"You're better off on the fairway 230 yards out than you are in the rough 120 yards out."

Gerry Dulac cornered some of the players who tested out Oakmont on Monday and offered these insights from Geoff Ogilvy and Ian Poulter.

"This was harder than the Monday 10 days before that tournament," Ogilvy said. "The first-cut stuff last year was playable. ... This is playable-ish, and in a week it can grow. You're better off on the fairway 230 yards out than you are in the rough 120 yards out."

Newsflash: Cialis sales just plummetted in the greater Far Hills region. 

"This is a lot tougher," Poulter said of the Oakmont rough. "You're not hitting greens from that rough. It's as thick as I've seen it."

You know, Frank Hannigan and others tell me I'm nuts to say an injury to a player will be caused by this rough-on-steroids we're seeing so often at these majors. And yet, I didn't realize this, but it's already happening. From Thomas Bonk's L.A. Times note today on Phil Mickelson's MRI and decision to skip Memphis this week to help his ailing wrist:

 Mickelson injured his wrist chipping balls out of the rough during a practice session May 28 at Oakmont.

Let The Oakmont Previews Begin...

I rolled my eyes through E.M. Swift's excellent Golf Digest piece on the Oakmont members and their obsession with humiliating guests via greens stimping at 15 and other nonsense.  There really is more to the game than inflicting misery, isn't there?

Meanwhile Gerry Dulac looks at the club's tree removal for Golf World, building on his original Post-Gazette piece, and offering some fresh insights into the politics:

The decision to get rid of all the trees created one of the most contentious periods in club history, pitting members who liked shaded, tree-lined fairways against those who sought to restore Oakmont to its original design (and, by doing so, improve turf conditions). It didn't help that some of the trees were secretly removed without the consent of the membership. But with the U.S. Open returning for the first time in 13 years, most of the members have apparently embraced the new look, even if some are reluctant to say so publicly. Trees have been replaced with high fescue grass that sways in the wind, creating the Scottish look Fownes desired.

"If [the support is] not 100 percent, I don't know who is on the other side," says Ford, Oakmont's pro since 1979. "There is no grumbling at all. Everybody is very upbeat about it."

To be sure, the new-look Oakmont has received rave reviews from just about everyone in golf. What's more, the restoration, which began shortly after the club hosted the 1992 U.S. Women's Open, has helped restore some luster to the Oakmont tradition. Because of the changes, Oakmont has moved up to No. 5 on Golf Digest's America's 100 Greatest Courses, behind only Pine Valley, Shinnecock Hills, Augusta National and Cypress Point. Even the USGA is pleased with the new look, advising other clubs seeking to undergo similar restoration to form a committee and visit Oakmont.

Fast forward... 

Oakmont's decision to remove trees was not widely embraced, even outside the membership. Environmentalists wrote letters and e-mails, protesting the wide-ranging elimination and citing the ecological problems created by their loss. A local church even offered prayers, asking for the trees' survival. Internally, some club members threatened lawsuits, claiming trees were removed without their knowledge.

U.S. Open Sectional Scores

The USGA has scores posted for Monday's sectionals while Mark Lamport-Stokes has the rundown on big names who made and missed the chance to slap it around Oakmont.

And so nice to see that everyone decided to show up for this year's European qualifier!

US Open Sectional Storylines

Monday marks one of the best golf days of the year: U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying.

Stars, former stars and hungry mini-tour pros tee it up on a level playing field and just like last year, here are just a few of the "storylines" to watch out for, courtesy of the USGA Media Department.

^{Storylines for the 2007 U.S. Open From Sectional Qualifying}

^{Bear Creek Country Club ( Murrieta , Calif. ; 74 players for 4 spots)}

• ^{Danny Lee , a 16-year-old amateur from New Zealand , was a semifinalist at the 2006 U.S. Junior.}

• ^{Eric Meeks of Las Vegas , Nev. , captured the 1988 U.S. Amateur.}

• ^{Mike Sica of La Quinta, Calif., managed to shoot a 3-under-par 69 at his local qualifier at Bermuda Dunes (Calif.) C.C. with borrowed clubs because his did not arrive at the airport following a Canadian Tour event. He played with an old set of clubs, his father’s driver and a putter he never had used.}

