Zoo moves to the course

LA JOLLA -- A crowd of more than 40,000 is expected today for the start of the 108th U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.

It’s expected in the form of a giant cluster of humanity on the par-four first hole on the South Course.

It’s expected in advance of bells and golf-cart horns and an 8:06 a.m. tee time.

It’s expected because Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are playing together, in America’s national championship, to be joined by a single named Adam Scott.

“It’s going to be a circus,” said Pat Perez, a local competing in his fourth U.S. Open and a player who once beat Woods by eight strokes for the 1993 Junior World title at Torrey Pines. “It will be an absolute zoo with those three playing together. Especially with Phil. Phil is hometown. And Tiger is always hometown wherever he goes.”

Perez also has an 8:06 a.m. start but, fortunately for him, he’s on the 10th tee. “There won’t be any crowds left out there,” he said.

The first U.S. Open to find its way to Southern California in 60 years returns as a 7,643-yard, par-71 stampede.

The United States Golf Assn. historically has tried to make things difficult for the golfers at the U.S. Open, baking the greens various shades of brown and growing the rough to linguine length.

This time it could be spectators’ turn, with the line to this year’s Open forming in San Juan Capistrano.

There wasn’t as much congestion in 1948, the last time the U.S. Open graced California’s bottom half, at Riviera Country Club.

Then again, there wasn’t as much of anything in 1948.

The USGA’s idea to assemble the world’s top 12 players in four groups of three has been generally praised and wildly anticipated.

There are 156 players in this year’s field, some of them former champions, all of them good.

But, until further notice, only two players matter.

So why all the fuss?

An American hasn’t won the U.S. Open since Jim Furyk at Olympia Fields in 2003. The winners since then have hailed from Pietersburg, South Africa (Retief Goosen), Wellington, New Zealand (Michael Campbell), Melbourne, Australia (Geoff Ogilvy) and Cordoba, Argentina (Angel Cabrera).

Why all the fuss?

Of the 107 previous U.S. Opens, Woods and Mickelson have combined to win two. And Tiger has both of those.

Woods has claimed 13 professional majors but only two U.S. Opens titles. His last win was six years ago, 2002, at Bethpage. He has five top-three finishes in 13 previous appearances, but his cumulative U.S. Open score is 56 over par, and that’s counting his wipeout, 12-under par victory at Pebble Beach in 2000.

Woods won’t concede this is his hardest of four majors.

“I’ve only won once since 2000,” he said, “But I’ve been there on the back nine on most of them.”

Woods also hasn’t played a competitive round since the Masters as he works his way back from knee surgery two days after finishing second to Trevor Immelman at Augusta.

Wouldn’t it be a surprise if he did win?

Mickelson’s devil dance with the U.S. Open has been well chronicled.

He has won two Masters and one PGA Championship, but this is the one, like that big fish of literary lore, that keeps getting away.

Mickelson has four second-place finishes, the most painful coming two years ago at Winged Foot when he made double bogey on the 72nd hole when par would have won it. His feelings for the U.S. Open are unequivocal.

“I love it,” he said. “I just haven’t gotten the love back.”

And now the Open has come to his back nine backyard, not far from where Mickelson first chased the sunset during childhood golfing forays at Balboa Park.

The U.S. Open coming home is either a dream scenario, or that other scenario.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me,” Mickelson noted.

Why all the fuss?

Because Tiger and Phil playing together at the U.S. Open is a Rock Show. Toss in Scott, the world’s third-ranked player, and you have . . . a Super Group.

This was the time and the place to do it too, with Woods and Mickelson being so familiar with the fairways and freeways.

In terms of the squish factor, though, think Tokyo subway. A periscope and 20-20 vision might be required to follow the leaders.

Today will be a great day to get an unimpeded view of Jim Furyk (7:22 a.m. 10th tee), or to look into the whites of Lee Janzen’s eyes.

Who knows? It might be quiet enough outside the ring of hell to arrange lunch with Steve Stricker.

Woods and Mickelson are looking forward to the cheers and the challenges.

It’s going to be a scrum outside -- and inside -- the ropes. Woods’ caddie, Stevie Williams, is probably practicing extra camera heaves into the Pacific in anticipation of the photographers’ crush.

Grouping Woods with Mickelson also seems, above all else, to make sense.

Splitting the top contenders into separate morning and afternoon tee times on the first two days leaves too many things, the weather in particular, to chance.

Players teeing off in the morning Thursday and the afternoon Friday may catch the best conditions each day -- or the worst.

