Defending champion Geoff Ogilvy had high praise for the Oakmont Country Club course and, like most of the golfers this week, talked about how difficult it will be.

He said that most of the difficulty is because of the way the course is being set up for the Open.

"Difficulty?" Ogilvy said. "It all depends on how you set it up and where you put pin positions. You could set this golf course up easy if you wanted to -- I know the members don't like to hear that -- but if you put the pins on the low parts of the green and had the rough playable, there would be quite a lot of birdies out there."

Unfortunately for the golfers this week, the rough at Oakmont is mostly unplayable and the pins will not be easy to get to.

"When the pins are on the high parts of the greens where you can't get anywhere near and the rough is like it is, this could be the hardest golf course in the world with no wind," said Ogilvy, who shot an 83 and lost two balls during a practice round last week. "You know, with no wind involved, it is incredible how hard this golf course can play."

Fair hole
The par-3 eighth hole could play as long as 288 yards, which would make it the longest par 3 in U.S. Open history. The fairness of a par 3 that plays that long has been discussed at length this week, but Ogilvy believes the green actually makes the hole one of the best opportunities for a birdie.

"It is going to average less over par than probably 15 other holes out there," Ogilvy said. "It is probably the flattest green on the course. It is going to be one of the easier holes for the week. There are a lot harder holes than that one. It is not what I have as a par 3, but it is not unfair."

Hit it straight
The course will play 7,230 yards, making it the second-longest course in U.S. Open history and 284 yards longer than it was in 1984.

Length, however, is not the issue for most of the golfers. It's the rough, which is goes from 1³/₄ inches in the first cut to 5 inches in the second cut of primary rough.

Ernie Els said yesterday that the rough is so unplayable in some places that it will be impossible to make a par if you get into it.

"If you go into the rough, here, you're just not going to get it to the green," he said. "[Monday] I hit a drive down 18 and it ran off the fairway, not into the high stuff but the stuff just off the fairway, and from there, I couldn't get it to the green. That is basically what you're going to have. You have to keep it in play and just hope for the best."

Praying for rain?
Many of the players remarked that the course is actually playing about five to seven strokes easier this week than last week, mostly because it rained over the weekend and that slowed the greens and the fairways.

Els said the condition of the course will dictate the strategy for many golfers, particularly when it comes to hitting the ball off the tee.

"If we have some rain, it will put the driver in play on quite a few more holes," Els said. "If it stays the way it is now where the ball is running, I'm going to play conservatively off the tee and get myself in the fairway. It is really a second-shot course in many ways but you've got to get yourself in play and then get the right lines into the greens.

"I really can't see the longer hitters using the driver more than 50 percent of the time."

Tiger, Phil fan
NBC's Johnny Miller, who won the 1973 U.S. Open with a record 63 in the final round at Oakmont, said the rivalry between Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods is good for golf because both are special talents.

"Those kinds of players come along once every ten years," Miller said. "Phil is the most interesting guy in the world to watch and to cover on TV because he tries a lot of things that are just like, 'Wow, is this going to be fun to talk about.' And then Tiger hits it in spots he does -- he does things like nobody since Arnold Palmer did. And when he is on his game, he sets the standards for everyone."

No Tiger today
If you want to watch Woods play, you will have to wait till his 8:06 a.m. starting time on Thursday.

Woods said he will not play a practice round today, preferring instead to hit balls and putt. Woods was signed up to play a practice round with Rory Sabbattini, the player who said Woods looked "as beatable as ever" last month at The Players Championship.

Playoff idea
Miller was asked about the U.S. Open's playoff format, which is a full round of 18 holes played the day after the final round. He said he isn't a fan of the 18-hole playoff because taking the tournament an extra day is somewhat "anti-climatic," but he's not sure what is the best way to break a tie.

"I think a six-hole playoff would be nice, or even a [four-hole] playoff like the British," he said. "You've got plenty of time in four holes to see who is choking, I can tell you that. One hole is no good, obviously. But, if I were running the Open, I wouldn't change anything because it is a part of history."

Different philosophy
The church pews bunker is part of the mystique of Oakmont and is difficult to hit from.

Many golfers, including Els, said they practiced hitting some balls out of the church pews from different angles during the practice rounds -- just in case. One golfer who hasn't and won't go into the church pews is Woods.

"I don't really think that you should be practicing negativity," Woods said. "You're not going to place the ball there and if you do make a mistake there, you just basically are going to wedge out anyway. Just accept your mistake and move on. I'm practicing where I'm trying to place the ball."

Brave Ben
In the vortex of Steelers Country, Ohioan Ben Curtis, the 2003 British Open champion, wore his hometown colors yesterday -- those of the bitter rival Cleveland Browns.

Curtis had a visor and shirt with the Browns' logo and, as he made his way through his practice round, the 30-year-old Stow, Ohio, native and former Kent State golfer encountered more than a few jeers from Steelers diehards.

How quickly we forget.

Steelers fans should remember that Curtis wore a Steelers visor and shirt during the final round of his 84 Lumber Classic title-winning effort last year.