Excited crowds were massed on the slopes beyond the two majestic cypress trees which stand sentinel on either side of the rise to the 18th green. And with the arrival of the favourite, Tiger Woods, it seemed that all the ingredients were present for a perfect dress-rehearsal - except for one, crucial point.

Here at the Olympic Club, the acknowledged right man doesn't win the US Open.

With the golfer's fabled optimism, leading challengers will ignore what has gone before when they set off this morning in quest of the blue riband of American golf. But history stubbornly reminds us of Ben Hogan's shock defeat by Jack Fleck in 1955, Arnold Palmer's collapse in 1966 and Scott Simpson's surge to victory over Tom Watson in 1987.

Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington are worthy Irish challengers at a venue famous for its strong links with the "auld sod". And the overall European representation is particularly impressive, with the inclusion of Colin Montgomerie, Lee Westwood, Jose-Maria Olazabal, Bernhard Langer, Per-Ulrik Johansson, Robert Karlsson, Thomas Bjorn, Ignacio Garrido, Costantino Rocca, Ian Woosnam and the USbased Nick Faldo and Jesper Parnevik.

It promises to be a fascinating championship for other reasons, too. Like the presence of Casey Martin, who is exercising his court-won right to compete in a buggy, because of a rare circulatory disease in his right leg. And with the help of the USGA, he has found a more reliable model than the two which broke down earlier in the week.

Defending champion Ernie Els is ready for action, though he admitted yesterday to being less than 100 per cent fit. "It's not the way you really want to feel like going into a major championship, but it's a lot better than it was last Thursday," said the South African.

Then there is Ken Peyre-Ferry, a 49-year-old New Jersey club professional, who will miss his son Kenny's wedding on Saturday if he makes the cut. In fact, son brought forward the wedding rehearsal from today to Monday last so he could caddie for dad, at least for the opening two rounds.

Battling mixed emotions about his only child, who happens to be an assistant professional, Peyre-Ferry said: "When we walk onto the first tee and I see the look on his face, that's when it will really hit me, I'm sure. I think that'll be my keepsake."

The course is certain to be difficult. Indeed, Watson has predicted that the winning aggregate will be over par. "We are due for some wind and the greens are going to be much firmer than they were earlier in the week," he explained. "It's going to be difficult to shoot par around here."

Competitors are fascinated by the variety of the challenge offered by the 6,797-yard, par-70 stretch which holds the rare distinction of having a hole, the 609-yard 16th, more than twice the length of one of its par fours - the 288-yard seventh. "I hadn't heard one bad thing about the course and I can see why," said David Duval. "There are no tricks; it's all there in front of you."

Though it has been overseeded with perennial rye, the dominant grass on the Lake Course is humble meadow grass, or blue grass as it is known over here. "This is what makes the rough so dense and strong," said course superintendent John Fleming. But he added: "Rain also helped the rough, but, on the downside, it has softened the greens more than we would have liked."

Montgomerie seems to be finding difficulty in deciding whether it suits him. "It's unique - very small, very contained, very deceiving," he said. "But I usually hit greens from the fairway, so I should be all right."

Then he added: "There are more irons off the tees than I expected. I thought I could use my three-wood, like I did last year at Congressional. But a little bit of my strength has been taken away. It's slightly easier to position the ball with an iron than with a wood."

In contrast, Olazabal, whose accuracy off the tee has improved enormously through the acquisition of a new shaft, has used the driver at 11 holes during practice. Clarke, on the other hand, hit it only four times and plans to use it even less when battle commences.

Woods gave the driver the full treatment at the 468-yard 17th. Predictably, he was further up the fairway than anyone else in the field, but he still needed a four-iron for a second shot of 195 yards to the small, elevated green.

The patient strategist rather than the aggressive free spirit is likely to be rewarded here this weekend. In that regard, Harrington may have the better chance of the two Irish challengers, while Westwood could overshadow Montgomerie in a European context.

Westwood is arguably the finest iron player among the Europeans, which means he is likely to hit a lot of greens in regulation, thereby avoiding the dreaded collars of rough that surround them. Meanwhile, Montgomerie's prospects are inhibited by the constant suspicion of impending, self-imposed crisis at a US Open, characterised by his reaction to the unruly crowds around the 18th at Congressional.

As a student of US Open history at the Olympic Club, however, I'm off to put my few dollars on Ken Peyre-Ferry. Which means, sadly, that he is going to miss his son's wedding.

Footnote: Guarding the entrance to the media dining area here is Orla O'Mahoney, a bright-faced young woman from Ennis, Co Clare. She is one of 25 Irish exchange students here at the US Open on a work vacation programme. Through the good offices of the Council on International Educational Exchange, they are employed by Argenbright, an Atlanta-based security company.