The US Open Is On The West Coast this year and NBC is going to take advantage of that by broadcasting the last two rounds in Eastern prime time. The time difference between Torrey Pines in San Diego means that the third round on June 14 will finish at 10 pm eastern, and the fourth at 9 pm.

That’s terrific news, especially for the USGA. Showing its biggest event in prime time will reach a much larger general audience. And if Tiger is in contention, it’ll get the biggest ratings of any golf event ever.

It’s probably no coincidence that three of the next five US Opens are on the West Coast.

Father’s Day. Prime time golf. It doesn’t get any better than that.

By the way, you can see a photo tour of my trip to Torrey Pines in San Diego here.

The US Open at Torrey Pines is in eight weeks. At this point, Tiger Woods has been established by the book makers as the favorite, with Phil Mickelson in next at 10/1. Interestingly, I think Padraig Harrington and Jim Furyk are next at 20/1.

It’ll be interesting to see how things change as more information about Tiger’s knee surgery filters out.

Read the rest of the post to see the complete odds for the US Open, provided courtesy of Bodog.Com, the world’s largest online sports betting destination.

HBO is producing a new documentary on the dramatic 1960 US Open at Cherry Hills, Colorado. It will be released on the day before the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines.

Considered by some to be the greatest championship since Francis Ouimet defeated Harry Vardon, the 1960 Open was won by Arnold Palmer. Palmer was eight strokes behind midway through the competition. In the third round, the gap closed by one, when leader Mike Souchak hit his tee shot on 18 out of bounds. Then, in the final round, Palmer came out with a charge. He drove the 313 yard par 4 first, and after missing his eagle putt, settled for birdie. That was the first of six birdies in seven holes. By the end of the day, he had shot a 65 to win.

A lot of other legends of golf were in contention that day: Jack Nicklaus, playing as an amateur, finished second. Souchak, E. J. (Dutch) Harrison, Ted Kroll, Dow Finsterwald, Julius Boros and Jack Fleck finished in a tie for third. Ben Hogan had a chance to win, needing pars on the last two holes. He finished with a six and a seven - four over par. Sam Snead tied for 19th.

It’s the Hogan-Nicklaus-Palmer connection that makes the tournament poignant. There was a remarkable moment at that US Open, when golf’s past, present and future stood together on a tee. Ben Hogan was being eclipsed by Arnold Palmer, while the future, Jack Nicklaus waited. Palmer, the present, won the tournament; Nicklaus, the future finished second. And Hogan, the aging legend, slipped behind.

I wish I got HBO so I could see this documentary.

When Bobby Jones had his unparalleled year in 1930, he won the four biggest tournaments of his day: The US Amateur, the US Open, the British Amateur and the British Open Championship. It was a shocking achievement that made Jones a sports hero on a par with Babe Ruth—greater even, for the Babe never got a ticker tape parade in New York.

People struggled for words to describe the event. Atlanta Journal sports writer O.B. Keeler, Jones’ unofficial biographer and publicist, dubbed it the “Grand Slam,” borrowing not from baseball, but from a bridge term.

It must be remembered that, at that time, tournament golf was as much an amateur’s game as a pro’s. Walter Hagen may have been the only man at the time making a full time living playing tournament golf (as opposed to working as a club pro) .

So in 1960, after having won the Masters and US Open, Arnold Palmer was asked about Jones’ achievement by Pittsburgh sports writer Bob Drum on the plane flight to England where Palmer was to play in the Open Championship. Drum apparently lamented the fact that Palmer could not match Jones’ achievement because golf now was a pro’s game and not an amateur’s. No one would ever win the Amateur and Open national championships again.

Palmer then speculated that in the age of the professional, a more realistic Grand Slam would be the Masters, the US Open, the Open Championship (British Open) and the PGA Championship.

Palmer lost on the Old Course by a single stroke to Australia’s Kel Nagle.

But the dream had been indelibly etched into the mind of the golfing public.

Torrey Pines Golf Course
Site of the 2008 US Open and Buick Invitational

As a municipal course for the City of San Diego, Torrey Pines is probably the most accessible US Open venue ever. I was fortunate enough to get to play the course and have put together this Torrey Pines hole by hole photo tour, along with satellite photos showing a birds eye view.

I’ll post a more detailed review later.