It's hard to believe that almost a year has passed since Graeme McDowell's come-from-behind victory at the US Open – the first by a European for forty years. Rory McIlroy, McDowell's great mate, will be pleased to note how time has treated Dustin Johnson's implosion at Pebble Beach (which was in many ways worse than his own Masters fiasco) in the sense that no one seems to remember or care too much about it. We were also spared the blushes of the USGA had Frenchman Gregory Havret, who was languishing at 391 in the world rankings at the time, gone on to take the title. All in all, the second major of 2010 was a pretty exciting one for the neutrals, albeit one that featured the sight of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els all engaging reverse gear when the going got tough down the home straight. But it was certainly more entertaining than watching journeyman Lucas Glover's turgid – if ultimately successful – slog around a soggy Bethpage Black the year before.
This leads one to pray for a US Open for the ages. Tommy Armour's old haunt, Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, will host proceedings this time and it's a fabulous track, one with a great tradition. Whether it will be rewarded with an equally great champion remains to be seen, of course – I for one am not holding my breath.
Needless to say, this all got me thinking about the truly magical US Opens of the past, and in time honoured fashion, I slipped all too easily into an internal debate as to which previous contests would make my top ten ...
