Tiger takes on the Olympians

Olympia's signature 12th hole.

Woods claims to have sharpened up his game a couple of notches to prepare for a course with Scottish historic influence.

It was here at Olympia Fields Country Club 86 years ago that Willie Park Jr - twice an Open champion from Musselburgh - cut his teeth as a course designer.

Nearly nine decades later Mark Mungeam, perhaps better known as a creator of pay-and-play courses in the US, re-shaped the 18 holes of the North Course into a test to challenge the world's best golfers and their hi-tech equipment and fitness.

There will be the tight fairways, tricky greens and lush penal rough that are the hallmarks of US Open courses but there will also be demanding doglegs where positional play off the tee requires 3-wood and 2-iron not a hit-and-hope driver.

Olympia first par-3, the dangerous fourth.

They face a 440-yard par-4 with a slight dogleg left with bunkers on both sides of the fairway. According to the locals, the best play is to carry the left fairway bunker, leaving a short iron to a deep, well protected green with a back-to-front tilt. A definite birdie opportunity but fraught with immediate danger.

Their next hole is a big left to right dogleg (468, par-4), with giant oaks forming a backdrop to the green, followed by the course's 458-yard, par-4 signature hole, the 12th.

It requires a blind tee shot to a narrow fairway, which must find the left side to leave an approach to a small and severely sloping green.

Also starting off the back nine in the morning will be the grouping of Montgomerie, Estes and McCarron. Tenth tee starters in the afternoon include Darren Clarke, Jim Furyk and Phil Mickelson, while Paul Lawrie is paired at 12.40 with Kenny Perry - winner of successive events, the Colonial and Memorial - and Lee Janzen.

First tee starters feature the much-fancied Padraig Harrington, alongside Charles Howell and Justin Leonard at 8am. Our own Justin - Rose - will be 20 minutes behind with Adam Scott and Jonathan Byrd.

The opening hole is a gentle 577-yard par-5, almost dead straight, leaving a long iron approach which should give up many settling birdies if they can avoid a deep grreenside bunker on the right.

Second hole is a 402 yard par-4, usually downwind with cavernous bunkers flanking the fairway. The back of the green drops off sharply towards a creek. The third hole demands a long iron short of a stream which runs across the fairway at about 280 yards. Approaches must be precise to a sloping green flanked by deep bunkers.

It's not until the fourth that the first tee starters - who include qualifier Brian Davies (12), Paul Casey (12.10), Nick Faldo (1) and Sergio Garcia (1.10) - face a their first par-3.

It's a delightful uphill hole with a green protected by enormous bunkers in front with the wind effect masked by the huge trees lining the left side. A pulled shot winds up in hazard 30 feet below the level of the putting surface. Short pin positions cause players to aim for the middle of the green and many will settle for par.

Boosted by his closing 66 at The Forest of Arden - finishing six behind winner Greg Owen in the Daily Telegraph Damovo Masters - Darren Clarke is hopeful that his improved putting will give him his best chance yet of a major.

"I'm due to have a run of holing some and it's the only way you can compete at a US Open. The rough is so thick around the greens and a good chip is to six feet. You've got to knock those in."

Clarke, Casey and Harrington are Europe's best hopes, with veterans Jay Haas, Kenny Perry and Mark Calcavecchia, America's biggest challengers to Tiger.

*Why not tell us about the the equipment YOU USE - the driver, the fairway metals, the irons, the wedges, the putters. You could win a prize for your contribution and besides - it helps everyone thinking of buying something new.