Shane Lowry is looking forward to a return to the type of US Open courses which produce "carnage" after the experiment with two new venues in the last three years.

WHEN picking a modern day venue capable of meeting the demands of a US Open, the USGA have recently identified huge properties like Congressional, Bethpage & Torrey Pines, all of which have the course strength, the size and infrastructural capability to allow them to maximise the commercial return from the attendance of 50,000 spectators a day.

DUSTIN JOHNSON insisted he could handle the pressure.

The Spanish Open begins in Seville today without the two Spaniards who helped Europe win the Ryder Cup two years ago.

Phil Mickelson won the Masters in April after romping to a 13-shot victory the previous Sunday. Things are rather different for his attempt to make a successful defence of the US PGA championship at Medinah in Chicago this week. He has just missed his first halfway cut of the year.

SECOND favourite Vijay Singh issued a clear warning to the USGA last night on the state of the Pinehurst course going into today’s first round of the 105th US Open.

A year on from what many considered a farcical finish to the US Open Phil Mickelson has voiced the opinion that similar conditions could develop at Pinehurst.

Padraig Harrington was not your man today if you wanted a player to talk up his chances of ending the 35-year European drought at the US Open.

Ernie Els is determined to wipe away the memories of last year’s final round at the US Open with a performance to treasure this weekend.

The last time John Daly was at Pinehurst – six years ago – he certainly did not go unnoticed. He rarely does.

Charlie Mulqueen speaks with Colin Byrne, caddie to Retief Goosen.

IF there’s a golfing God up there, he will see to it that Ernie Els wins the US PGA Championship starting at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin, this morning.

WHISTLING STRAITS, the venue for this week’s US PGA Championship, takes some finding.

Ernie Els could not wait to get to work on the practice putting green despite remaining in contention for a second Open title in three years.

There will be the usual moans and groans, of course.

WHOEVER christened Ernie Els 'The Big Easy' wasn't within earshot yesterday as the South African laid into American golf chiefs as an organisation and individuals.

Any suspicion that David Duval might decide to withdraw from the British Open was removed today when he not only showed up at Troon but was out on the course practising.

ERNIE ELS last night called on European Tour bosses to schedule a tournament on a links golf course in the week prior to the British Open Championship.

Retif Goosen put the golf clubs to one side after his US Open win, and fears his game may pay the price at the European Open. Charlie Mulqueen reports from Staffan.

Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer did a neat side-step today when he was asked about the European flop at last week’s US Open.

SEVEN out of nineteen survived the cut at Shinnecock Hills.

THE US OPEN was almost reduced to farce yesterday as the infamous par-three seventh became all but unplayable.

JAY HAAS did not quite get the Father Day’s present yesterday he had been hoping for on Friday evening but it came pretty close.

YOU only had to watch and listen to appreciate just how much the New York public adored Phil Mickelson.

TAKE a bow, Tim Herron. You are the man. You took on the feared seventh hole at Shinnecock Hills and lived. Timbo, you rock.

ALL the talk here is of how well Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Ernie Els are playing. But, as Pádraig Harrington has argued, the 24 year drought since a European last won the US Open is about to end.

YOU would think a 63-year-old man with lots of money and 59 tournaments to his credit would have had enough of lugging four-stone golf bags around the golfing fairways of the world.

DARREN CLARKE wasn’t back to his old moody ways at Shinnecock Hills yesterday but he wasn’t far off it.

Padraig Harrington has predicted mayhem at this week’s US Open – if the wind changes.

TIGER WOODS, Phil Mickelson and all the other long but wayward hitting golfers have been warned.

PHIL MICKELSON, relieved to be back in the winner's circle after a 19-month absence, believes a more positive approach will enhance his challenge at this year's majors.

IT may not have been one of the most memorable US Opens but it had many marvellous moments for all that.