Demanding US Open

The beauty of the United States Open is that it never pretends to be anything other than what it is: golf's annual exercise in . discomfort.

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Every June, the world's best players compete in one of the sport's premier events knowing they will be tested physically, technically, and, above all else, mentally. This year's championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club raises the challenge several notches. Eight years after it last hosted the championship, the windswept layout returns with its exacting reputation intact and perhaps even enhanced.

The course is expected to be at least as unforgiving as memory suggests; mistakes will be magnified and survival cherished.