By Chris Cutmore Follow @@Chris_Cutmore You know what you’re getting with the US Open: knee-high rough, putting greens like glass and the toughest test in all of golf. Hit it straight or you’re dead meat, right? Well, maybe not this year at Pinehurst. Rather startlingly for the US Open there will be no rough. That’s right – none. Instead, Pinehurst’s fabled No 2 course has widened fairways, which bleed into waste areas featuring all sorts of funky hazards: sand, gnarled tree roots and hollows. Punters can usually feel safe backing steady, straight hitters at the US Open – think Justin Rose (28-1) or Graeme McDowell (50-1), two champions from the last four years – but the 114th edition of America’s national championship poses some different and difficult questions.
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Rory McIlroy is favourite for 114th US Open at Pinehurst No 2
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Bubba Watson, Adam Scott and Mickelson also among the frontrunners
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Henrik Stenson, Jason Dufner and Luke Donald could spring a surprise
Precision: Luke Donald's natural ability on the greens should help him conquer @placeholder