Johnson Ready to Go

That's 25 days ago, which might be considered too long of a break for someone trying to begin a run at a U.S Open title this morning.But Johnson's game looked pretty sharp in the nine holes of practice at Oakmont Country Club on Wednesday. If his game is as ready as his attitude maybe he'll play his way onto he leaderboard of a second consecutive major tournament. "I'm ready," Johnson said after he finished play Wednesday. "I think I probably was ready yesterday. I just want to start competing."

Johnson skipped the PGA Tour event in Fort Worth, Texas, the week after the AT&T in order to spend a few days in Iowa for the first time since winning the Masters in early April. He then ventrured to Ohio for the Memorial tournament, but withdrew late in the first round because of strep throat. Rather than play in the PGA tourney in Memphis, he lingered in Cedar Rapids, then got to Oakmont on Saturday.

Johnson's putting seemed sharp in practice rounds Tuesday and Wednesday, and putting will be a big, big deal hear. It always is at a U.S. Open."I think the greens are firm." Johnson said."It's like putting on a skating rink floor," said a member of the gallery as he observed pros practicing on the No.3 green. Perhaps the thunderstorm that seemed to catch most people here by surprise late Wednesday afternoon will slow the greens down an iota or two. Nearly a half-inch of rain came from the storm. Nonetheless, No.3 - and No.4 - offer something rather diabolical beyond the greens. If you haven't heard of the Church Pews bunker at the Oakmont, you will in the next four days if you watch television coverage of the Open.That thing is unholy.

The bunker is 26,000 square feet, ranging from 18 to 43 yards wide. It is 3 1/2 to 4 feet deep. And it has 12 ridges that run perpendicular to the third and fourth fairways and have the shape of benches. The "church pews" are 3 feet high and are covered in fescue grass.About 5 yards of sand is between each ridge. Two to 3 yards of sand are on each side of the pews, separating intermediate rough from the berms. If players are religious types, they'll have prayed last night to stay away from the Curch Pews bunker today.PGA

Tour veteran Pat Perez put his tee shot on No.3 in that bunker Wednesday. It took him four shots to finally settle his ball on the green of that par-4 hole.From the opposite side of the fairway, you could see only the upper torso of one player as he punched out of that bunker.Michael Campbell, the 2005 Open champion, hit his tee shot all the way wayward to the opposite edge of the bunker. He was able to power out of the sand and bounce his ball onto the green. Then it rolled. And rolled. And rolled off the turtleback green (called that because it's like putting up a turtle's shell) and down a slope, leaving himself a good long chip.So, hitting tee shots straight on 3 and 4 will be key, in addition to doing like-wise on 1, 2, and 5 through 18."It's probably the most di-dicult championship that we face all year," Tiger Woods said, "because you're tested from tee to green and you're tested on the greens.

Generally, if you're missing one facet of your game, more that likely you're not going to win the championship. You have to have everything going."At the Masters, Johnson was sterling when it came to accuracy off the tee, his wedge play on the par-5s was stellar, and his putting on Augusta National's difficult greens was very good. It's been said that he has more of a U.S. Open game that a Masters game. Beginining at 6:44 a.m. (Iowa time) today, we'll see. "I'm anxious," Johnson said, before wryly adding "yet I'm still calm and patient."