Home of the Brave

Changes to the course aside, the USGA has altered the championship's qualifying criteria too – and for the better. Last year Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler finished first and second at the Memorial Tournament two weeks earlier and made it into the top 50 in the world, but they had left their run too late because the fully exempt categories for the US Open had been settled prior to that event. The duo then failed to play their way via Sectional Qualifying, which resulted in a less than satisfactory situation: two of the most in-form players in professional golf were not in the field. Now, any player in the top echelons of the world rankings in the week of the championship will be exempted. Common sense has prevailed.

Picking the US Open champion is never a simple exercise (see Archie Albatross' punting tips on page 67 for his thoughts on the matter) but it's worth noting that Tiger Woods, for all his recent troubles, has considerable Congressional form. His own tournament, the AT&T National, was staged over the Blue Course two years ago and the "Great One" recorded a gutsy victory. It's a different Tiger these days of course, and it's a different Congressional, but if Woods can prevail it would surely mark one of the most unlikely comebacks in US Open history. We'll soon find out. The wait is nearly over.