^{Columbine Country Club ( Littleton , Colo. ; 20 players for 1 spot)}

• ^{Dustin White of Pueblo , Colo. , made it through both stages of U.S. Open qualifying in 2006 to qualify for the field at Winged Foot. He missed the cut.}

^{Walton Heath Golf Club ( Surrey , England ; 72 players for 9 spots)}

• ^{Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland has represented Europe on five Ryder Cup teams and defeated Tiger Woods in the final of the 2000 World Golf Championship-Accenture Match Play Championship.}

• ^{Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain has also competed in seven U.S. Opens and shared runner-up honors in 2000 at Pebble Beach .}

• ^{Oliver Wilson represented Great Britain and Ireland at the 2003 Walker Cup Match.}

• ^{Francesco Molinari of Italy is the brother of 2005 U.S. Amateur champion Edoardo Molinari .} 
  

• ^{Paul Lawrie of Scotland came from 10 strokes back in the final round to win the 1999 British Open at Carnoustie in a playoff over Justin Leonard and Jean Van de Velde .}

• ^{Jean Van de Velde of France is known for his 72nd-hole collapse at the 1999 British Open at Carnoustie when he made a triple-bogey 7. He lost in the subsequent playoff to Paul Lawrie .}

• ^{Paul McGinley of Ireland holed the Ryder Cup-clinching putt for Europe at the 2002 Matches at The Belfry.}

^{Jupiter Hills Club ( Tequesta , Fla. ; 47 players for 2 spots)}

• ^{Fredrik Jacobson of Sweden is a PGA Tour regular who tied for fifth at the 2003 U.S. Open at Olympia Fields.}

^{Hawks Ridge Golf Club (Ball Ground, Ga. ; 36 golfers for 3 spots)}

• ^{Peter Marshall , 15, of Lake Forest , Ill. , is the youngest player to advance to sectional qualifying. He turned 15 on Jan. 10. He is one of two 15-year-olds to make it to the sectional qualifying portion of the championship.}

• ^{Dave Womack of McDonough , Ga. , won the 2006 U.S. Mid-Amateur title.}

• ^{PGA Tour player Jason Dufner of Auburn , Ala. , made the cut at the 2006 U.S. Open and was the runner-up to Trevor Immelman at the 1998 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.}

• ^{Hall of Famer Larry Nelson, 59, of Marietta , Ga. , won the U.S. Open in 1983 at Oakmont ( Pa. ) Country Club. Nelson held off defending champion Tom Watson by a stroke. He holed a 62’ birdie putt at the 70th hole.}

• ^{Ryan Hybl of Winterville , Ga. , was the runner-up to Dave Womack at the 2006 U.S. Mid-Amateur and currently serves as an assistant men’s golf coach at his alma mater, the University of Georgia .}

• ^{PGA Tour player Heath Slocum owns two tour victories, the last coming at the 2005 Southern Farm Bureau Classic. He has only played in one previous U.S. Open, missing the cut in 2002 at Bethpage State Park .}

• ^{Matt Kuchar of Atlanta , Ga. , was the 1997 U.S. Amateur champion and represented the USA at the 1999 Walker Cup Match. In 1998, he made the 36-hole cut at both the Masters and U.S. Open.}

^{Riverside Golf Club ( North Riverside , Ill. ; 45 players for 5 spots)}

• ^{Len Mattiace of Jacksonville , Fla. , was the runner-up to Mike Weir at the 2003 Masters.}

• ^{Nationwide Tour player James Driscoll of Brookline , Mass. , was the runner-up to Jeff Quinney at the 2000 U.S. Amateur and was a member of the 2001 USA Walker Cup team. Driscoll also was the runner-up at the 1995 U.S. Junior.}

• ^{Mike Small of Champaign , Ill. , is the head men’s golf coach at the University of Illinois who has also qualified for several PGA Championships.}

• ^{Mario Tiziani of Shorewood , Minn. , is the brother-in-law of PGA Tour player Steve Stricker .}

• ^{Jeff Overton of Evansville, Ind., was a 2005 USA Walker Cupper who advanced to the semifinals of the 2004 U.S. Amateur.}

• ^{Former PGA Tour player Chip Beck, 50, of Lake Forest , Ill. Beck shared second place at the 1986 and ’89 U.S. Opens.}