“Usually one end of the tee times has an advantage over the other,” Mickelson said. “I think [the new setup] makes it a fair championship and I like the fact that we’re at least on the same wave.”

This time, everyone gets to catch the ride.

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chris.dufresne@latimes.com

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Tee times

For today’s first round. All times Pacific; a-amateur:

HOLE 1

A.M. -- 7: D.A. Points, Patrick Sheehan, David Hearn; 7: a-Kyle Stanley, Casey Wittenberg, Hunter Haas; 7:22: a-Kevin Tway, Jason Bohn, Dean Wilson; 7:33: a-Jeff Wilson, Fredrik Jacobson, Brett Quigley; 7:44: a-Rickie Fowler, Chris Kirk, Dustin Johnson; 7:55: Mark Calcavecchia, Oliver Wilson, Joe Ogilvie; 8:06: Adam Scott, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods; 8:17: Lee Janzen, Steve Flesch, Rich Beem; 8:28: Michael Campbell, Jesper Parnevik, Todd Hamilton; 8:39: Miguel Angel Jimenez, Boo Weekley, Shingo Katayama; 8:50: Anthony Kim, Andres Romero, Ryuji Imada; 9:01: Mike Gilmore, a-Jordan Cox, Brian Kortan; 9:12: Jeffrey Bors, Sean English, Travis Bertoni.

P.M. -- 12:30: D.J. Brigman, Jonathan Mills, Jarrod Lyle; 12:41: a-Nick Taylor, Charlie Beljan, Rob Rashell; 12:52: Stewart Cink, Sergio Garcia, Vijay Singh; 1:03: Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson, Mike Weir; 1:14: Retief Goosen, Scott Verplank, Aaron Baddeley; 1:25: Stephen Ames, Robert Allenby, Ben Curtis; 1:36: Angel Cabrera, Padraig Harrington, Davis Love III; 1:47: Bubba Watson, J.B. Holmes, Brett Wetterich; 1:58: Brandt Snedeker, Nick Dougherty, Jonathan Byrd; 2:09: Michael Letzig, Ross Fisher, Steve Marino; 2:20: Brandt Jobe, Phillip Archer, Jason Gore; 2:31: Kevin Silva, Bobby Collins, Jay Choi; 2:42: Bob Gaus, Philippe Gasnier, Garrett Chaussard.

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HOLE 10

A.M. -- 7: Robert Garrigus, Peter Tomasulo, Craig Barlow; 7:11: a-Derek Fathauer, Scott Piercy, Justin Hicks; 7:22: K.J. Choi, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker; 7:33: a-Michael Thompson, Rocco Mediate, Brad Bryant; 7:44: Craig Parry, Robert Karlsson, Tim Clark; 7:55: Stuart Appleby, Jerry Kelly, Lee Westwood; 8:06: Woody Austin, Pat Perez, Thomas Levet; 8:17: Matt Kuchar, Mathew Goggin, Nick Watney; 8:28: Rod Pampling, Heath Slocum, Niclas Fasth; 8:39: Carl Pettersson, Soren Hansen, Daniel Chopra; 8:50: Johan Edfors, Eric Axley, Ben Crane; 9:01: Joey Lamielle, a-Michael Quagliano, Fernando Figueroa; 9:12: Chris Devlin, Yohann Benson, Brian Bergstol.

P.M. -- 12:30: Michael Allen, Jonathan Turcott, Scott Sterling; 12:41: Kevin Streelman, Artemio Murakami, Robert Dinwiddie; 12:52: Bart Bryant, D.J. Trahan, Chad Campbell; 1:03: Gary Wolstenholme, Richard Sterne, Hunter Mahan; 1:14: Ian Poulter, Paul Casey, Luke Donald; 1:25: Henrik Stenson, Toru Taniguchi, John Rollins; 1:36: Justin Rose, Geoff Ogilvy, Ernie Els; 1:47: Camilo Villegas, Charles Howell III, Martin Kaymer; 1:58: Jeff Quinney, Justin Leonard, Mark O’Meara; 2:09: Rory Sabbatini, David Toms, Colin Montgomerie; 2:20: John Mallinger, Alastair Forsyth, John Merrick; 2:31: Chris Stroud, Ross McGowan, Ian Leggatt; 2:42: John Ellis, a-Jimmy Henderson, Andrew Dresser.

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U.S. OPEN

When: Today-Sunday

Where: Torrey Pines, South Course

Today’s TV: ESPN, 10 a.m.-noon; Ch. 4, noon-2 p.m.; ESPN, 2-7 p.m.