A viewer's guide to the Open
By David Kraft
ESPN.com
The basics: Tee times | TV times | Course map | History
It's immense. 156 golfers. 35,000 fans daily. 16,000 shots played -- give or take a hundred or so. 484,556 pieces of merchandise available. 42,000 cookies and 5,000 cases of beer. $1.08 million to the winner.
There's a lot happening at this week's U.S. Open at Olympia Fields. Here are some things to focus on. (All times Eastern): Five feature pairings | |
| Woods |
 | |
| Els |
Tiger Woods' pairing is always the first place to start. The fact he's with two-time champ Ernie Els and amateur Ricky Barnes -- who blew his doors off in the first round of The Masters in April -- adds a little spice. No need to hang back for any short drives. Thurs: 1:30 p.m. (No. 10); Fri.: 8:30 a.m. (No. 1):
Phil Mickelson's bid opens with the toughest stretch of holes on the golf course. He'll be with Jim Furyk and Darren Clarke the first two days.
 | |
| Weir |
 | |
| Toms |
Mike Weir is the only player with Grand Slam aspirations, thanks to his Masters win. He's paired with Woods' best friend (Mark O'Meara) and David Toms, who could win here. Thurs.: 1:40 p.m. (No. 10); Fri.: 8:40 a.m. (No. 1):
Three weeks ago, the Kenny Perry, Paul Lawrie, Lee Janzen threesome was average. Thanks to Perry's back-to-back wins at Colonial and the Memorial, it's worth noting. Thurs: 2:10 p.m. ET (No. 1); Fri.: 9:10 a.m. ET (No. 1): Davis Love III won The Players Championship, the unofficial fifth major. He's got just one real major in his career (the PGA), but has three wins this year. He tees it up with Jay Haas and struggling Sergio Garcia. Keep an eye on ...
Garcia: Last year, he was on his way to top-10s in all four majors and came to the U.S. Open with Martina Hingis. He unraveled in the next-to-last pairing on Saturday, thanks to his waggles and the animated New York crowds. This year, with a swing change he's still trying to master, he's missed six cuts in 11 PGA Tour events, including five of the last six. "I think it's getting better," Garcia said. "... You've just got to be patient and just wait until the right time." Jay and Bill Haas: They become the fifth father-son pairing to play in the same U.S. Open, following Jack and Gary Nicklaus (1997), Gary and Wayne Player (1982), Joe and Joe Jr. Kirkwood (1948) and Tom Anderson and his two sons, Tom Jr. and Willie, in 1903. Tom Watson: His first-ever PGA Tour win was in Chicago in 1974 at the Western Open. He can't win this week, but he could provide a stroll down memory lane. Neal Lancaster: Who? The journeyman pro is in the Open for the first time since 1996, but in each of his pervious two appearances, he's shot 29 for nine holes. It was the back nine in 1995 at Shinnecock Hills (birdies on six of the last eight holes) to climb from 46th to fourth. He did the same thing on the back nine in the second round a year later at Oakland Hills, but he shot 74-79 on the weekend and finished tied for 82nd. Tom Glissmeyer: The 16-year-old is a high school sophomore (who carries a 4.2 GPA) in Colorado. He made a triple bogey on the first hole of his qualifying round, but carded back-to-back birdies in his final two holes to get into the Open. "I haven't won everything, but I've placed in the top-five a lot," he told the media this week. "My guess is that this is not going to be a top-five week." John McDermott is the youngest Open champ -- he was 19 in 1911. Beware of ...
Early front-nine birdie barrages: They're not an indication of what's to come. The big hitters will get to the par-5 first hole, and the 400-yard second and 389-yard third may give up some birdies. But the back nine is no picnic, with the final three holes measuring 451 (par 4), 247 (par 3) and 460 (par 4). Thanks to a split-tee start (half the field on No. 1, half on No. 10) for the first two days, it'll be like a staggered start in track -- we won't really know who has an advantage until the rounds are complete. The greens: Last year at Bethpage Black, the greens ran at 14.9 on the Stimpmeter on Sunday -- faster than any other Open ever. But Bethpage's greens were relatively flat. Not so at Olympia Fields -- there are few straight putts. Players compare the "slopey" greens to Winged Foot, Olympic and Augusta National. "Anything above the hole will be impossible to get the ball stopped within 10, 15 feet of the hole," said Mickelson. The wind: It's Olympia Fields' best defense. It rained Tuesday, but the course should firm up heading into the weekend (if the USGA has its way). If the wind blows, even-par will be a good score. If it doesn't, it won't be the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, but scores will be under par. Woods: He led wire-to-wire last year. He says he wants to get off to a quick start this year. If he does, look out. Padraig Harrington: A European hasn't won the Open since Tony Jacklin in 1970. Harrington is this year's best hope -- he was tied for eighth last year and won his last European tour start. He tees off at 9 a.m. ET on Thursday (first hole) with Justin Leonard and Charles Howell III. To the winner ...