^{Indian Hills Country Club ( Mission Hills , Kan. ; 22 players for 1 spot)}

• ^{Matt Gogel of Mission Hills , Kan. , is a former PGA Tour winner (AT&T National Pro-Am)}

^{Woodmont Country Club ( Rockville , Md. ; 65 players for 5 spots)}

• ^{Jonathan Moore of Vancouver , Wash. , won the 2006 NCAA Division I title for Oklahoma State and was a member of the 2006 USA World Amateur Team. He also qualified for the 2006 U.S. Open.}

• ^{Brad Faxon of Barrington , R.I. , will be looking to play in his 21 st U.S. Open. The 1983 USA Walker Cupper owns eight PGA Tour wins, the last coming at the 2005 Buick Championship. He has played in 19 U.S. Opens.}

• ^{Jordan Byrd of Clemson , S.C. , is the brother of PGA Tour player and former USA Walker Cupper Jonathan Byrd.}

• ^{Peter Uihlein , 17, of Bradenton , Fla. , is one of the top junior golfers in the country and the son of Acushnet CEO Wally Uihlein .}

• ^{Conrad Ray of Austin , Minn. , is the head men’s golf coach at Stanford University and a former Stanford teammate of Tiger Woods. He got into the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst as an alternate.}

• ^{Fred Funk , 51, of Ponte Vedra , Fla. , has won titles on both the PGA and Champions tours this year. He captured the 2005 Players Championship at the age of 48.}

^{Old Oaks C.C./Century C.C. (Purchase, N.Y.; 58 golfers for 3 spots)}

• ^{Nationwide Tour player Ricky Barnes of Scottsdale , Ariz. , won the 2002 U.S. Amateur at Oakland Hills. He has qualified for three U.S. Opens, but none since he turned professional.}

• ^{Jon McLean of Weston , Fla. , is the son of noted PGA teaching professional Jim McLean . McLean lost to eventual runner-up John Kelly in the third round of the 2006 U.S. Amateur.}

^{OSU Scarlet G.C./Scioto C.C. ( Columbus , Ohio ; 144 players for 24 spots)}

• ^{Rocco Mediate of Naples , Fla. , was born in Greensburg , Pa. , near Oakmont. He was paired with Arnold Palmer for the first two rounds in 1994. He later withdrew due to back problems and subsequently had surgery in July of that year.}

• ^{Ryan Moore of Puyallup , Wash. , is the only player to win the U.S. Amateur Public Links and U.S. Amateur in the same year (2004). He also won the 2002 APL and was the 2000 U.S. Junior runner-up. He earned low-amateur honors at the 2005 Masters.}

• ^{Jonathan Byrd of Sea Island , Ga. , is a former USA Walker Cupper (1999) who now plays on the PGA Tour (two wins). His brother Jordan also is hoping to qualify for the 2007 U.S. Open.}

• ^{Edward Loar of Dallas , Texas , was a member of the 1999 USA Walker Cup team.}

• ^{Mark O’Meara of Windermere , Fla. , won the 1998 Masters and British Open titles. He also captured the 1979 U.S. Amateur.}

• ^{Michael Putnam of Tacoma , Wash. , was a member of the victorious 2005 USA Walker Cup team and a 2005 U.S. Open qualifier.}

• ^{Mike Van Sickle of Wexford , Pa. , is the son of Sports Illustrated senior golf writer Gary Van Sickle . He survived a playoff at his local qualifier in Mequon , Wis. , to get the last available spot.}

• ^{Tim Mickelson of San Diego , Calif. , is the brother of three-time major champion Phil Mickelson and the head men’s golf coach at the University of San Diego .}

• ^{Boo Weekley of Milton, Fla., won his first PGA Tour event at the Verizon Heritage in April .}

• ^{Jeff Quinney of Scottsdale , Ariz. , won the 2000 U.S. Amateur and competed on the 2000 USA World Amateur Team and 2001 USA Walker Cup squad. He is a PGA Tour rookie in 2007.}

• ^{Kevin Marsh of Las Vegas , Nev. , won the 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur and also served as the interim head coach for the NCAA Division I champion Pepperdine men’s golf team in 1997 when Coach John Geiberger contracted chicken pox. Marsh is a Pepperdine graduate.}

