Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pennsylvania

There will be a lot of 3-woods and hybrids off this tee, as the guys do their best to hit the fairway. A missed fairway to the right will result in little to no chance of holding this green. Bunkers on the left have replaced trees that were in place for the 1994 U.S. Open. If the tee ball is shorter than 290 yards, players will be left with an awkward, blind, middle-iron shot to a green that goes severely front to back. Back hole locations will be favorable for run-up shots. On the approach shots, players must be long so that they can at least chip back uphill to the pin. Anything short is going to make it very difficult to get the ball close to the hole. John Schlee hit three balls off the first tee in the final round of the 1973 Open and lost to Johnny Miller by a shot. As if this hole isn't difficult enough, it's the very first hole. A tough start to the U.S. Open. In a PGA of America poll in 1986, a panel of experts rated this hole the toughest starting hole in golf.

No. 2: 341 yards, par 4

The first of our short holes at Oakmont, one where length isn't the issue. Accuracy from start to finish is the key here. It's possible some guys will try to drive No. 2, but they better be straight. There's a ditch down the left side that runs the length of the hole. On the right, there's a not-so-friendly bunker complex. The play here will be an iron into the fairway that will leave the boys something in the area of 138 yards. That's a pitching wedge for most guys, and it will need to be a well-struck pitching wedge to find the correct spot on the green. You have to get the ball below the hole for a chance at birdie. In the 1994 playoff, Ernie Els and Colin Montgomerie played this hole a combined 5-over-par (Els made 7 to Montgomerie's 6). That tells you this hole may be short but is not less difficult than the others. In the 1978 PGA Championship, John Mahaffey slid in a tricky 12-foot slider that sent him on the way to victory in the final round. Legend has it that Sam Snead was playing No. 2 one time and said the greens were so fast that when put his dime down to mark his ball, the dime slid away.

No. 3: 428 yards, par 4

Everybody wants to see the world-famous church pews, and this demanding par 4 is the first opportunity. If the guys pull their tee shots or hit a hook, they'll get to see the pews much closer than they'd care to. A straight tee shot is absolutely critical here. The pews on the left and deep, penal bunkers on the right will require a accurate shot off the tee. That's why most guys will go with rescue clubs or irons. Basically a blind second shot, although those who drive down the left side of the fairway will get at least something of a look. Most players will be in the 150-yard zone to the green, so they'll be hitting 8 or 9 irons. The fact that they won't be able to see the green makes it a little more difficult, especially with the false front on the green. It's one of the hardest second shots out here. If you hit it too far, the ball will roll off the green in back, leaving a difficult chip or putt from one of Oakmont's closely-mown areas.

No. 4: 609 yards, par 5

This is a reachable par 5 for these guys, one of the great risk/reward par 5s. Players will have to thread their tee shots between the church pews on the left and a tough bunker complex on the right. Rescue clubs will be the primary club from the tee, some 3- or 4-irons and maybe even some 5-woods. It's a blind second shot, but guys will hit it down there in front of the green and there will be a lot of birdies made. Cutting the corner shouldn't be much of a problem for these guys, but if they miss the fairway, par definitely becomes a challenge. One of the highlight moments of this hole came in the 1969 U.S. Amateur. Eventual champion Steve Melynk was in the process of seeing his lead slip away and, clinging to a two-shot advantage, he hit his second shot into the greenside bunker. When he got down into the bunker, he recognized a very familiar face in the crowd on the other side of the green: Arnold Palmer. Undaunted, he holed the bunker shot for eagle to take control of the situation again.

No. 5: 382 yards, par 4

The second of our short par 4s, one that looks easy enough but requires a couple well-struck shots for a chance at birdie. Again, most of the guys will used rescue clubs or 3- or 4-irons. Once the ball finds the fairway, you get a look at the prettiest green setting on the course, with the fescue in front and back, the big long bunker on the right and the deep bunker on the left. It's a short-iron approach to a green that slopes from back to front and right to left. If a player happens to miss this fairway to the right, par becomes unlikely. Attempting to hold this small and tricky green from the rough is next to impossible. Back-left is probably the most accessible hole location.

No. 6: 194 yards, par 3

The first of Oakmont's par 3s, and it's a good one. They'll hit 7- or 8-irons into this green, a green that is severely slanted from right to left. Miss the green to the right and it's very easy to make 4, very difficult to make 3. Keep an eye on that little bunker behind the green, it will be in play when the hole location is back-left. Left of the green is a prudent miss. When the hole location is on the right side, players will have an uphill putt as they aim for the center of the green. Believe it or not, one of the greatest golfers of all time, Bobby Jones, missed the sixth green in all four rounds of the 1927 Open. Even worse, how about Nebraska's J.W. Hunt in the 1937 Intercollegiate Championship qualifier? He had made it through he first five holes at even-par but took a 13 on No. 6.

