U.S. OPEN Olympia Fields not just suited to the long-hitters; 'wide-open' is description

Nobody knows much about the course 25 miles south of downtown Chicago.
OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. (AP) -- Brad Faxon was trying out a utility driver that might be a good fit for Olympia Fields. Tom Kite was hitting the last few balls on the practice range. Tiger Woods was long gone. The sun was setting, the crowds headed for the exit.
Fred Funk was just checking in.
Any other year, Funk would have arrived at the U.S. Open on a Sunday evening, gotten some rest and spent most of his time Monday learning the nuances of an unfamiliar golf course.
This time, Funk and several others had to stay an extra day to finish the rain-delayed Capital Open on the PGA Tour.
That was OK with him. Not only did he earn $336,000 by tying for second, Funk thinks too much practice time at a major can make him antsy.
"I tend to overanalyze everything," he said. "The better I play, the less I analyze."
Plus, he has some help.
Compiles books
His caddie is Mark Long, who compiles yardage books of several golf courses and sells them to other loopers.
"I haven't seen the course, but he's been talking about it for three weeks," Funk said. "He thinks it will be real good for me."
Funk and everyone else, whether they showed up Monday morning or Monday night, probably won't find out until the U.S. Open gets under way Thursday.
One thing is certain: It's no Bethpage Black.
Faxon hit his utility driver -- half iron, half fairway metal -- then turned and said, "You could play this course without a driver."
Dudley Hart finished his practice round and thought Olympia Fields would be a wide-open tournament, unlike last year when only the big hitters contended at big Bethpage Black.
"It's like you have to fit your ball in off the tee," Hart said.
Home course advantage would seem to go to Jeff Sluman, the only player among the 156-man field who lives in the Chicago area. But, including two trips to the course over the weekend, and a practice round Monday, Sluman has played four rounds in the last 10 years.
"A buddy was in town and wanted to play," Sluman said of his past experience. "Everyone assumes I've played it a lot. Actually, I had to call my home course [Hinsdale Golf Club] on Saturday to get directions, because I forgot how to get here."
Truth is, nobody knows much about the 80-year-old suburban course about 25 miles south of downtown Chicago.
Last Open was 1928
The last U.S. Open at Olympia Fields was in 1928, when Johnny Farrell outlasted Bobby Jones by one stroke in a 36-hole playoff. The last major at Olympia was in 1961, when Jerry Barber won the PGA Championship in an 18-hole playoff over Don January.
So, Angel Cabrera felt just as much at home Monday as Sluman, who lives a lot closer than Argentina.
Cabrera sized up Olympia Fields with words like "mas corto" (shorter) than last year's Bethpage Black, "mucho peligro" (trouble everywhere) and "campo duro" (tough course).
In other words, it's a typical U.S. Open.
"At any U.S. Open, you've got to drive it ... and then capitalize on the drive," Sluman said. "You don't necessarily -- especially when it's difficult -- have to have the hottest putter going. You just have to be automatic from tee to green."