GMAC Expects Tough Congressional

Congressional Country Club

Graeme McDowell expects Congressional Country Club to provide one of the toughest-ever major tests when it hosts the US Open next week.

McDowell will head to the course just outside the nation's capital Washington DC as defending champion following his memorable triumph at Pebble Beach 12 months ago.

The Ulsterman is excited to be defending his crown and believes Congressional - which has had no fewer than seven US presidents as members throughout its prestigious history - will prove an outstanding venue.

"This is a great golf course; aesthetically it's beautiful, it's got that old-school look, tree-lined with great definition," he told Sky Sports News.

"It's just a quality, quality golf course and it just depends how the USGA set it up.

"They can make it as hard as they want, they could have ten-over par winning this tournament if they wanted to.

"The rough is going to be up, the greens are quite fast and quite undulating, it's as tough a test as I've seen - maybe tougher than Bethpage Black was a few years ago. This is a really, really tough test."

Congressional last hosted the US Open in 1997 when Ernie Els won with a four-under-par total of 276.

"They (USGA) can make it as hard as they want, they could have ten-over par winning this tournament if they wanted to. " 

For this year's championship the course has been converted from a par 70 to a par 71 but will measure in excess of 7500 yards.

USGA executive director Mike Davis has acknowledged the Maryland track will be set up in typically challenging style, befitting a tournament widely regarded as the toughest test in golf.

"This is going to be a rigorous test and hopefully also a very complete test that will test all facets of the game," he told Sky Sports News.

"We want it hard but we also want some excitement to it. If a player is playing really well, let him shoot a low score."

He also pinpointed one of the closing holes as a potential tournament-changer, adding: "The 16th hole I think is going to be very, very pivotal in this championship.

"It's a green that sits up in the air and, up until this spring, there was rough around it and we just decided, let's strip out the rough and put in a closely-mown area. But since the green sits up in the air now and the balls will run off there's a lot more risk-reward to it."