have to be smiling this week as they consider a U.S. Open which will feature Tiger Woods, fresh off a spectacular win at The Memorial golf tournament, taking on the Olympic Club in San Francisco.

Let's throw out some thoughts as we get ready for the 112th playing of America's national golf championship.

- The first six holes at Olympic will be the hardest opening holes in all of championship golf.  The first hole is a doozy--a 520 yard par 4, converted from a par 5.  Look for players to arrive at seven tee with a scorecard showing one over or two over par...and feeling okay about it.

- Mark Twain once remarked "the coldest winter I ever experienced was a summer in San Francisco."  Look for the "city by the bay" to offer up some interesting climate conditions next weekend.

- Olympic features a par 5 which simply is not reachable in two shots--the 670 yard sixteenth hole.

- The history of the U.S. Open at this course includes many an upset--Jack Fleck over Ben Hogan in 1955, Billy Casper catching Arnold Palmer and winning a playoff in 1966, Tom Watson losing by one stroke to Scott Simpson in 1987, and Lee Janzen coming from five down at the start of the final round to beat Payne Stewart in 1998.

- Only four players have finished under par in the four previous U.S. Opens played at the Olympic Club, even though the course features no water hazards and no out-of-bounds.

- Everyone's fawning over Wood's amazing pitch shot last week at The Memorial (and it was an amazing shot) but let's not forget the shot he hit in the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, just a couple of hours down the road from the Olympic Club.  In the second round of that tournament, Woods gouged a seven-iron from 208 yards, in heavy rough, to within 12 feet on the sixth hole, which set up an eagle.  It was a shot which led NBC's Roger Maltbie to say, on air, "Guys, this isn't a fair fight."

- And the winner is:  I think, in keeping true to form at Olympic, that a relative unknown will win this tournament.  Look for Jason Dufner, Louis Oosthuizen or Nick Watney to win it all on Father's Day.