2007 U.S. Open (Golf)
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The 2007 United States Open Golf Championship will be contested during June 14th through 17th in 2007 at Oakmont Country Club.<ref> U.S. Open Official Site</ref> The event will return to Oakmont for the first time since 1994 where Ernie Els captured his first major championship. The evnt will take place in Oakmont, Pennsylvania located outside Pittsburgh.
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[edit] History of the U.S. Open at Oakmont
The USGA Championship Committee chose Oakmont Country Club as the host on October 2, 2001. The USGA had also recently decided to award Oakmont its 13th USGA national championship, the U.S. Amateur, only four years before the 14th national championship to be held at Oakmont. Oakmont's prestige in the golf community was irrefutable as the list of champions includes Tommy Armour (1927), Sam Parks Jr. (1935), Ben Hogan (1953), Johnny Miller (1973), Larry Nelson (1983), and Ernie Els (1994).<ref> "2007 U.S. Open Headed to Oakmont" PGA Tour</ref> Oakmont had already provided the golf world with some of the most exciting championships of golf history including Johnny Miller's record for the lowest score shot in a USGA championship, a 63(-9), and the latest Open's dramatic Monday finish between Ernie Els and Colin Montgomerie.
[edit] Preparation for the 2007 U.S. Open
The 107th U.S. Open has been in its preparation stage for many months as the club prepares to host its first USGA event since the United States Men's Amateur Golf Championship in 2004. The USGA, American Golf's governng body, has found setting up and preparing for the Open easier then other locations. Rob Zalzneck, the director of the 2007 Open for the USGA commented on the readiness of the course saying, "We're so far ahead with our plans and what we need to get done, Oakmont is just such an ideal situation for us. The club welcomes us with open arms, and we've had such great championships here in the past. What everyone will see, though, is the unbelievable difference in the size of the event from 1994 (when Oakmont last hosted the Open) and this year." <ref> Pittsburgh Tribune Review "Oakmont Gearing Up for 2007 U.S. Open</ref> The usual Open conditions will still exist including the lightning fast greeens and unusually high rough as many of these features are common year round at Oakmont Country Club. Preparation began in 2002 and 2003 and since then has included minor renovation to the course, most notably the lengthening of the course for the world's best players, small renovations to the clubhouse, and also the deepening of Oakmont's storied bunkers.<ref> Pittsburgh Tribune Review "Oakmont Gearing Up for 2007 U.S. Open</ref> Other changes to the course since the last Open in 1994 include the addition of a bridge to connect holes 2-8 which posed as a major problem causing playerand pedestrian jams over the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The USGA will recruit 5,000 volunteers in order to insure the event will go smoothly. The event is expected to, like the last Open at Oakmont, attract record breaking sell-out crowds. Crowd control was also a major problem for the USGA and its volunteers as huge crowds filled the course during the tournament creating traffic problems, as well as dozens of medical issues caused by Pittsburgh's hot summers. The USGA began selling tickets to the general public on June 15th, 2006. The USGA is expected to sell out all of there tickets for the competitive rounds by their deadline for purchase on August 15th, 2006. After the sale of all tickets for the competitive rounds, all post-deadline purchases will be settled by a lottery.<ref> Ticket Applications Now Being Accepted for the 2007 U.S. Open</ref>
