2009 U.S. Open: A Few Final Preview Clippings

Thomas Bonk on Phil Mickelson's early morning press conference.

Ryan Herrington sums up the USGA press conference highlights.

Dave Perkins talks to players on the range who are staying away from the course. And the weather was perfect today. Shows you how simple the greens are, I suppose.

Mark Soltau with the best quotes of the day.

Lorne Rubenstein says don't count out the short hitters and considering how soft the greens are, he may be right.

David Shefter tells us all about the weather precautions and the unlucky folks who have to deal with it.

Wendy Uzelac preps us for Squeegee use and how the rules dictate various situations. Listen for the deep-baritoned frogs in the 8th hole pond. They may be the only ones happy Thursday (click to enlarge)

Tom Dunne explains what WaterHOGs are and how they are used to soak up the moisture. They were mentioned in today's USGA press conference

Ken Belson in a New York Times story tells us just how dead the corporate villages were early in the week.

Jason Sobel ranks the field. My wrists hurt just thinking about how much typing he did.

And finally, Lawrence Donegan loves that the USGA is playing a public course. He takes a while to make the point but it's worth it:

In a crowded sporting landscape, the Open Championship is the one of the few weeks during the year that the nation focuses almost entirely on golf. This is true now and it will be true in four years time, when people will turn their attention to Muirfield and see what? That's right, a golf club embodying every stereotype that has proved so damaging to the sport.

This, to put it at its mildest, is disappointing. Others would prefer to see it as a serious misjudgement; a needless provocation; or even a crime against the sport. I know I do.