WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO WIN?:

The winning score in each of the previous two U.S. Opens was 5 over. And considering that a) Torrey Pines South is 7,643 yards on the scorecard, the longest in U.S. Open history; b) the rough is at its requisite Open-height; and c) there`s always a chance of winds sweeping in from the Pacific Ocean right next door, you`d think a similar score might be appropriate this week.

But that doesn`t seem likely. You`d be hard-pressed to find many people out here who think we`ll even get close to that score -- although Phil Mickelson did say, "There`s no way to go low here." Still, reigning British Open champion Padraig Harrington wouldn`t be surprised if the winning score comes close to being 10 shots better than what we saw at Winged Foot and Oakmont.

"It looks like a playable course at the moment," Harrington said. "But the pins will probably get quite tough, and you`ll find it will be 3- or 4-under par at the end of the week."

Still, most players honestly aren`t sure what the winning score will be, thanks in large part to the flexibility the USGA has given itself with the setup. Due to the variances with tee locations on several holes, it`s doubtful the course will actually play to that maximum length of 7,643. In fact, on Nos. 3, 4, 11, 12 and 16, there`s a combined distance difference of 172 yards depending on which tees are used, according to the scorecard.

Meanwhile, the USGA is still contemplating using a drivable 277-yard tee location instead of the 435 yards and also has two teeing grounds on the par-5 13th that don`t appear on the scorecard variables.

"If they play it all the way up, I`m sure it will be under par, without any doubt," Tiger Woods said when asked about the winning score. Noting the course flexibility, he added: "The setup could be so varied, where certain holes that you wouldn`t think are holes you can pick up shots on, and you can. I think that`s going to be an exciting thing. You have some birdie holes out there."

But as USGA vice president Jim Hyler noted Wednesday, his organization doesn`t target a winning score. "We want the course to play hard, but fair, and then whatever the winning score turns out to be is what it turns out to be," Hyler said.

While weather conditions in Southern California normally are consistent, ultimately, it could be the wind that plays the biggest factor in whether we see 5 over or 5 under on Sunday.

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