Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette Arnold Palmer hits his second shot up the ninth fairway toward the clubhouse at Oakmont in the 1997 Family House Invitational. Many changes have been made for the U.S. Open in June.

The corporate hospitality tents near the 17th green and 18th fairway are already being erected, their steel structures rising on the horizon when standing on the porch of the clubhouse. The greens that should be slicker than greased lightning in June are being aerated, making sure all the agronomic procedures are being followed.

Even the bathhouse for the swimming pool has been razed, clearing room for a media village that will include a tented structure of 35,000 square feet.

The 107th U.S. Open is only two months away, and Oakmont Country Club is getting ready for the event, whether the members are ready for it or not.

"It has become such a big event," said Oakmont president Bill Griffin. "I'm not sure people will believe it when they see it."

Griffin was not just talking about the scope of the U.S. Open, which will be staged June 11-17 at Oakmont -- the eighth time the course will be host to the national championship.

He was also referring to the logistical setup of the tournament that will transform Oakmont into a miniature village, featuring 300,000 square feet of tent space and grandstands that could double the number of seated spectators in 1994 -- the last time the U.S. Open was at Oakmont.

All that, though, is secondary to the course that will test the best players in the world, a layout that has been lengthened, toughened and altered the past five years in an attempt to maintain its difficulty against all the advances in equipment technology, not to mention retain its reputation as one of the most difficult courses in the world.

"The people at the USGA think Oakmont is the premier course in the country for their type of event," Griffin said.

And that's without any major preparation.

Lee Trevino once remarked that Oakmont was the only course he knew that could stage a U.S. Open on one-day notice. Of course, he also added, "But they'd have to slow down the greens."

Oakmont has been preparing for another major tournament since Ernie Els won the 1994 U.S. Open in an 18-hole playoff against Loren Roberts and Colin Montgomerie. Since then, the biggest change has been the removal of between 5,000 and 8,000 trees, an extensive program designed to restore Oakmont to the original look intended by founder Henry C. Fownes.

Fans who attend the U.S. Open and have not seen Oakmont since 1994 will not believe the difference.

"Everybody is very upbeat about it," said Oakmont's Bob Ford, who has been the club's head professional since 1979.

Oakmont will not open the golf course to the members until April 16, and only recently re-opened the clubhouse after work was completed to renovate some of the interior rooms, including the porch that looks out to the massive ninth green.

As part of the renovation, the club also hung framed pictures from each of the Open championships at the club, dating to Tommy Armour's victory in 1927. Some of the pictures were recently discovered by club historian John Fitzgerald, who found them in desk drawers, tucked in paper bags, almost everywhere he looked at the club.

"These were wonderful pictures," Fitzgerald said. "We never had such a collection before and we wanted to display them."

Johnny Miller, who won the 1973 U.S. Open with his final-round 63, sent the club an autographed flag that commemorates his victory -- a framed memento that sits at the base of the stairs that lead to the second-floor locker room.

Oakmont has retained its ranking as the No. 5 course in the United States, according to the latest Golf Digest rankings released two weeks ago. The only courses ahead of Oakmont are Pine Valley, Augusta National, Shinnecock and Cypress Point.

"That could change after people get to see Oakmont in the Open," Griffin said.

It will happen soon enough.