ESPN 2007 US Open

Get ready, folks. It's time to debate that annual question: Would you rather see a major championship in which birdies are plentiful or one in which pars are at a premium?

Expect such queries to be at the forefront of the attention on this week's U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club, where -- if the USGA has its way once again -- red numbers will be tough to come by.

Of course, that's hardly the only topic on our minds entering the year's second major. The Weekly 18 offers a list of questions that will be answered by week's end.

As it prepares to take center stage this course has some of the players quivering in their soft spikes. According to some top guns, Winged Foot -- host course of last year's Open, which yielded a winning score of 5-over from Geoff Ogilvy -- was the toughest venue they'd ever seen. Preliminary reports call for Oakmont to invoke even more frustration and fewer red numbers.

So, will we see a winning score north of Hale Irwin's 7-over that won the Massacre at Winged Foot in 1974? The safe bet is no, but it'll be close. Call it the Curse of Shinnecock Hills. Players soundly criticized the USGA for its course conditions and setup at Shinnecock three years ago, but at least there were two competitors (Retief Goosen and Phil Mickelson) who finished under par that week. Since then, no one has been able to make that claim. Expect that streak to extend to three in a row.

Those who are most content to hit the ball into the fairway, knock it onto the green and two-putt for par every hole -- and can pull off such a feat -- will find themselves on the leaderboard throughout the weekend; easier said than done, of course. Other than that? Don't be surprised to see players muttering to themselves, "Keep the ball below the hole, keep the ball below the hole …" while standing over their approach shots. That will be a major key.

Among the early reports from Oakmont are these two interesting notes: Course officials have called for the thick rough to be mowed to a more manageable length and greens are actually rolling slower in spots than they usually do for the members. The biggest buzzword this week will be "fair," as in, were the conditions fair to the players? Collectively, they'll tolerate tough, but will complain about unfair. Expect plenty of grumbling about the course's difficulty, but not too much complaining.

The last time the U.S. Open was held at Oakmont, future Hall of Famer Ernie Els was crowned champion. The time before that, it was Larry Nelson, also in the Hall of Fame. Prior to that was Johnny Miller, Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan, who are all -- you got it -- in the HOF. That type of history would suggest only the strong will survive this time around, too.

Johnny Miller set a major championship final-round scoring record when he shot 63 at Oakmont to win by one in 1973. Can someone equal that mark this week? Two words: Fat. Chance.

It's the longest par-3 in major championship history and will draw the attention of media and fans, but don't expect No. 8 to play as tough as you might think. The hole features a large, relatively flat green, which means that players who don't reach it in regulation should still be able to get up-and-down for par pretty often. That said, it's still going to be fun to watch. "That's the most talked-about hole in the locker room at the moment," Ogilvy said recently. "We don't have driver or par-3s, so it's going to be interesting to see how that's going to shape up."

Tiger Woods shot a pair of 76s to miss the cut at Winged Foot, but remember, he was coming off a nine-week hiatus following his father's death during which he wasn't able to practice very much. He later admitted, "I was not ready to play golf," but expect the two-time Open champ to be very ready this time around. Woods was happy with his play at the Memorial last week (he finished T-15) and headed straight to Oakmont after the final round for yet another intense practice session. Even so, he's hardly a lock to win this week. Although Tiger contends he prefers the tough conditions to birdiefests, it's been five years since he claimed an Open victory, his second-longest winless streak at any major since turning pro.

Phil Mickelson owns four career runner-up finishes at the Open, including last year's event, when that final-hole double-bogey cost him the title. But he injured his left wrist while hitting a ball out of the rough during preparations at Oakmont a few weeks ago and is reportedly still feeling the ill effects. Even when he won the Players last month, Lefty was hitting plenty of approach shots from the rough; expect him to be more than a bit gun-shy with any buried lies this week.