No. 7: 479 yards, par 4

The pro tee these guys will play this week was nothing more than a thicket of trees in 1994. But that area has been cleared and a new elevated tee built. It's 228 yards to reach the fairway, but most of these guys will use 3-woods off the tee to stay short of the bunkers on the left and right sides of the fairway. The hole will play off its yardage because it's uphill. Approach shots should come in high and carry to the green if a player hopes to get close to the hole. The way the green is built favors left-to-right shots, so faders should take advantage of right hole locations. The seventh green complex is pretty cool, but it's the opposite of the sixth. At that hole, if you were right, you were dead. Here, if you are left, you're dead. There are two huge bunkers to the right of the green that leave the player little chance to get up and down. Starting here, getting three pars will be a job well done as the players close out the front nine.

No. 8: 288/252 yards, par 3

This is our famous or infamous par 3. It plays 288 yards from the back tee and is expected to be used twice from that distance and twice from the 252-yard tees. A new tee was built here after several amateurs hit as little as a 5-iron to this green from the 252-yard tees in the U.S. Amateur in 2003. The back tee is controversial because most of the players will be forced to use woods. However, they do have a big, flat green with no trouble in front, and it should receive a run-up shot quite well. Yardage doesn't intimidate these guys. Sahara, the huge bunker that is located approximately 220 yards off the tee in the left front of the green, needs to be avoided. In Johnny Miller's 63 in the 1973 Open, this was his only bogey, three-putting from 20 feet under the hole.

No. 9: 477 yards, par 4

For the first time in U.S. Open history at Oakmont, this hole will play as a par 4 instead of the par 5 it is for member play. Players will need to thread a tee shot between a ditch off the left side of the fairway and nest of fairway bunkers on the right. Doing so will be difficult because the fairway slopes severely from left to right in the landing area. Hooking it into the fairway will probably be the best way to hold it. Once they get it in the fairway, they'll face a 6- or 7-iron approach into a big green, the back of which is the putting green. There will be some good scores here. You want to head to the second nine with some momentum, and a birdie or par will do just that. Arnold Palmer called this the most pivotal hole in the 1962 U.S. Open. Leading by three strokes in the final round and going for the green in two, Palmer's ball just missed the green on the right side. He then proceeded to flub his chip, hit his next chip too hard. Two putts later, he had a 6 that could easily have been a 4. He lost in a playoff the next day to Jack Nicklaus.

No. 10: 462/435 yards, par 4

This is really the critical hole on the back nine, although it will be the starting hole for half the field on Thursday and Friday because the USGA starts the field on both sides of the course. Because the hole is downhill, the tee shot is probably a 2-iron. Hitting this fairway is paramount, however, because if you miss, you'll be faced with a long second from a difficult lie that brings laterals hazards on both sides of the fairway into play. The best angle of attack is from the right side of the fairway, because the green slopes from front to back and right to left. The shape of the green will make for some interesting pin positions. The hole features two tees. The short yardage will be in effect when the back tee on 12 (which is actually the back tee on 10) is used. When 12 is played at its shorter distance, the 10 tee will move back. Tom Watson double-bogeyed the hole in both the 1983 U.S. Open and the 1978 PGA Championship. Nick Flanagan won the U.S. Amateur here in a playoff in 2003.

No. 11: 379 yards, par 4

Our 11th hole might be described as a makeup hole. After the stretch of 7-8-9-10, the players will be looking for a bit of a break, and this one can provide it. Long irons or maybe a 3-wood will be the order of the day as players try to reach the plateau in the fairway that falls off severely left and right. If the players can keep it on the short grass, they'll have a short-iron approach to fairly flat green that should yield opportunities for birdies. The green slopes back to front, but they'll be able to stop short-irons close to the hole. A front hole location will bring a deep bunker into play, but stay below the hole and there will be birdie chances.

No. 12: 632/667 yards, par 5

Under hard and fast conditions in the 2003 U.S. Amateur here, Tripp Keuhne hit the green on this hole with a driver and 6-iron. This time, on the two days that the USGA plays the hole back, it will be the longest par 5 in championship history. Obviously, even though the hole plays downhill the whole way. It will be a little different this time with the decision to play the hole at 667 yards, from the back of the 10th tee. It's a wonderful driving hole, and players need to think, starting on the tee, about getting themselves into position for a comfortable third shot. It's 300 yards to carry the cross-bunker on the right side of the fairway. Ditches are on the left and right side of the fairway, as well as another cross-bunker on the right and another bunker on the left that make club selection and direction critical. The green is one of the most severe, sloping from front to back. Players will have to learn very quickly that landing the ball on the green is risky business. Some will try to go at this green in two, but high rough and bunkers in front of the green will make that a high-risk play. The best way to make 4 here is with a well-placed short-iron third shot.

