Oakmont poses a serious challenge to Open competitors

When the best players in the world swing into Allegheny County this weekend, and expect them… When the best players in the world swing into Allegheny County this weekend, and expect them to be swinging a lot, one of golf’s most illustrious titles will be on the line – the U.S. Open.

Oakmont Country Club is the site of the 107th U.S. Open. Heralded as one of the toughest courses in North America, Oakmont is pristine and rich in history.

Oakmont has hosted more major championships than any other course in the United States. In its antiquity, Oakmont has held seven U.S. Opens, five Amateur Championships, three PGA Championships and one U.S. Women’s Open.

Some of the true greats have been unable to vanquish in such illustrious tournaments.

The legendary Bobby Jones captured the 1925 U.S. Amateur title at Oakmont. Other winners include Jack Nicklaus, Tommy Armour, Ben Hogan, Johnny Miller, Larry Nelson and Sam Snead.

The site of the U.S. Open changes each year. The last time it was held in Western Pennsylvania was 1994, when Ernie Els triumphed at five under par to capture the championship. It’s safe to assume that a total score of 279 may not be good enough to hoist the Open trophy this time around.

In addition to narrow fairways, menacing greens and treacherous bunkers (there are 180), the rough at Oakmont has sprouted to five inches tall, even more severely punishing those who fail to that could measure as long as 288 yards, which is far longer than an average par-three.

Realistically, the player who can hang a score of plus-4 may be the victor this time around.

Those who can get up and down and navigate the rolling greens of Oakmont will find themselves in a good position on Sunday. When it comes to the U.S. Open, accuracy almost always trumps length.

Enter Butch Harmon.

Just one year removed from a Jean Van de Velde-like collapse in last year’s Open, Phil Mickleson teamed up with Harmon, the world-renowned swing coach, to totally revamp his swing.

Phil always had a lofty big dog, but it was an erratic tee game that soiled the Open for Lefty last year at Winged Foot. Testing the structure of many trees and even a courtesy tent, Mickleson hit just two of 14 fairways in his final round en route to blowing a two stroke lead on the 72nd and final hole of the tournament, spoon-feeding Aussie Geoff Ogilvy his first major championship.

On a course that features so many cavernous bunkers, Lefty’s impeccable touch from the beach will be an extreme asset this year. At press time, Mickleson also leads the Tour in putting. With Harmon coaching him, he’s harnessed his driver and has to be regarded as one of the favorites along with that other guy.

Over the past decade, whenever a major rolls around, the question of who will win usually is broken down into three possible answers: Tiger, Phil or someone from the field.

And rightfully so.

Tiger has 12 major championships and morphs into a combination of Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Bobby Jones whenever a major rolls around. Or so it seems.

Then there’s Good Phil/Bad Phil. When he’s on his game, Mickelson poses a serious threat to Woods. He has the talent to cage the Tiger, but can he avoid the mental mistakes that have appropriated him from golf infamy?

As expected, these two are the opening-line favorites to win, but this year, the field is inescapably sexy.

Look for American Zach Johnson to be right in the hunt marching down the back nine on Sunday. The best comparison to how difficult Oakmont will play this weekend was embodied in the 2007 Masters. Although he was largely unchallenged heading down the stretch, Johnson added the green jacket to his wardrobe, which gained him entry into one of golf’s most elite clubs and made him a lifelong member at Augusta National.

Johnson’s “masterful” performance came on the heels of an impressive showing in the 2006 Rider Cup. With the Americans struggling mightily, Johnson emerged as one of the United States’ top players.

Luke Donald is another young player whose game is tailored for the troublesome terrain of Oakmont. It’s only a matter of time before the Englishman leaves his mark on the game, and don’t be surprised if it’s with a strong showing in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

It could be a long two to four days for the pros. In his first practice round, Ogilvy shot a 85.

Joking with reporters when asked about his first practice round, Tiger quipped “I broke 100.”

Mickleson even blames his nagging wrist injury on a practice round he shot two weeks ago, citing shots from the gargantuan rough as the culprit.

It’s safe to assume that the players will not be entertained by the challenging contours of Oakmont this weekend. With scratch golf being considered above average, it appears the USGA is attempting to take scoring into their hands.

Maybe the whole concept of Tigerproofing has gone a bit too far.

It’s hard to imagine that anyone would want to be a member at Oakmont unless they enjoy bunkers that protrude into the fairway, scouring through knee-high rough, shooting over 100 and buying a new box of golf balls every round.