The 2006 U.S. Open Golf Tournament begins today at New York’s venerable Winged Foot Golf Club, so the following will provide you with some interesting reading while you enjoy this year’s edition of golf’s most challenging tournament:

This NY Times article describes how Phil Mickelson’s recent success in major golf tournaments is largely the result of his team of advisors refining Mickelson’s preparation for major golf tournaments;
A family of golf pros with strong connections to both Winged Foot and Houston provide helpful hints on surviving Winged Foot;
Nike is going to try and make us cry on Father’s Day, which Jim Corrigan finds appalling;
Speaking of Tiger Woods, this NY Post article reports on Tiger’s yacht, which he is using this week in lieu of a hotel while playing at Winged Foot, and includes Tiger’s morning greeting to the gawking reporters (“It’s a little early to be taking pictures out there, isn’t it? Have a nice f- – -ing day.”);
By the way, PGATOUR.com writers Joe Wojciechowski, Dave Shedloski and Brett Avery are following Tiger during his U.S. Open rounds and blogging about it here;
The Guardian’s Lawrence Donegan reviews the brutal conditions at Winged Foot and includes this quote from Mickelson:

Phil Mickelson went as far to suggest the course was “on steroids”. “I’m going to make a prediction,” he added. “Someone will hit the wrong ball out of the rough this week. There are not hundreds of members’ balls out there, but thousands, and you just can’t see them even when you are standing over them. It is thicker and denser than any rough I have ever seen.”

John Hawkins reports that some of the pros are not thrilled with the condition of Winged Foot’s greens;
And, although not U.S. Open-related, don’t miss this video of Fuzzy Zoeller’s incredible hole-in-one a couple of weeks ago during a Champions Tour event in Des Moines.