It’s only small — 1.68 inches in diameter — but it has always been a big issue in golf. Almost from the day that the first Scottish shepherd picked up a stick and whacked a wee stone across a field, there have been disputes about golf balls.

Ryder Cup star Patrick Reed set the early clubhouse target as the third round of the 117th US Open turned into a shootout at a rain-softened Erin Hills.

Glorious sunshine covered the Erin Hills links like honey on hotcakes yesterday, and doomed the dream of Phil Mickelson to compete at the 117th US Open.

It must be US Open week because the pros took one look at Erin Hills, site of the 117th US Open, and you heard more bellyaching than a hospital emergency room.