Not surprisingly, given the victory in the Memorial tournament, the bookmakers have installed Tiger Woods a 7/1 favourite for this week’s US Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.

Rory McIlroy made winning the US Open last year look pretty easy but the defending champion knows this year’s championship course will not be set up with a view to further record breaking.

Rory McIlroy is expecting a far stiffer test when he defends the US Open in six weeks' time - but not because he knocked four shots off the championship record last year.

THE USGA, by general agreement, did a great job in staging the 108th US Open Championship. But they lost a lot of friends yesterday through the continuation of their tradition of deciding a tie in the event with an 18-hole play-off.

JUSTIN HICKS and Mike Streelman leading the US Open after round one on the longest and arguably the most difficult course the players have ever encountered. What does that say about the championship?