• ^{Bob Ford , 53, of Oakmont , Pa. , is the head professional at Oakmont C.C., the site of the 2007 U.S. Open. Ford made the cut at the 1983 U.S. Open at Oakmont.}

• ^{Steve Jones of Tempe , Ariz. , is the 1996 U.S. Open champion. His 10-year exemption for being champion ended last year.}

• ^{Jason Gore of Valencia , Calif. , was the darling of the 2005 U.S. Open when he earned a spot alongside Retief Goosen in the final pairing on Sunday, only to shoot an 84. Gore was also a member of the 1997 USA Walker Cup team.}

^{Colonial Country Club ( Memphis , Tenn. ; 117 players for 15 spots)}

• ^{John Daly of Memphis , Tenn. , won the 1991 PGA Championship as the ninth alternate and then added a second major title with the 1995 British Open.}

• ^{Mark Brooks of Fort Worth, Texas, won the 1996 PGA Championship in a playoff and lost an 18-hole playoff to Retief Goosen at the 2001 U.S. Open.}

• ^{Jeff Maggert of The Woodlands, Texas , owns three top-five finishes in 15 U.S. Open appearances, including a pair of thirds (2002 and ’04).}

• ^{Bob May of Las Vegas, Nev., was the runner-up to Tiger Woods in a memorable playoff at the 2000 PGA Championship. He was a member of the 1991 USA Walker Cup team.}

• ^{Steve Elkington of Australia won the 1995 PGA Championship in a playoff over Colin Montgomerie .}

• ^{Hank Kuehne of McKinney, Texas won the 1998 U.S. Amateur. He is the younger brother of 1994 U.S. Amateur runner-up Trip Kuehne and three-time USGA champion Kelli Kuehne .}

• ^{Philip Francis , 17, of Scottsdale , Ariz. , won the 2006 U.S. Junior, a year after being a quarterfinalist in the same event. He is headed to UCLA in the fall.}

^{Northwood Club ( Dallas , Texas ; 30 players for 3 spots)}

• ^{Justin Leonard of Dallas, Texas, won the 1992 U.S. Amateur and was a member of the 1992 USA World Amateur Team and ’93 Walker Cup squad. He later won the 1997 British Open and was the runner-up at the 1999 British Open and ’04 PGA Championship. He is looking to play in his 12th U.S. Open.}

• ^{Cory Whitsett , 15, of Houston , Texas , is the second-youngest player to advance to sectional qualifying. The left-hander qualified for match play at the 2006 U.S. Junior, where he made a hole-in-one in stroke-play qualifying.}

• ^{Corey Pavin of Oxnard , Calif. , is the 1995 U.S. Open champion and a member of the 1981 USA Walker Cup team. He’s played on three U.S. Ryder Cup and two U.S. President’s Cup squads. Pavin owns 15 PGA Tour victories.}

^{Olympic Course at Gold Mountain G.C. ( Bremerton , Wash. ; 20 players for 1 spot)}

• ^{Erik Hanson of Kirkland , Wash. , is a former major-league pitcher with the Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds who has previously qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur.}
  

"With that tree in place, we were limited to 2,100 spectators [in the grandstand]."

Thanks to The Big K for this Gerry Dulac story on the distance explosion claiming another victim, albeit one tree, but it is fascinating how these things work.

The fallen tree was the lone sycamore that stood in a cluster of six trees -- known as the Oak Grove -- behind the 18th green and 10th tee. Oakmont president Bill Griffin said the tree was removed to allow for more grandstand space behind the final hole."It was going to be very difficult to build [a grandstand] around that tree to get the seating arrangements around the 18th green," Griffin said. "With that tree in place, we were limited to 2,100 spectators [in the grandstand]."

In the 1994 U.S. Open, Oakmont was able to seat 4,100 people in the grandstands around the 18th hole. But, because of the new back tees at Nos. 10 and 12, a grandstand could not be built on the left side of the 18th green this year.

At a special board of governors meeting May 14, Oakmont officials were not only concerned about fewer seats, but also the perception from television viewers that the tournament had outgrown the historic venue. By removing the tree, an additional 1,000 spectators can be seated around the green.

"We felt it was the right thing to do and we wanted to make sure it had the right look," Griffin said.

Oakmont No. 8, Vol. 1

Gerry Dulac look at the buzz surrounding Oakmont's 288-yard No. 8, and I like the USGA's Mike Davis' response to questions about the distance...

