In professional tennis three of the Majors are clearly defined by the surfaces that the players compete on namely Clay for the French Open, Grass for Wimbledon and Hard-Court for the US Open.

Up until recently the same could be said for golf’s first three Major championships;

* The Masters being all about showcasing tradition, beauty and heavily contoured putting surfaces at Augusta National Golf Club, the only permanent annual venue for a major championship.

* The Open Championship a once-a-year throwback to the game’s origins on seaside links courses where ground golf and the bounce of the ball rather than the traditional “soft” target game are to the fore.

* The US Open traditionally has always been the one where there is a premium placed on hitting fairways and birdies have always been hard earned. Deemed to be the ultimate test of a player’s credentials, it is the penal nature of this test, which identifies it from the other championships.

Much like the Majors in tennis, there have always been horses for courses.

For example, Lee Trevino was never destined to win the US Masters because he simply couldn’t hit the ball high enough to control the ball on Augusta’s undulating greens and to date, you could argue that Phil Mickelson has not achieved a career Grand Slam because his tee shots have not been consistently accurate enough.

And so we come to this weeks test at Chambers Bay on the west coast of America, which has already been described by Henrik Stenson as a “tricked up links course”.

Links-style turf and strategy certainly breaks the mould of the typical US Open venues.

But it seems that Mike Davis of the USGA is determined to create a new and incredibly challenging golfing landscape that continually asks questions not only about the player’s shot-making or course management skills, but also about his mental ability to cope with the pressures of the constant decision-making requirements of a championship environment.

This week the US Open at Chambers Bay will tempt the players with all sorts of shots and options. In doing so it will force the players into what could be title-deciding decisions.

There are going to be situations where you are better off with a bad lie in the right angle than a good lie in a wrong angle.

It will be a classic case of ego and glory versus curbed ambition and that is what Major golf championships should be all about.

So is this new-style golf course set-up good for the US Open, you ask?

Well the traditionalists may not like it but with Tiger Wood’s ongoing mediocrity anything that attracts greater viewership and participation in what has become more identifiable once again as a sport for the rich and idle in America is to be welcomed.

As spectacular looking at Chambers Bay undoubtedly is, one still has to wonder if the average amateur can truly relate to 500+ yard par 4s or courses measuring over 7,600 yards.

Indeed, it begs the question - are the USGA simply pacifying the longer, less accurate hitters stars in the game?

Personally, I think their actions have given the star players an untold advantage so we can reasonably expect a well-known face to emerge victorious come Sunday afternoon.

Following the European victorious trend (Europeans have won four of the last five US Opens) players like Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson represent great value amongst the somewhat lesser lights but it will be interesting to see if Jordan Speith (whose caddie is a member of Chambers Bay) can keep up his stunning form or if a rested Rory McIlroy can find his big game mojo once more.

The USGA through Mike Davis have now had their say in terms of the course’s identity for this years US Open Championship and it is now up to the players to determine if the course set-up is fair or over the top.

With a winning total predicted to be around par, the champion may well be the one who emerges with his sanity intact come Sunday evening!