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Oakmont Country Club, venue for this weeks US Open, is regarded as one of the toughest golf courses in the world. If professionals struggle, how does an 8-handicapper tackle it? We sent Finlay Hutchison to find out... What happens when an 8-handicapper plays perhaps the worlds hardest golf course? After a difficult round in 2007, Tiger Woods famously said: A 10-handicapper wouldnt break 100 round here. Ernie Els, who won the first of his two US Opens at Oakmont in 1994, added: My dads a good 11-handicapper and he wouldnt break 105 on a US Open course. Ahead of the 2016 event, Sky Sports was lucky enough to play this golfing behemoth on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, a week before the tournaments start date, and it wasnt pretty. Daily Telegraph writer Mark Hughes attempts to extract his ball from the famous Church Pews on the third hole On the surface, there is nothing about Oakmont Country Club that appears too difficult. There are no trees, there are no water hazards, the wind never gets too strong and it certainly isnt the worlds longest course. So what makes Oakmont famously tough? Angel Cabrera was five over par here when he held off Woods and Jim Furyk to land his maiden major in 2007, a week when the field managed to break par only eight times between them over the four days play. Independent journalist Conrad Leach and caddie Dustin Folio search for a ball in the punishing, dense rough First impressions reveal that accuracy off the tee is crucial. The US Open is famed for penalising errant shots and with fairways often cut just 20 yards wide, the punishments for not being super-straight are severe.If fairways are found, approach shots are never too treacherous. With anything from 100 to 175 yards in on most occasions, Oakmont temporarily takes away the torture and provides some relief. However, as soon as one goes wayward, the course reveals its sadistic other half. Mike Davis, the executive director of the USGA, has been compared to a James Bond villain Speaking to USGA executive director Mike Davis, one of my playing partners compared the US Open figurehead to chief James Bond nemesis Blofeld. But does he really watch the action, stroking his favourite pet with pleasure as players hack out of rough as thick as a bog brush, four-putting their way to double-bogey and beyond?Daviss response to this is characteristically dry: Fans have come to expect to see, one week a year, the players tested. Were going to test your accuracy, ability to recover, distance control and scrambling on the greens. If youre accurate youll get rewarded. Umissable Summer of Sport Sky Sports will show the US Open as part of a huge summer of sport that includes international rugby On a personal note, the middle cut of rough is impenetrable with anything lower than an 8 iron and the deep rough will have you attending the famous church pew bunkers with more on your agenda than just a hack back to the fairway.Elsewhere, Oakmonts other defence is its greens. Speaking to the club pro, the greens a week before the tournament were US Open speed at 14.5 on the stimpmeter - a contraption, unsurprisingly, conceived at this very course. A 288-yard par-three? Welcome to Oakmont! The majority of them are at best upturned saucers. Rick, a wisened caddie of 45 years on this hallowed turf, said: If you cant hit with spin you wont stay on the green. And he wasnt wrong - sorry again Rick.When they are eventually found, the often-used expression like putting on glass rings especially true. A framed saying in the clubhouse notes: Oakmont is the only course where you think about your second putt before youve hit your first. Crews prepare the first hole at Oakmont Country Club Personally speaking, putting is usually the scorecards saviour with trusty Nubbins in the bag - the best £10 ever spent on ebay or anywhere else for that matter. Sadly this didnt prove to be the case during the round and a desperate scramble to two or even three-putt became the depressing norm.So how did I get on over 18 holes? Playing pretty well, six pars were wrenched from the course largely due to accuracy off the tee. However, on holes that werent parred, Oakmont dished out the punishment and I finished with a 99 that didnt include putts inside three feet. You be the judge come Sunday. As another of my playing partners put it to me on the third tee: Ive just played two of the best holes of my life and Ive come away with two eights.As a result, a popular topic for discussion is would you like to be a member of such a brute? Speaking to some of the locals, they cant wait to see how the pros fare later this week. They too want to see some big numbers as there is certainly kudos in being a member of, or having played, the worlds hardest golf course. Also See: McDowell relishing Oakmont Campbell: Oakmont brutal Opinion Golf on Sky Sports 4 Get Sky Sports Air Max 270 Italia . Tensions rose in the first period when Penguins defenceman Brooks Orpik hit Bruins forward Loui Eriksson with what appeared to be a clean hit. Air Max 270 Outlet . Roma has a game in hand but now second place is even at risk for the capital side as Napoli moved to within three points with the win. "The result is not always fair," Roma coach Rudi Garcia said. "If we play like this until the end we will win many matches. http://www.airmax270outlet.it/. Solomon Elimimian did not make the trip with the team after suffering what appeared to be a right leg injury in the teams regular season finale against the Calgary Stampeders. Air Max 270 Scontate . Chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel also accused Pistorius of tailoring his testimony to fit the evidence at the scene. Pistorius denied the accusations. Nel alleged that the Olympic runner changed his aim with his 9 mm pistol to ensure that he hit Steenkamp as she fell back against a magazine rack in a toilet cubicle. Air Max 270 Prezzo Basso .J. -- The Houston Astros had the No.SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Former Brazil and Barcelona star Rivaldo officially retired on Saturday after a 24-year career that he said was built "upon a miracle" that allowed him to overcome financial challenges and disappointments. The 41-year-old midfielder, a World Cup winner with Brazil in 2002, hadnt been playing at a top level for several years and finally decided to end his career with an announcement on his Twitter and Instagram accounts. FIFAs player of the year in 1999, Rivaldo had been playing sparingly for minnow Brazilian club Mogi Mirim. He is expected to remain as the president of Mogi Mirim, where his 18-year-old son is now playing. "With tears in my eyes today I would like first to thank God, my family and all the support (and) the affection that I received during those 24 years as a player," Rivaldo said in a statement published both in Portuguese and in English. "Today, I communicate to all my fans in the world (that) my history as a player came to the end." The talented playmaker thrived in Brazil and abroad in the 1990s, winning two Spanish league titles with Barcelona and the 2003 Champions League trophy with AC Milan, which was his last top European club, before spending time in Greece and finally returning to Brazilian football four years ago. The last top team he played in Brazil was Sao Paulo in 2011, but he was released after an unsuccessful stint in which he played only a few matches as a starter. Before rejoining Mogi Mirim, the team thatt launched him to the national scene in 1994, Rivaldo played for Kabuscorp in Angola and then for Sao Caetano in Brazil, which he left last year citing knee pain.dddddddddddd In his statement, Rivaldo mentioned the hardships that he had to overcome early in his career. He said there were "many obstacles, challenges, waivers, longings, disappointments," but also "much greater joys, achievements, growth (and) change" that allowed a "distant dream" to come true. "I built my career upon a miracle, (living) in (the small city of) Paulista, no financial resources, no businessman, incentives only of my family, discredited by doctors and trainers," he said. "With persistence, dedication and especially with the hand of God, I came to be recognized as the best player in the world, world champion." Along with his statement, Rivaldo published a photo of him with tears in his eyes and another of him alongside his son, Rivaldo Jr. Last month, they got to play together in a Mogi Mirim match and Rivaldo said he fulfilled a longtime dream. Rivaldo also played in the 1998 World Cup, when Brazil was runner-up to France. With the Selecao, he also won the 1997 Confederations Cup, the 1999 Copa America and a bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Rivaldo also previously played for traditional Brazilian clubs Palmeiras and Corinthians, as well as for Deportivo La Coruna in Spain, Olympiacos and AEK Athens in Greece, and Bunyodkor in Uzbekistan. ' ' '