June13 USOpenharrington

Okay, that’s the preliminaries over with. Now, it’s down to business.

Despite the fact that Englishman David Howell pulled out with a wrist injury a couple of days ago, there are a record 28 Europeans are on the starting line for the 107th US Open.

What’s more, there is real hope that this year one of them will finally lift the trophy; and with it the curse which has seen no European other than Tony Jacklin win the US Open in the past 75 years.

England are best represented with nine players (Sam Walker, Nick Dougherty, Luke Donald, Paul Casey, Lee Westwood, Anthony Wall, Kenneth Ferrie, Ian Poulter and Justin Rose) and then come the Swedes with six (Johan Edfors, Niclas Fasth, Peter Hanson, Henrik Stenson, Carl Pettersson and Robert Karlsson).

Scotland (Colin Montgomerie, Martin Laird and the US Amateur champion, Richie Ramsay) Spain (Jose Maria Olazabal, Sergio Garcia and Pablo Martin) and Denmark (Thomas Bjorn, Anders Hansen and Soren Kjeldsen) all have three.

And, finally, France (Christian Cevaer), Wales (Rhys Davies), Northern Ireland (Graeme McDowell) and Ireland (Padraig Harringtron) all chip in with one representative. It is a fairly impressive, cosmopolitan bunch.

Harrington has been tipped by many to have the best chance of the lot, and he has gone about his practise in a typically quiet and methodical fashion; remarkably upbeat about how he likes the course.

“My aim this week is to be in the mix on the back nine on Sunday,” he said. “If I can do that then anything can happen.”

The final practice day started in bizarre fashion as all the scoreboards around the course posted the fact that Tiger Woods and Rory Sabbatini were playing a practice round together, apparently starting on the 10th tee at 7.00 a.m. in the morning.

Given the outspoken South African’s recent comments about the world number one (he said Tiger was “more beatable than ever”) this news sent packs of press hounds out onto the course looking for some ‘kiss-and-make-up’ sort of story. Sadly for everyone, it was a scoreboard error.

Indeed, Tiger – like Vijay Singh and Ernie Els – stayed away from the course on pre-tournament Wednesday, preferring to practise elsewhere than get mixed up in the chaos and the crowds. Mickelson practised, but tentatively; and had everyone suggesting that his wrist will not last in the Oakmont rough.

The day finished with a huge thunderstorm which hit the course at about 6.00 p.m. local time, and caused flash floods. However, late last night the course superintendent didn’t seem to think the course conditions had changed that much; the rough becoming a touch harder and the greens a touch softer.

Rain or no rain, this still looks like one of the toughest tests ever for the world’s top players.

As well as the longest par-3 in US Open history (the 288-yard par 3 8th) and the longest par-5 in US Open history (the 667-yard par-5 12th) all week the players have been filing in saying this course is unbelievably hard. “The par around here should be 78,” Sergio Garcia said of the par-70 course. “I think 5-over-par will be the winning number,” said Ernie Els, the champion at Oakmont, back in 1994. We will see.