Tiger, Phil Paired Together at Open

The folks at the USGA who make the pairings for the U.S. Open certainly have a sense of mischief about them. How else can you explain the fact that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are playing together in the first two rounds at Torrey Pines next week? Poor Adam Scott, the third player in the group, may feel totally lost. It may be the most high profile pairing since Woods and Mickelson were partners at the Ryder Cup. I wonder if they will have a little $5 Nassau side bet. Yes, this is an attractive pairing for television and for the spectators. But I think it is really unfair to Mark Calcavecchia, Oliver Wilson and Joe Ogilive, who play in the group immediately in front of Mickelson, Woods and Scott, and to Lee Janzen, Steve Flesch and Rich Beem, who are playing behind the mega-threesome. The crush of crowds and media trying to follow Mickelson and Woods will make it difficult for those groups to concentrate on their work. The other star quality pairings for Thursday and Friday include K.J. Choi, Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker; Stewart Cink, Sergio Garcia and Vijay Singh; and Justin Rose, Geoff Ogilvy and Ernie Els. But the emphasis will be on Phil and Tiger.

Hitting range balls while wondering whatever happened to John Schroeder.