“Warning – The Black Course Is an Extremely Difficult Course Which We Recommend Only for Highly Skilled Golfers.” That is the sign, complete with superfluous capital letters, which greets players about to take on Bethpage Black in upstate New York. This week it is the turn of the world&aposs best to tackle a course usually open to members of the public brave enough, and some would say foolish enough, to pay for the privilege of testing themselves over the fearsome layout. In 2002, the last time Bethpage hosted the US Open, it proved so fearsome that only the winner, Tiger Woods, broke par with a winning total of 277, three-under. Runner-up Phil Mickelson finished level par, 10-over-par made the halfway cut and the unfortunate Felix Casas of the Philippines recorded rounds of 82 and 92 to be 34-over-par. A combination of length and brutal rough was to blame for the high scoring, with Scott McCarron among those who felt it was &aposridiculous&apos that the 10th tee was not moved forward when many players could not even reach the fairway. This year Bethpage Black will measure 7,426 yards (par 70) when play gets under way on Thursday, with the seventh hole 525 yards but still considered a par four. Two other par fours come in at just over 500 yards and the par-five 13th at 605 yards. The United States Golf Association (USGA) has long been obsessed with level par being a target score in their major championships, with birdies seemingly an affront to their sense of dignity. “We intend that the US Open prove the most rigorous examination of golfers,” the USGA says in its &aposchampionship philosophy&apos. But where do you draw the line between &aposrigorous examination&apos and &apostedious slog&apos? And is this what the paying public wants to see? The world&aposs best golfers chopping out sideways from knee-high rough or unable to even carry the rough to reach a fairway? There are, however, signs that the USGA may have learnt from Augusta National and their approach to this year&aposs US Masters. After years of continually making Augusta longer and harder, officials listened to the concerns of players and fans and set up the course to produce more birdies and eagles, to restore the &aposroars and excitement&apos as chairman Billy Payne put it. It was an approach which paid dividends, producing an exciting event with Kenny Perry, Angel Cabrera and Chad Campbell all finishing 13-under-par, the lowest winning total since 2001. This week a dozen Australasians will tee off in the tournament, including New Zealander Michael Campbell, who won the event in 2005 and Australian Geoff Ogilvy, who followed in his footsteps 12 months later. Ogilvy is joined in the field by his compatriots Steve Allan, Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby, Matt Jones, James Nitties, Rod Pampling, Adam Scott and Michael Sim, with Campbell&aposs fellow Kiwis Doug Batty and David Smail also entered. While Ogilvy will go in full of confidence after some solid recent form, is ranked No.5 in the world and tied for ninth last year, several of his experienced countrymen have had uncharacteristically quiet years so far. Rookies Nitties, Jones and Sim have grabbed headlines with their results in 2009 but Allenby is next best Aussie at 34th in the world, Scott is enduring the worst season of his professional career to be No.42 and Appleby (69th) has dropped out of the top 50. Of those who have played Bethpage Black before, Allenby has the best result courtesy of his tie for 12th in 2002, while Appleby shared 37th and both Scott and Campbell missed the cut. Both Allenby and Appleby have top-10s to their credit in previous US Opens although Appleby has missed the cut seven times in 12 attempts, while Scott, who has been top-10 at the other majors, has a best finish of 21st in 2006 but has missed the cut four times in seven attempts. Pampling also had a solid week 12 months ago with a share of 14th, while Allan&aposs best effort was 28th four years ago and Smail missed the weekend action in his only previous US Open in 2003. Now 271st in the world, Campbell has been the biggest enigma, with a tie for 12th at his second attempt in 2000 followed by four missed cuts in a row and five in six years after that, the exception being when he saw off Woods&apos challenge on the final day to salute. Defending champion Woods goes in as a short-priced favourite, ahead of Mickelson who is dealing with the trauma of his wife&aposs breast cancer treatment, and Ogilvy while the rest of the Australasians are rated no better than 50-1 shots. But while Woods is still not back at the top of his game following the knee operation he underwent after winning the event last year, and the talent in the game at present is strong, the world No.1 deserves his tag as the man to beat. Woods shot three-under to win by three from Mickelson at Bethpage seven years ago and has a history of not only coping well with courses set up to be as testing as possible but also comfortably breaking par when in many cases his rivals finish in black figures.