"You go back and look at the golden age of architecture and how many par 3s in the 1920s were designed to be long par 3s with drivers in your hands," Davis said. "You won't believe how many courses have 250-yard par 3s back in the 1920s when they were playing with hickories."

Frankly, it's not the most interesting green anyway, so why not spice things up a bit! 

"It's more lush than I think we'd kind of hoped"

Tim Rosaforte's online column looks at Oakmont and the potential conditions for this year's Open.

"I was just there Sunday-Monday, and it's more lush than I think we'd kind of hoped," said Mike Davis, the course set-up man for the USGA. Davis sent correspondence to Zimmers, telling him to send out the mowers once it stops raining. Last year at Winged Foot, the first step in the graduated rough was 3 ½ to 4 inches. He asked Zimmers to trim that first cut to 2 ¾ inches. The goal is to make it short enough so the players can show their skills. The week of the tournament, "It could be higher, it could be lower," said Davis.

This doesn't sit too well at Oakmont, a club that prides itself on sending its guests home feeling the privilege of being penalized by its brutality. "I've never seen an Open here at Oakmont where it wasn't six-inch rough right off the fairway," said the host pro, Bob Ford. "So if it's playable just off the fairway, I think it will have a great effect on the score. Again, it's all about wet and dry: If it's wet it's going to be one score, if it's dry, it's going to be another score. That's true on all golf courses, but particularly here."

Yes, that 6 inches right off the fairway is such a good test especially when...

Some of the club's members--guys who play in the Swat competitions--are predicting that if the course plays hard and fast, double digits will win The Open. The reason being, Oakmont's fairways were running about 11 on the Stimp after Zimmers put the rollers on them. The average fairway width at Oakmont will be 28 yards, but as one of the club's scratch players pointed out on Thursday, some of the tighter driving holes are only 22 yards wide in spots. But those 22 yards really play 10 yards wide because most of the landing areas tilt and pitch toward the deep stuff.

Sounds fun!

"Some of the fairway are really tight, and to be honest, one of my concerns is that they get too fast," Davis said. "They've got so much roll, that if they get too fast it's not going to be a good Open. We don't want it turning into '87 at [The] Olympic [Club]. We're going to ask John to hand water the drive zones to keep good drives from rolling into the intermediate rough."

On top of this, the participants will be putting on greens that Zimmers gets rolling at 15 for the year-end Swat Party.

That tells you who the best player is! 

For Those Of You Traveling By Helicopter To Oakmont...

...good news, you now have a place to land. I know you've been on pins and needles. Though for those of you with an early tee time who hoped to shuttle in from Nemacolin Woodlands, I think there might be a problem.

Mr. Walker said his service would shuttle people primarily from Pittsburgh International Airport to Plum, but that he also had had inquiries from Nemacolin Woodlands resort and other sites.

The service's helicopter will be permitted to fly in and out of the site, a commercially zoned area at 2015 Eastern Ave., near the Pennsylvania Turnpike, between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. throughout June.

Woods To Make Second Visit To Oakmont, This Time Minus Media and USGA-Amex Sponsor Obligations

Alex Miceli on the Golfweek blog:

Expect to see Tiger Woods take another visit to Oakmont before U.S. Open week. Woods was there a couple of weeks ago for an American Express outing. But according to Woods, the course wasn't really in game shape and he wants to take another look as Oakmont comes into its own with rough and faster greens.

While Woods is unwilling to commit to his schedule before the U.S. Open, it is widely believed he will play Memorial in Columbus, just a short hop for Woods in his private jet from Oakmont.

Another Lucky Journalist

The WSJ's John Paul Newport was also there for Tiger's impromptu AmEx/Oakmont clinic. Do you believe in miracles?

What's Tiger Studying On Tape?

Not to wear out this Tiger-plays-Oakmont thing, but a reader who would rather not be associated with this wretched site made this point: 

One thing left unsaid in the Woods item is that he obviously studies videotape of past events at a course before seeing it for the first time. That's the only way he would have thought about Oakmont as a tree-lined course and then have been surprised when he arrived.

To the inkslingers out there considering a Tiger question at Wachovia, how about asking about this instead of about the due date or the new dog.

What's he looking for on old tapes of majors? Has he learned stuff from video that has helped him in any of this 12 wins?

