Originally Published: June 11, 2009

Protecting par
When it comes to prepping a course for the U.S. Open, mistakes are not an option
This article appears in the June 15th issue of ESPN The Magazine.
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ROAD TO THE U.S. OPEN
The 2008 U.S. Open was one for the ages when Tiger Woods -- on a broken leg and with a torn ACL -- held off Rocco Mediate in a playoff. What's in store for 2009 when the national championship returns to Bethpage Black on June 18? As the year's second major approaches, ESPN.com will track the story lines leading into the U.S. Open. Tee times
NEWS
- Injury sidelines Katayama from Open
- Gay earns Open invite with Memphis win
- Infection forces Karlsson out of Open
- Tiger, Cabrera, Harrington paired early
- 1st, 2nd round U.S. Open pairings
- Ill. amateur earns final spot for Open
- Tiger follows win with 18 at Bethpage
- Duval in; Daly fails to make U.S. Open
- USOpen.com sectional qualifying scores
PREVIEW
- Weekly 18: Watch out for Mickelson
- Sobel: Repeat showing from '02?

- 5 things to know about the U.S. Open
- Willis: Kim will win the U.S. Open
- 2008 U.S. Open flashback

- North picks U.S. Open darkhorse

- Sobel: Kim brimming with confidence
- Sobel: Profiling Open dream weavers
- Harig: One last shot for Funk, Lehman?
- Bradley: Open all about protecting par

- Watch: Tiger's Bethpage Black tips

- Bethpage: Holes 1-9
Holes 10-18 
- Sobel: Mediate still revels in epic Open
- Sobel: Davis breaking mold for '09 Open
- Reilly: Rocco, the people's champion
- Sobel: Long on U.S. Open map quest
- Watch: Long on his book work

- Mediate discusses epic '08 U.S. Open

- Rocco Mediate chat wrap