AP On Chambers Bay Scouting Trips To Win: "Impractical, bordering on arrogant, for the USGA"

The U.S. Open is now less than a month away, Chambers Bay closes soon to public play and the stars will descend upon the links to scout the possibilities.

Still lingering, however, is consternation that the USGA is saying a failure to do early reconaissance will eliminate your chances of winning. The AP's Doug Ferguson considers the player comments since Executive Director Mike Davis's comments last month and concludes the USGA stance to be borderline arrogant.

It's impractical, bordering on arrogant, for the USGA to expect golfers to drop everything and go to the far end of the country for one tournament.

''With the way the Tour is, no one is going to go out there and play 10 practice rounds,'' McIlroy said.

McIlroy believes preparation is meaningless if he doesn't have his game. He plans a few practice rounds the weekend before the U.S. Open, another one during the week. That's three practice rounds, which is one more than two, meaning Davis can't rule him out just yet. Right?

But what about the players who don't qualify until the Monday before U.S. Open week? Or the players – two of them last year – who qualify through the world ranking on the Monday of U.S. Open week?

''Will not win the U.S. Open,'' is what Davis said.

Someone will. Someone always does. It could be a surprise, much like the golf course.

Protests of a different kind may be an issue at Chambers Bay, too. As if the intrigue level wasn't already at peak levels. John Strege reports.