I just finished reading about the US Open challenge of Tony Romo, Justin Timberlake, Matt Lauer, and the winner of the Golf Digest contest John Atkinson. The challenge was to see if a 10 handicap could break 100 on a US Open course set-up. The results were Romo 84, Timberlake 98, Lauer 100, and Atkinson 114. The three celebrities are all 6 handicaps or below. Atkinson showed that a good player (about an 8 handicap) can’t come close to the world’s best on the toughest set-up. This week the real players will test their skills to see who will win, the course or the player. Unfortunately even the players know the answer. The course will be very demanding and is set-up to have the winning score be even par. The question will be who will overcome the physical and mental demands of playing a course that is borderline unfair? I enjoy how precise a player has to be playing the open, yet when is a course become too difficult to allow a professionals talent to come out. If a player is always protecting against disaster they stop playing at their best. The US Open has taken away the risk/reward shot and replaced it with just a risk shot after risk shot. I hope we see the best bring their game to the toughest test.