The U.S. Open this week at Oakmont Country Club will be a holiday and homecoming for Garfield Prebor, whose family is among the 5,400 or so volunteers making sure everything runs without a hiccup at the site.

Prebor, 41, and his wife, Trish, 42, are checking badges at the entrance gate on the west end of the driving range, and son Sebastian, 15, will be walking down the fairways carrying a scorecard during practice rounds today and the first round Thursday. He will find out Friday night if he's going to have the honor of working the tournament over the weekend.

The driving range is open only to the players, their caddies and coaches, equipment sales representatives, close friends and relatives and media types.

"We have no interaction with the players," Trish said. "We stay out of the way."

In addition to letting the right people in and keeping everyone else out, the Prebors, along with the other 33 volunteers working the driving range in three shifts each day, help sort the balls and put them in baskets and place the player name placards in view for each golfer.

Although it didn't happen during the mid-morning watch of the Prebors, the closest thing to a tiff on the driving range occurred when one of the volunteers innocently, and properly, asked to see the credentials of Michael Campbell of New Zealand.

"You don't know who I am?" said a somewhat haughty Campbell, who won the 2005 U.S. Open by overcoming a four-stroke deficit after three rounds to eventually finish three strokes ahead of runner-up Tiger Woods.

The volunteer quickly let Campbell pass.

"I would have known him," said Garfield, an Oakmont member who has an 8-handicap.

The first choice of the Prebors on their application was to work the driving range. Second was as a marshal on a particular hole.

"I'd say there were 1,500 people who wanted the driving range," said Garfield, who grew up a block from the course. "Driving range is a coveted position."

Garfield was in the gallery when Ernie Els won the 1994 PGA at Oakmont and sold Lemon Blend in front of his house for 25 cents per cup during the 1973 Open won by Johnny Miller.

"That's when you could park on the streets," Prebor said with a smile.

The Prebor family -- Garfield, Trish, Sebastian, Sylvai, 11, and Aliya, who will be 2 next month -- are staying in Prebor's mother's condominium in the Fairways complex not far from the course. She is on vacation.

This is a vacation for the Prebors, who live in Conneaut Lake. Garfield owns the Oakland Beach Golf Course and Trish teaches computers at Conneaut High School. They paid $150 each for the opportunity to be a volunteer. Because of his age, Sebastian didn't have to pay.

"We received two shirts, a hat, a wind jacket and a pass to stay and watch the tournament," Trish said. "It's a great deal. A great time for all of us."