FARMINGDALE, New York (AP):

Tiger Woods began his final practice round of the US Open by hitting a five-wood for his second shot on a par four, which is rare for someone with his power. Stranger still was that it wasn't enough club to reach the 10th green.

The stubborn side of the defending champion showed up on the 15th fairway at Bethpage Black. Staring towards the elevated green, he backed off his shot and turned to his caddie as if to change clubs, then decided to stick with the four-iron already in his hands. Woods hit it pure and when the ball barely reached the green, he laughed.

"I've already hit too many three-irons on par fours today," he said.

The scorecard at Bethpage Black shows an additional 212 yards from 2002, when Woods was the only player to finish under par and won the US Open by three shots over Phil Mickelson.

With soggy turf and rain part of every forecast, the Black feels even longer.

"From tee to green, this golf course is all you want," Woods said. "With the weather coming in here this week, it's only going to get longer and harder. And it's going to be even more difficult."

And that could be right up his alley.

More history

Woods has been on the fast track in the majors for as long as he has been a pro and more history could await this week.

The US Open is the only major he has failed to win in consecutive years and a victory would make him only the seventh player to win back-to-back.

Having won at Bethpage Black in 2002, he will try to join Willie Anderson (1905 at Myopia Hunt) as the only players to defend a US Open on a course where they were the most recent champion.

Add to that Woods' 65 in the final round to win the Memorial two weeks ago and he is an overwhelming favourite.

"He's by far and away the favourite, I would have thought," Geoff Ogilvy said. "But I don't think anyone walks around saying, 'We're playing for second now because Tiger's playing'. I think everyone appreciates how good he is, knows he's going to be in contention and hopes to get there with him."

The question leading into the US Open, which starts today, is how many have a realistic chance.

And the answer lies as much with Mike Davis, the US Golf Association (USGA) official setting up the golf course, as it does with Woods, Ogilvy, Phil Mickelson, Paul Casey or anyone else on top of his game.

Far more stubborn

Seven years ago, the USGA was far more stubborn about the US Open's reputation as the "toughest test in golf". Officials marked each tee box and wouldn't stray more than five yards from that in either direction.

Davis is known to adjust tees by as much as 40 yards depending on the conditions and the weather. Because the fairways are so soft and the course is playing long, he might move the tees up to give more players a chance.

There was a time when the US Open mainly demanded accuracy off the tee, which would make it easier to keep the ball on the firm greens. But that might not apply this week. That was the prototype of a US Open champion.

"When you normally go to that, you're thinking of somebody who is relatively straight," British Open and US PGA champion Padraig Harrington said. "And usually, relatively straight means relatively short. And, obviously, that's not going to work this week."