STROKE OF THE DAY

"A good golf course makes you want to play so badly that you hardly have the time to change your shoes. "

When the world’s top players tee it up on the South Course at Torrey Pines Thursday for the first round of the U.S. Open, they’re going to experience quite a different layout than they’re used to seeing at the beginning of every year when the Buick Invitational takes place.

This is, after all, our nation’s championship, and the USGA has been known to go to extremes to identify the best golfers, not embarrass them. Or so they say.

Here’s what a few of the game’s superstars from the United States and abroad had to say about the course setup prior to the start of competition:

“Even though it’s summertime here, the fairways really aren’t running out that much. I think the interesting thing is you have [the sixth hole] as a par 4. We’re playing different distances in the tee boxes than what we normally do for the Buick.” — Tiger Woods, Cypress native and six-time Buick Invitational champion

“This course is a lot tougher this week than what we see year in and year out [at the beginning of the year for the Buick Invitational]. But I am so excited about the way the golf course is being presented. I think it’s the best setup I’ve ever seen for a U.S. Open.” — Phil Mickelson, Rancho Santa Fe resident and three-time Buick Invitational champion

“Obviously we all know that it’s longer. It’s a lot longer. And then the other major thing is that the greens are a lot more severe and undulating and there are a lot more plateaus to the greens. I definitely think the course favors a long hitter. There’s no doubt about it.” — South African Trevor Immelman, 2008 Masters champion

“If the weather is good, the course is just going to get tougher as the week goes on. A lot of good drives might end up in the rough with the slope that the fairways have. You might hit a good drive, it bounces and lands in the middle of the fairway and rolls into the rough. Obviously with the greens firming up it makes it tougher to control your shots, even if the first cut of rough is not too thick.” — Spaniard Sergio Garcia, world’s No. 7 player and 2008 Players champion

“The greens are firmer [than they are for the Buick]. You have to respect the slope on them. There are some greens out there that have an amazing amount of undulation.” —  Jim Furyk, world’s No. 10 golfer and winner of the 2003 U.S. Open

“Other than the third or fourth cut of rough it’s not that much different [than the Buick]. The greens are going to be a lot harder. I think the setup is pretty much similar.” — Pat Perez, San Diego native and former Torrey Pines driving range picker

“I haven’t played [at Torrey Pines] before, at the Buick or anything. It’s a good, stern test, but it seems very, very fair. [The USGA] knows that this golf course is going to protect itself. So that’s why the setup is so fair this week.” — Irishman Padraig Harrington, 2007 British Open champion