The Facts

* When: Thursday-Sunday.

* Where: Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa, Okla.

* The Course: Built during the Depression, Southern Hills was designed by Perry Maxwell and opened in 1936.

* Length: 6,973 yards.

* Par: 35-35--70.

* Format: 72 holes (18 daily) stroke play.

* Cut: Top 60 and ties, and anyone within 10 strokes of the lead after 36 holes.

* Playoff, if necessary: 18 holes on Monday.

* Field: 156 (152 pros, four amateurs).

* Purse: $5 million

* Winner’s share: $900,000.

* Defending champion: Tiger Woods.

* Last year: In the most dominant performance in the 140-year history of major championships, Woods became the first player to finish double digits below par (12-under 272), and his 15-stroke victory at Pebble Beach was the largest in a major. Woods never made worse than par over his final 26 holes.

* Last U.S. Open at Southern Hills: Despite receiving a death threat in the final round, Hubert Green went wire-to-wire for a one-stroke victory over Lou Graham in 1977.

* Changes: Southern Hills has the longest par five (No. 5, 642 yards) and longest par four (No. 16, 491 yards) in U.S. Open history.

* Noteworthy: Woods is a combined 65-under par in his last four majors.

* Quoteworthy: “Name anybody who isn’t amazed by what he has accomplished.” -- Jack Nicklaus on Woods.

* Former champions in the field: Woods (2000), Lee Janzen (1993, 1998), Ernie Els (1994, 1997), Steve Jones (1996), Corey Pavin (1995), Tom Kite (1992), Hale Irwin (1974, 1979, 1990).

* Television: (all times PDT) Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m.-noon, 2 p.m.-5 p.m., ESPN; noon-2 p.m., NBC. Saturday and Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m., NBC.

THE CHAMPIONS

1895: Horace Rawlins

1896: James Foulis

1897: Joe Lloyd

1898: Fred Herd

1899: Willie Smith

1900: Harry Vardon

1901: Willie Anderson

1902: Laurie Auchterlonie

1903: Willie Anderson

1904: Willie Anderson

1905: Willie Anderson

1906: Alex Smith

1907: Alex Ross

1908: Fred McLeod

1909: George Sargent

1910: Alex Smith

1911: John McDermott

1912: John McDermott

1913: Francis Ouimet

1914: Walter Hagen

1915: Jerome Travers

1916: Charles Evans Jr.

1917-18: No event

1919: Walter Hagen

1920: Edward Ray

1921: James M. Barnes

1922: Gene Sarazen

1923: Bobby Jones

1924: Cyril Walker

1925: W. MacFarlane

1926: Bobby Jones

1927: Tommy Armour

1928: Johnny Farrell

1929: Bobby Jones

1930: Bobby Jones

1931: Billy Burke

1932: Gene Sarazen

1933: Johnny Goodman

1934: Olin Dutra

1935: Sam Parks Jr.

1936: Tony Manero

1937: Ralph Guldahl

1938: Ralph Guldahl

1939: Byron Nelson

1940: Lawson Little

1941: Craig Wood

1942-45: No event

1946: Lloyd Mangrum

1947: Lew Worsham

1948: Ben Hogan

1949: Cary Middlecoff

1950: Ben Hogan

1951: Ben Hogan

1952: Julius Boros

1953: Ben Hogan

1954: Ed Furgol

1955: Jack Fleck

1956: Cary Middlecoff

1957: Dick Mayer

1958: Tommy Bolt

1959: Billy Casper

1960: Arnold Palmer

1961: Gene Littler

1962: Jack Nicklaus

1963: Julius Boros

1964: Ken Venturi

1965: Gary Player

1966: Billy Casper

1967: Jack Nicklaus

1968: Lee Trevino

1969: Orville Moody

1970: Tony Jacklin

1971: Lee Trevino

1972: Jack Nicklaus

1973: Johnny Miller

1974: Hale Irwin

1975: Lou Graham

1976: Jerry Pate

1977: Hubert Green

1978: Andy North

1979: Hale Irwin

1980: Jack Nicklaus

1981: David Graham

1982: Tom Watson

1983: Larry Nelson

1984: Fuzzy Zoeller

1985: Andy North

1986: Ray Floyd

1987: Scott Simpson

1988: Curtis Strange

1989: Curtis Strange

1990: Hale Irwin

1991: Payne Stewart

1992: Tom Kite

1993: Lee Janzen

1994: Ernie Els

1995: Corey Pavin

1996: Steve Jones

1997: Ernie Els

1998: Lee Janzen

1999: Payne Stewart

2000: Tiger Woods

TRIVIA

PRACTICE TEES (1 POINT)

1. Who is the oldest player to win the U.S. Open?

2. Who was the last European to win the U.S. Open?

3. Name the only player to win the U.S. Junior Amateur, the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Open.

4. Which player won or was runner-up eight times in a nine-year period?

5. Who won the last time the U.S. Open went to a playoff?

6. Nine players have won three legs of the career Grand Slam. Which one is missing only the U.S. Open?

MEMBERS TEES (3 POINTS)

7. Name the only player to lose three U.S. Opens in a playoff.

8. This player’s only victory in the 1950s was a U.S. Open.

9. Name the two players who have won a U.S. Open at Southern Hills.

10. Of the three men who have shot 63 in the U.S. Open, name the only player who didn’t go on to win.

11. Which two players finished runner-up, albeit 15 strokes behind to Tiger Woods in the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach?

12. In the past 90 years, who is the only player to win the U.S. Open twice on the same course?

CHAMPIONSHIP TEES (5 POINTS EACH)

13. Who was the last player to win the U.S. Open with a 72-hole score over par?

14. Name the two players who went 11 years between U.S. Open victories.

15. Who was the last player to win in his first U.S. Open attempt?

16. How many players have won consecutive U.S. Opens?

17. Tiger Woods’ 12-under total at Pebble Beach broke the previous U.S. Open record of eight under par held by three players. Name them.

18. Who is the only player to finish under par in three consecutive U.S. Opens?

19TH HOLE (10 POINTS)

Bonus: Which player set the U.S. Open record with a nine-hole 29, then matched it a year later?

ANSWERS

1. Hale Irwin, 45; 2. Tony Jacklin in 1970; 3. Tiger Woods; 4. Bobby Jones; 5. Ernie Els in 1994; 6. Sam Snead; 7. Arnold Palmer; 8. Jack Fleck, who beat Ben Hogan in a playoff; 9. Tommy Bolt in 1958 and Hubert Green in 1977; 10. Tom Weiskopf; 11. Ernie Els and Miguel Angel Jimenez; 12. Jack Nicklaus at Baltusrol (1967, 1980); 13. Andy North, one-over 285, at Cherry Hills in 1978; 14. Julius Boros (1952-1963) and Hale Irwin (1979-1990); 15. Francis Ouimet in 1913; 16. Six. Willie Anderson (1903-05), John McDermott (1911-12), Bobby Jones (1929-30), Ralph Guldahl (1937-38), Ben Hogan (1950-51), Curtis Strange (1988-89); 17. Ben Hogan (1948), Jack Nicklaus (1980), Lee Janzen (1993); 18. Curtis Strange (1988-90); 19. Neal Lancaster.

SCORING

55-64: Grand Slam.

45-54: Open champion.

35-44: Sunday contender.

25-34: Amateur status.

11-24: Missed the cut.

0-10: Sell the clubs.