Bring on the complaints, the 2005 U.S. Open is here! (Photo Blog)

In a press conference prior to the start of the 2005 U.S. Open, Lefty (Phil Mickelson) thinks the winning score at this year's US Open at Pinehurst will be +8.  Wow!

Of course, since Pinehurst is only about an hour from here, I'm being inundated with constant Open coverage, so I also heard some of Tiger's press conference yesterday, where he got a little testy when he was asked how he feels about what people are writing about him.

Tiger is the betting favorite - no way will he win.  He can't keep the ball on a normal fairway, and the fairways at Pinehurst are only 22-24 yards wide. The rough is as deep as they'd hoped it would be (3" and real thick!).  The weather down here has been HOT lately... mid to upper 90s and baking sunshine yesterday and today.  There is some concern that if they don't keep the greens well watered, they'll get baked, and the players will be putting downhill on concrete.

I did stop by Pinehurst on my way back from Myrtle Beach on Memorial Day Weekend.  Emily and I went into the clubhouse, where I purchased two Pinehurst hats and two 2005 US Open souvenier golf balls, one each for my dad and Adrienne's step-father.  Pinehurst is a really neat place.  It's the ultimate golf course neighborhood.  The businesses are all pretty much converted fancy homes... little shops and stuff, a bank, etc.  Lots of trees (pines!), very beautiful.

The surrounding areas are pretty much *ALL* golf course communities.  I left Pinehurst, and followed highway 2 from Pinehurst over to US-1 in Southern Pines, and it was pretty much one golf course community entrance after another.

I'd never been to Pinehurst before, so it was pretty cool.  Pinehurst is a semi-private club, so anyone can golf there - if you've got the $$$.  I think the public greens fees are around $250-$300.  I don't think *I* will be golfing there any time soon.