U.S. Open at Pebble spurs great expectations

All the ingredients needed for a memorable U.S. Open will begin being added to the mix today at Pebble Beach Golf Links when golf's most demanding championship gets underway on one of the world's most scenic courses.

The cake this mixture produces will be tasty, with its numerous interesting story lines unfolding on a majestic canvas. Masters champion Phil Mickelson has a chance to extend his majors win streak to two and would overtake Tiger Woods as the world's top-ranked player if he can pull it off. Woods returns to the site of his 15-shot victory in the 2000 U.S. Open, considered by many as the greatest in the history of the game. And Englishman Lee Westwood, fresh from a playoff victory in Memphis, will lead the charge of Europeans, who are hoping to end a 40-yard dry spell in the event that dates to Tony Jacklin's victory at Hazeltine.

Mickelson's story is interesting because he's so close to overtaking Woods and earning the world's No. 1 ranking for the first time in his career. The fact that he also holds the record for most second-place finishes in the U.S. Open with five leads many to expect a breakthrough. No one questions Mickelson's skills. His game has everything needed to win this week, but there's still that lingering question of whether he'll find another way to shoot himself in the foot if he's in a position to win, as he did at Winged Foot in 2006.

Fans and detractors will be watching Woods to see if he can resurrect his tarnished career and take a step closer to Jack Nicklaus' 18 major championships record. Ten years ago, Woods arrived at Pebble having won 12 times in the previous nine months. This year, because of revelations about his marital infidelities and a self-imposed hiatus to deal with the fallout, he has finished only 13 rounds in the previous seven months. Though he did manage to finish tied for the fourth at the Masters, his game did not appear to be sharp at the Memorial two weeks ago when he finished tied for 19th. Only time will tell if he was able to home school his game back into winning form in the short time since.

Westwood, coming off his first victory on the PGA Tour since 1998, has finished in the top three of the last three majors and finished third in the 2008 U.S. Open. He comes into this tournament with confidence and momentum on his side. He also believes that Pebble Beach is perfectly suited for his game.

"I was fifth the last time the U.S. Open was played at Pebble, in 2000. I left a few shots out there in 2000 with some bad decision-making, so I know I can play the course. And my course management is far better these days," he told his official Web site. "I love the way the USGA sets up their courses to test your accuracy and your long game. The rough is pretty severe again and that should work in my favor. I like the course, the set-up -- and I like the way I'm playing."

Pebble Beach is not a long course at 7,040 yards, but it will play much more difficult than it did in February when Dustin Johnson won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am at 16 under. During the winter playing of the AT&T, the air is heavy, the ground is wet and balls hold, even when hit from the rough. That won't be the case this week in drier conditions.

This will also be the first U.S. Open to be played with smaller-volume, less-spinning iron grooves since U-shaped grooves have been outlawed, and players will find the greens hard to hold. At 3,500 square feet in average size, the Poa annua greens at Pebble are among the smallest in championship golf.

Fairway widths on average will run about 26-28 yards. But on the coastal holes (Nos. 4 and 8-10, all par 4s, and Nos. 6 and 18, both par 5s), the fairway cut has been pushed out to the shoreline, so golf balls won’t be as cushioned by protective rough and are more likely to find disaster.

The last four U.S. Open winners at Pebble Beach -- Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Tom Kite and Woods -- are marquee names, and Oldgolfdawg would be surprised if a lesser light came along and forged an unexpected victory. My dark-horse pick is Zach Johnson. But if I were placing a bet, it would be on Mickelson.

ESPN (today: 1-3 p.m., 5-10 p.m; Friday: 1-3 p.m., 5-10 p.m.) and NBC (today: 3-5 p.m.; Friday: 3-5 p.m.; Saturday: 4:30-11 p.m.; and Sunday: 3-9 p.m.) will be televising the action.


Information from Golf.com, ESPN.com and PGATOUR.com contributed to this post.