"It's not even close. It's this one.''

From Doug Ferguson's lengthier follow up on Tiger's practice rounds at Oakmont:

He also had heard the debate whether Oakmont or Winged Foot was the toughest championship course on any given Sunday morning for the members. "Of all the tournaments I've ever played, no golf course was harder than Winged Foot,'' Woods said late last year.

He was reminded of that comment when he walked off the 18th green Sunday morning after his first trip around at Oakmont.

"It's not even close,'' Woods said. "It's this one.''

And that was with the green bumping along at about 10 1/2 on the Stimpmeter (the course was under snow a week ago). It usually runs in the neighborhood of 13 for some of the members' tournaments.

"Every green is pitched one way or another,'' Woods said. "If you do miss on the high side, it's impossible.''

"From the moment Woods stepped onto the first tee..."

Mike Dudurich filed this Pittsburgh Tribune Review story on Tiger's day at Oakmont:

From the moment Woods stepped onto the first tee and pulled the Sasquatch Sumo Squared driver from his bag and launched his Nike One ball approximately 330 yards to the middle of the fairway...

Now I know it's not for me to offer writing suggestions, but I really think the future of journalism will be more informative for us consumers.  Dudurich could have filed something like this:

From the moment Woods woke up in his NikeFitTherma jammies, slipped on his Seamless S/S Colorplay Mock, adorned his SP-8 TW Tour shoes in the hot new black and Del Monte white (available May 3rd), slipped on his Custom Crested Tech Xtreme Glove, Nike's brand focus stepped onto the first tee and pulled the Sasquatch Sumo Squared driver from his bag and launched his Nike One ball approximately 330 yards to the middle of the fairway...

"It's very open. You can see all the holes from the clubhouse."

Gerry Dulac filed a few more anecdotes and quotes from Tiger's Oakmont round. He managed to focus on--perish the thought--the golf, instead of plugging the "surprise" clinic for some rich AmEx customers.

The greens were running at 10.5 on the Stimpmeter the past two days, not nearly as fast as they will be for the Open. And they were not as smooth as usual because they had recently been aerified.

"They said they're extremely smooth," Woods said. "Granted, they do have a lot of movement to them, a lot of pitch to them, but people seem to hole a lot of putts here. After playing it, it was hard for me to see that because I was seeing balls bouncing all over the place."

Woods did not play in the 1994 U.S. Open at Oakmont because he failed to qualify as amateur. And he had never even been to the course until Sunday -- a strange fact given Woods' love for the game and the way he embraces the history and tradition of the sport. Nonetheless, Woods said he really enjoyed his first visit to Oakmont, though he admitted it was different than what he envisioned.

"I just remember seeing all these trees everywhere and you get down here and all of sudden there's nothing there," he said. "It's very open. You can see all the holes from the clubhouse. It's very different than what I envisioned."

I guess he hasn't been reading the tree removal stories! 

"I can't recall many golf courses where you don't see the fairway and green on the same hole."

Wow, imagine the coincidence of Tiger Woods practicing at Oakmont and just spontaneously deciding to give a clinic to American Express suckers guests on U.S. Open Preview Day. And lo and behold the AP writer is there to cover it.

Praise the Lord!

Woods spent the last two days at Oakmont, the premiere championship golf course in America that had been somewhat of a mystery to him. He didn't qualify for his first U.S. Open until the year after Ernie Els won at Oakmont in 1994, so this had been a course Woods only knew from newspaper clippings and television highlights.

"I like it," he said. "I can't recall many golf courses where you don't see the fairway and green on the same hole. Maybe at St. Andrews, but that's about it."

I guess that's a nice way of saying "it's all NOT right in front of you."

Monday also turned into quite a mystery for the 82 people who didn't know they would get to tag along.

They were American Express card members who paid $900 for an event called "2007 U.S. Open Preview Day," not realizing that it would include more than a round of golf and free lunch until Woods entered the room from a back door to stunned silence, followed by high-fives and then a standing ovation.

They were told they would get a seminar on how to prepare for a U.S. Open.

They had no idea their instructor would be the world's No. 1 player, with ABC Sports anchor Mike Tirico as the emcee.

"I hope you guys didn't get slaughtered out there," Woods told them before inviting them along for his third and final practice round.