The following article originally appeared in The Pilot on April 15.

The men in blue blazers were everywhere.

It was U.S. Open Media Day at Pinehurst Country Club, and the United States Golf Association brass was very much in evidence. President Buzz Taylor and Director of Rules and Competition Tom Meeks were on the podium with Pinehurst President Patrick Corso, and other officials were scattered among the attendees.

As the Open looms, the USGA is making sure everything is nailed down. The Masters is out of the way, and the Open Championship has center stage as golf’s next major.Taylor had a word of warning for the media types who were playing the No. 2 Course.

"There is one thing that I hope you will appreciate after you’ve played this course today," he said. "And that is how difficult it is going to be for most of the 156 players who will be here for the U.S. Open.

"This is going to be, I think, a supreme test for the field, one that is beyond anything that they have ever experienced before. It’s going to be a very, very, very interesting Champion-ship."

There is little question about that. Speeding up the greens to 10.6 on the stimpmeter and adding 4 inches of Bermuda rough to narrowed fairways is going to have the best players in the world looking for more than just Divine guidance.The player in this Open Championship who shoots even par is going to have to keep his ball on the short grass. Getting an approach shot to hold on one of the Donald Ross upside-down saucer greens is tough when it’s hit from a closely cropped fairway. Asking a ball to hold those greens from rough is unthinkable.

The USGA is not apologizing, though. U.S. Open greens are supposed to be hard and fast, and the rough is supposed to be high enough to make Payne Stewart look as if he’s wearing long pants when he stands in it.

"We’re extremely excited about the Open coming to Pinehurst," Meeks said. "No. 2 has always been known for firm, fast fairways, and we hope to provide firm, fast greens.

"Because of the way the course was designed by Donald Ross, the greens will be uncharacteristic because of no high rough around the putting surface. We’re hoping that the runoff areas that have always been a part of Pinehurst will continue in the Open.

"We do anticipate a lot of balls in these areas and that will probably be the real test of this year’s Championship. The player who can negotiate these areas the best will prevail."

The rough still has some growing in to do before it reaches the 4-inch Bermuda tangle that the USGA desires. But No. 2 superintendent Paul Jett is planning on taking care of that with fertilizer and water.

"Paul grew us plots of rough of 3 inches and 4 inches on two different places on the course," Meeks said, "and I personally came down with Tim Morghan, our Championship agronomist, and we took balls into both areas. We felt the 3-inch rough was too easy. The 4-inch rough provided us with what we were hoping for, and we felt the players could still advance the ball forward.

"So, we’re satisfied with the 4 inches."

As for the greens, both the USGA and Jett are hoping for hot, dry weather. Too much rain will make the greens hold more than they want.

"Obviously, in my view, the key for having a really good Championship will be the firmness of the greens," Meeks said. "And I know that we can maintain the firmness like we want as long as we don’t get any big thunderstorms. That is what I’m wishing for the week of the Open — no rain. Let us control the water." The No. 2 Course will play to a par of 70, with two of the holes (8 and 16) that members play as par-5s being changed to par-4s.

"We’re going to play a course that will measure 3,518 yards going out and 3,657 coming home for a total of 7,175," Meeks said. "The 8th hole will play as a 485-yard par-4, and the 16th will play 489 yards. I think most of the players, because of the configuration of the hole, will end up hitting 4-, 5-, or 6-irons to the 16th green, and I think that’s fair."

Probably the toughest hole on the course will be the par-4 5th. Already it’s the No. 1 handicap hole, and a new tee will stretch this monster dogleg to 482 yards."That should provide a challenge that will sort of get the players’ attention," Meeks said, smiling.

The greens have Meeks smiling, too.

"Paul has promised us 10.6 green speed at the beginning of the week," Meeks said. "As the week goes on, depending on how comfortable Tim Morghan and Trey Holland and I feel, that may change. Obviously, it will be impossible to play each green with the 12 or 12.6 speed we’ve had on some courses. We might possibly get up to 11, but we’ll play that by ear."

If the speed does get to 11 or higher on the stimpmeter, Meeks’ ear may catch some heat from the players, but he won’t mind. U.S. Open players are supposed to gripe about the conditions.

"I talked to a lot of the players at the Masters last week, and almost all of them told me how thrilled and excited they are about coming here," he said.

High rough and fast greens aside, it’s still Pinehurst No. 2. It’s one of the world’s great courses against the world’s greatest players.

And may the chips fall where they may. The USGA figures the players can always chip them again.