Oakmont's injured highlight modern game

Talk in the buildup to this week's US Open here has been as much about tendons, cortisone injections and X-rays as it has been about swing techniques and course layout.

In a sign of the sport's growing emphasis on fitness and athleticism, most of the top players have arrived at Oakmont complaining about one injury or another.

Top of the list is world No.2 Phil Mickelson whose bid to win a first US Open title has been all but derailed by an injury to his left wrist suffered while practicing chipping out of the punishing rough here at the end of May.

The two-times Masters winner has not played a competitive round since then, and he will be forced to wear a black elastic brace around the injury when he opens his campaign on Thursday.

"It's certainly not the way I wanted to be coming into this tournament," said Mickelson whose accuracy off the tee has improved markedly since he hired Tiger Woods' former coaching guru Butch Harmon to take a look at his swing.

"This should not be a long-term problem if I don't aggravate the inflammation, but unfortunately this is not the best week for that given my driving history."

Mickelson had sympathy from Woods who has been battling wrist and neck pains over the last few weeks and who had to take time off for a knee operation four years ago that required alterations to his swing technique.

"I pulled out of my first Open with a wrist injury at Shinnecock. I couldn't hold the club anymore. It was my left hand," he said.

"As you come down into the golf ball, you're dealing with rough as high as it is and as thick as it is and you are trying to hit the ball and also control it.

"You can have strength and speed and sometimes that grass wins."

Neither Woods nor Mickelson, however, can match Ernie Els in the physical ailments stakes.

The big South African may look the epitome of easy poise and control as he lashes his drives 300 yards down the fairways, but at 37 years old, he admits that the years are catching up with him in a physical sense.

"I've had it all mate," said the winner at Oakmont that last time it was played here in 1994. "Legs, knees, fingers, wrists, nose everything.

"You've just got to go with it, basically. Drink a couple of Advils and get it warmed up and get out there.

"You know as a sportsman you're going to play with aches and pains. Everybody kind of does that."

At least Woods, Els and almost certainly Mickelson will be able to tee off on Thursday which is not the case of England's injury-prone David Howell who was forced to pull out on Monday.

The Ryder Cup star has struggled grimly with recurring back pain over the last few years but this time around, he too fell foul of an injury to his right wrist.

"My body just seems to get injured doing anything for whatever reason. I cant explain it, but there it is," an exasperated Howell said.

"The ironic thing is that my back, which has been the main point of concern, feels fine now. It was getting my back moving again and strengthening it when I did my wrist."

Given the nature of the beast at unforgiving Oakmont, deemed by many to be the toughest golf course in the United States, Howell may not be the last player this week to raise the white flag.