No problems with hecklers for Montgomerie

The worst heckling Colin Montgomerie heard this week came from his own camp.

The Scotsman, playing alone Wednesday during a practice round, was in good spirits for most of the blustery, cool afternoon. He joked often with his caddie and coaches, and even traded an occasional one-liner with fans.

Teeing off on No. 5, Montgomerie addressed his ball and declared, "Here it goes, 830 yards, straight down the fairway" -- drawing chuckles from the gallery.

On the next hole, Montgomerie slammed a long drive that landed in an ideal location. When he reached for a second ball, his caddie and coaches teased him for hitting again.

"Ah, come on you guys. Quit teaming up on me," he said.

Big incentive

Talk about some added incentive -- before Wake Forest All-American Bill Haas left to try to qualify for this year's U.S. Open, Jay Haas had one more thing to tell his son.

"Remember," he told him, "We've got a date with Tiger Woods on Tuesday."

The elder Haas had scheduled the practice round with the game's No. 1 player months before he knew his son had a chance to qualify.

Seems like the added incentive must have worked -- Bill Haas went on to win medalist honors in the sectional at Rockville, Md., last week with a 64.

So father and son played nine holes with Woods on Tuesday before rain drove them inside the massive locker room at Olympia Fields. Bill Haas was still beaming Wednesday afternoon when asked about the chance-of-a-lifetime round.

"That was pretty neat," he said. "He's the best player ever. I know that's a contemporary saying that but I believe it. To see how he plays nine holes, what he does in a practice round, was really something special for me."

Woods enjoyed the pairing, as well.

"As you know, I'm very close with my father, and it's really neat to be able to see them interact on the golf course like that and play and compete with and against one another," Woods said. "You can see Jay kind of help him on some of the pin positions and how he should play it, and it's pretty special.

"I wish I had that chance to be able to do that with my father."

Ridin' the rails

This year's U.S. Open may be associated with Chicago, but Olympia Fields is actually closer to Gary, Ind., than to the Sears Tower in the Windy City.

The best way to get to Olympia Fields from downtown Chicago is on the Metra Electric commuter train, which takes about 45 minutes on an express run and stops right beside the course. Amtrak and freight trains also run on the tracks beside the club, which originally belonged to the Illinois Central.

As a result, it's not unusual to hear the whistle blow above the quiet at the golf course. Some might find that unnerving -- but not Kenny Perry.

"It reminds me of home," said the Franklin, Ky., resident. "We have tracks that run not far from my house. When I hear it like we're hearing it right now, it immediately reminded me of home.

"That's a good thing, and I love it. I've always enjoyed the trains. It's always settled me down."

Is Tiger OK to drive?

Tiger Woods doesn't expect to use his driver much this week at Olympia Fields because of the many doglegs and hazards that put a premium on position.

Ordinarily, that might take away his advantage.

That doesn't appear to be the case in this era of technology, which Woods believes is getting out of hand.

While most of the attention has been on golf balls, Woods believes the governing bodies should take a closer look at whether the trampoline effect in thin-faced drivers -- known as the "coefficient of restitution" -- is exceeding the limits.

"I think that's our biggest concern out here on Tour, to make sure the CORs are correct," Woods said after the Memorial Tournament two weeks ago.

On Tuesday, while practicing for the U.S. Open, he offered some anecdotal evidence.

"I used to be able to hit my 3-wood past a lot of guys' drivers," Woods said. "All of a sudden, guys are blowing it by me with drivers."

Woods said it isn't his Nike clubs. He said the company has made him "fast faces" to try out, but he is more concerned with being able to shape the ball in different directions.

PH-ORE!

Dot Winkler picked a seat high in the stands at No. 18 Tuesday, figuring she was safe from any errant practice shots.

She was wrong.

The 78-year-old fan and avid golfer was nearly plunked by a wayward shot from Phil Mickelson, whose approach at the closing hole landed 10 rows deep in the grandstand -- right next to Winkler.

Mickelson's adventure began when he hooked his drive badly into the rough on No. 1, which runs parallel to the 18th fairway.

Instead of picking up the ball, Mickelson crossed the ropes, waded through the gallery and launched his second shot over a patch of trees and into the stands. The ball landed 6 inches from Winkler.

"I sat here because I thought it would be safe -- a nice shady spot to watch from," said Winkler, of nearby Lansing. "But that's Phil. He does try some crazy shots."

Winkler wasn't hurt. And better yet, she came away with a souvenir: Mickelson's golf ball.

Child's play

An amateur has made the cut in each of the last five U.S. Opens. There's a good chance the streak could reach six.

Ten amateurs made the field this year at the Open -- the highest total since 1984. And two of them, Ricky Barnes and Hunter Mahan, have proven they can handle the pressure at a major.

Barnes, the U.S. Amateur champion, finished 21st at this year's Masters and will be paired with Woods and Ernie Els on Thursday.

Mahan, who won three collegiate Tournaments this year as a junior at Oklahoma State, was the runner-up to Barnes at the U.S. Amateur and won the Big 12 championship by 13 strokes. He finished tied for 28th at the Masters in April.

Mahan arrived at Olympia Fields last Friday and has played the course each day since. After making the cut at the Masters, Mahan is more ambitious this week.

"It's kind of stupid to just try for that," said Mahan, who is skipping his senior year of college to turn pro. "Physically, I am definitely capable of playing with these guys. Mentally I've got to learn more and just get out here and play."