Rory must transform into greens machine to beat Scottie

HOW to solve the puzzle of Pinehurst? Martin Kaymer, a winner at the course in 2014, said the trick lay in sinking putts from 10ft, while Rory McIlroy believes the secret is to "embrace the boring".

- Matt Majendie

Defending champion Wyndham Clark warned the greens were "borderline" in terms of being too rapid to putt on, while Tiger Woods predicted the next four days of golf would be a "war of attrition".

Not many have put a positive spin on how this US Open will play out, bar perhaps Scottie Scheffler, whose take ahead of teeing off later today was simply: "It'll be a fun test."

It is perhaps easy for him to say that, with five wins from his past eight starts. Bar a Louisville cop, who took umbrage with Scheffler's over-zealous driving at the last Major, very little has been able to derail him, not even parenthood.

He still finished eighth at the US PGA after that run-in with the law before ending runner-up at Colonial a week later and then winning Memorial by a single stroke from Collin Morikawa on Sunday.