Golfer Rory McIlroy will be the man to beat at the US Open at Erin Hills this weekend, although the organisers are merely hoping for a trouble-free tournament.
Nevertheless, play got underway as scheduled on Thursday and the pundits are tipping Northern Ireland's McIlroy to prosper.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"This is a drivers' course and, even if the 138 bunkers are unusual and penal, it is hard to see anyone but a boomer coming through on a rain-softened layout. And because of this, McIlroy is full of self-belief, despite having played only once competitively in the past 10 weeks because of a rib injury," says James Corrigan of the Daily Telegraph.
"Erin Hills in this condition could almost be made for the 28-year-old and nobody should be surprised if, just as he did at Congressional in 2011, the Northern Irishman spread-eagles the field with a show of tee-box dominance."
But Dustin Johnson, the world number one, is also one to watch, says Rick Broadbent of The Times. "Erin Hills, a rolling heartland course that is the longest in major history, should suit their bludgeoning metier. The problem for both is that they come into this with disrupted preparation."
It is "significant", he adds, that neither McIlroy or Johnson have joined in the complaints about the length of the course or the rough.
The event has been hit by controversy over the past two years, which will be remembered for "dodgy greens and a rules farce".
In 2015, the Chambers Bay greens were not up to scratch, while last year's tournament was overshadowed by a farcical debate about the rules over a moved ball.
With the US Golf Association desperate for "a trouble-free tournament" this time, says Broadbent. "Johnson versus McIlroy would do nicely".
-
The US Open's controversial 'superstars' doubles formatTalking Point New shortened competition attracts star pairings and bigger audiences to grand slam tennis event
-
The Masters: Rory McIlroy finally banishes his demonsIn the Spotlight McIlroy's grand slam triumph will go down as 'one of the greatest and most courageous victories in the history of golf'
-
Battle of the Sexes: 50 years on from Billie Jean King's landmark victoryIn Pictures Beating Bobby Riggs proved a historic moment for tennis and for women's sport globally
-
Coco Gauff: a tennis prodigy comes of age with US Open winAmerican 19-year-old battled back from a set down to claim first grand slam title
-
Carlos, the teenage tennis ‘superstar’, triumphs in New YorkSpeed Read Carlos Alcaraz claimed an ‘extraordinary treble’ at Flushing Meadows
-
Tennis: Britain’s men thrive and grow at the US Openfeature For the first time in over fifty years, a British quartet made it to the third round of the Open
-
PGA Tour Championship: Rory McIlroy’s ‘comeback of comebacks’ in Atlantafeature Northern Irishman’s exploits are overshadowed by golf’s civil war
-
Emma Raducanu’s fairytale of New York is overfeature British tennis star eyes a ‘clean slate’ after US Open title defence ends at first hurdle