No. 13: 183 yards, par 3

Accuracy is critical here. The green, which is in the shape of an hourglass, is very narrow and slopes from back to front. A well-struck iron, stopping below the hole, will give players plenty of chances for birdies. Getting above the hole, however, is no bargain, and a two-putt par is hardly a guarantee. Bunkers left and right make the off-center shot a par-killer. Eventual U.S. Amateur champion Nick Flanagan had hit the skids in his semifinal match against David Oh. He'd lost five straight holes to go from 3-up to 2-down. Oh hit his tee shot 10 feet above the hole. Flanagan laced a 6-iron to within two feet below the hole. Oh conceded the birdie to Flanagan and missed his putt. Flanagan, with new life, went on to win.

No. 14: 358 yards, par 4

This will be one of the easiest holes on the course. It's a short one, short enough that, depending conditions, some guys might try to drive. Some of the players in the U.S. Amateur were driving it, so I think you can expect some of the same. When Tiger Woods played here in April, he said he doubted he'd try to drive it because he wanted to make sure that 5 was taken out of the occasion. Even if they don't go for the green, expect plenty of birdies here. Both sides of the fairway are lined with deep, nasty bunkers, so an accurate tee shot is an absolute must. The green is big and relatively flat. In the second round of the 1951 PGA Championship, Sam Snead, while attempting to putt, waved his hand over his ball to shoo away a bug. Marty Furgol, his opponent, accused him of breaking a rule, but officials ruled there was no violation and Snead's victory stood.

No. 15: 500 yards, par 4

This difficult par 4, historically one of the best 18 holes in all of golf, will play tough for a number of reasons. Length is one, it requires a blind tee shot to a fairway that slopes from left to right, a smaller set of church pews guard the fairway on the left, and a tough fairway bunker on the right. Jack Nicklaus, who was always a fader of the ball, attempted to hook his tee shot into this fairway to give the ball the best chance to stay in the fairway. A middle-to-long iron approach shot awaits the ball in the fairway to a green that is big and relatively flat green that has plentiful subtleties. A large bunker on the right side of the green is deep and difficult to get out of. Par will be a good score here. Ben Hogan said he didn't plan to be in Oakmont's feared bunkers during the 1953 Open, but he found one on this hole and it took him two shots to get out. It was the only double bogey in his victory.

No. 16: 231 yards, par 3

You look at the yardage on the last par 3 here at Oakmont and you think it plays very long. Ernie Els hit 5-iron into this green in 1994. I think you'll see players hitting anything from 2-6 irons, depending on the conditions. They'll be trying to hit a very severe green, that slopes to both sides. Three bunkers await on the left side of the green, one deep bunker guards the right front. Because this green slopes so severely, you can expect plenty of three-putts. Don't be surprised if this hole isn't a determining factor toward the outcome of the championship on the final day. In the 1983 Open, the final round had to be completed Monday morning because of a Sunday storm. Much of the attention that morning was on the 17th tee where Tom Watson was prepared to go for the green. As it turned out, that didn't matter because Larry Nelson rolled in a 63-foot birdie on 16 that won the title for him.

No. 17: 313 yards, par 4

By its very nature, this hole is perfect for the 71st hole of a championship. Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer. They all drove this green, and I expect a lot of guys in this year's Open will try to do the same. The uphill, slight dogleg to the left gives players options. If they choose to go for it, they'll need to hit the tee shot sharply, flying over the nest of bunkers about 50 yards short of the green. There is nasty rough from there, too, with 15 yards of the green. Going for it also brings the chance of the ball not reaching the green and rolling into the high rough leading into the "Big Mouth" bunker. That's not a shot they want to have for their second. If they opt to play it conventionally, they'll hit a long-iron straight up the fairway, leaving an approach of less than 80 yards. A mishit approach brings "Big Mouth" into play. Players would be wise to avoid this deep bunker on the right side of the green. Once on the green, the putts they'll be left with are not easy. Quick-breaking putts will make this risk/reward hole fun to watch. There was a little evergreen on the dogleg of this hole for the 1962 Open. Phil Rodgers hit his tee shot into the tree and opted to hit out of it instead of taking a drop. Unfortunately, it took him three tries to get out. He took 8. A 6 would have tied him with Nicklaus and Palmer, and a 5 would have given him the win.

No. 18: 484 yards, par 4

This is one of the great finishing holes in golf because it demands a solid tee shot and an equally solid approach shot. Factor in the pressure of the U.S. Open, and anything can happen. Even if you do well and reach the green in two, a two-putt par is no guarantee. It's a very picturesque hole. The drive must avoid bunkers on the right, a ditch on the left and a cross-bunker in the left-center of the fairway. Having done that, a long second shot to a very undulating green is very difficult. The 18th at Oakmont will be a great arena for the theatrics common to a final hole of an Open. In the 1992 U.S. Women's Open, Patti Sheehan knocked in an 18-foot birdie to tie Juli Inkster and force a playoff that she won the next day. In the 1927 Open, Tommy Armour hit a 3-iron to about 10 feet and made that to tie Lighthorse Harry Cooper. Armour beat Cooper in the playoff. The grandstands next to the 18th tee will give spectators one of the best vantage points on the course. From there, fans will be able to see the 15th and 16th holes, most of the 17th and the tee shots on 18.