Two years ago, Jason Gore transformed from no-name to fan-favorite right before our very eyes, contending for the Open title at Pinehurst before flailing to a final-round 84. Last year, another burly, previously unrecognizable figure found himself in the final pairing on Sunday, as Euro Tour stalwart Kenneth Ferrie took his Superman alter-ego to heart. Who will be this year's darling of the Open? Your guess is as good as ours, but one thing is for certain: There will be a player on the leaderboard entering the final round whose name you barely know right now.

Happy birthday to Geoff Ogilvy, who turns 30 on Monday, leaving the total number of major winners still in their twenties at a nice round number: zero. Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald are each running out of time for their inclusion in the "young gun" category, but all have games that should win them majors at multiple points during their careers. At least one of the three will seriously contend at Oakmont.

Seeking an even younger gun who could make a name for himself? Look no further than Anthony Kim, 21, the youngest member of the PGA Tour. This kid's the real deal. He's sixth on tour in driving distance, seventh in birdie average and -- most impressively -- first in final-round scoring average. What does that mean? If he's within striking distance on Saturday night, don't expect him to choke under pressure.

Whenever Tiger or Phil claim a green jacket -- they've combined to do so six times in the past 11 years -- talk of a Grand Slam is an immediate effect. Now, we're not saying Zach Johnson should be harboring dreams of a clean sweep this season, but he's proven himself as one of the world's top players on fast, firm courses. That's been a regular characteristic of recent Open setups; should Oakmont follow suit, Johnson will be among the favorites.

Jim Furyk is a Western Pennsylvania native who will have the Pittsburgh galleries on his side this week. The world's third-ranked player is a former Open champion (he won at Olympia Fields four years ago) and is quickly becoming a chic pick to win this week. What's he got going in his favor? Well, virtually everything you look for in contenders for this event. Furyk is currently second on tour in driving accuracy, 11th in greens in regulation and 11th in scrambling from the rough. Be very surprised if he's not among the leaders on Sunday.

With a three-stroke lead entering the final round of the Stanford St. Jude Championship on Sunday, Adam Scott seemed to be a solid pick to win his second event of the season. The pessimist will look at the fact that he gave up a whopping 13 strokes to Woody Austin, finishing solo seventh, and figure Scott's game is off entering Open week. The optimist will look at his three strong rounds in Memphis and point to his win prior to Masters week and ensuing T-27 result at Augusta. Perhaps a tough loss will keep him hungry.

Trivia time: Who was the last player to win in his final start before the U.S. Open and follow with a victory at the major? (C'mon, this is an easy one, folks) The answer? Tiger Woods, who did the double back in 2000. More than likely, Austin won't pull off the feat, but after winning in Memphis, he spoke about liking his chances. "I love U.S. Open golf," he said. "I always play good at U.S. Opens. I like a tough test of golf. The hard part for me is going to be pace on the greens, that's always been my nemesis. But I love the fact that even-par -- or it sounds like 4- or 5-over is going to be a good score next week -- so that kind of bodes well for me."

Quite honestly, we're getting a bit weary of writing the same paragraph before every major, but it remains an underlying subplot, as no European-born player has won a major since Paul Lawrie in 1999. There are more than a few worthy candidates to choose from, with Padraig Harrington, who was in contention through the final hole a year ago, topping the list. Just a hunch, perhaps, but we see the next win coming from a more overlooked Euro (Robert Karlsson) or one with a major already to his name (Jose Maria Olazabal).

Take a good look at the golf world's most recognizable faces, because you won't be seeing a few of them come Saturday. Ernie Els? Perhaps. Retief Goosen? Maybe. Vijay Singh? Could be. One good rule of thumb: The tougher the scoring conditions, the more unpredictable the leaderboard. Expect a few big-name trunk-slammers this week.

The guy with the lowest score through 72 holes, of course. Ha. Our full ranking of the entire 156-man field will come Wednesday, but here's a hint: Expect mature players who have patience and know how to strategize their way around the course to fare best at Oakmont.

Jason Sobel is ESPN.com's golf editor. He can be reached at Jason.Sobel@espn3.com