The US Open

Fair or impossible?

Is it really fair to set out to deliberately humiliate the most talented golfers in the world?

"Beat me, beat me!" cried the masochist, but the sadist refused. To some players and fans, the Oakmont course seemed to be set up by a committee of sadists and was played on by a select group of masochists.

Not all agreed though - Europeans Niclas Fasth, Nick Dougherty, Paul Casey and Justin Rose all thought the course was tough but fair. But then they would, wouldn't they, having finished in the top ten, while Angel Cabrera, the affable Argentinian surprised everyone, including himself, by winning the thing. Even Tiger Woods, the acknowledged master at tackling tough golf courses, couldn't quite catch Cabrera, whose enormous strength enabled him to find the greens from rough, from which most players would be content to merely hack the ball back onto the fairway. In the age of strict fitness and dietary regimes, Cabrera is an enigma. While Woods is pumping iron in the gym, the Argentian is likely to be found in the Pig & Whistle (he does play most of his golf on the European tour), downing a few beers and eating all the pies, which is probably what made him such a popular winner.

But to return to the Oakmont course set-up; while a winning score of 5 over par makes a change from the weekly fare of 20 or more under par on both sides of the Atlantic, is it really fair to set out to deliberately humiliate the most talented golfers in the world? I have to admit that I found the whole thing fascinating in a morbid kind of way, albeit with a sense of guilt, as though I was "rubbernecking" at the scene of a serious motor accident. Still, it's The Open at Carnoustie soon, where it has been rumoured that the fairways will be reduced to 5 metres wide, the rough will be grown to 2 metres high and the greens will reach 16 on the Stimpmeter. Bookmakers will be offering odds on Woods winning, by dint of being the only player to finish all four rounds with a score of 50 over par. TV audiences will be augmented by millions of horror film addicts, keen to see live blood-letting in four 5 hour installments. Happy rubbernecking!