When the U.S Open was last played at Shinnecock Hills in 2018, there were 28 players who couldn't break 80 on a brutal closing Sunday.

Greens were so slick, Phil Mickelson chased a putt which screamed past the hole on the 13th and stopped it while it was still moving, fearful of where it would end up, copping a two-stroke penalty anyway.

Earlier this week, during a practice round, Bryson DeChambeau dropped a ball in knee-high fescue and then chopped it about 5m forward with a vicious swing, letting the world know what he thought of the punishment just off the fairways, which are a bit wider this time around.

A day out from the opening round, USGA chief championships officer John Bodenhamer delivered a sombre reminder of what officials could do at Shinnecock. The word he chose would have sent shivers down the spine of any player already preparing for a daunting week.

"We could brutalise this place the next few days if we wanted to," Bodenhamer said.

Brutalise! What a word, what a description of the potential course set-up which is already so difficult, players who, when asked what a 15-handicapper might shoot around Shinnecock off the back tees, responded with answers ranging from 130 to 150.

Justin Thomas simply said “a lot”.  

Bryson DeChambeau hacks through the long grass at Shinnecock Hills.

But in tempering fears of what’s to come, with howling winds set to complicate matters on a course which dries out like not other, Bodenhamer said they would err on the lesser side of brutal this week.  

“We really want it to be fair, and we want it to be what Shinnecock Hills has always been,” he said.

“It will be tough enough. We have pulled every lever that we can to make it fair, and I think that's a message we really want to get out there."

Those levers include slower green speeds, hole locations set to cater to the strong winds, as well as light watering of the putting surfaces between the morning and afternoon waves during the first two rounds; a process called “syringing”, used only in extreme conditions during tournaments, but done regularly at Shinnecock.  

The final round scoring average on that scary Sunday six years ago was 78.7; the winning score, from Brooks Koepka, was one-over.

Koepka expects a similar winning score this year, and he's fine with that.

“Yeah, I like a tough test,” he said, a different take to former LIV colleague DeChambeau’s obvious disdain for what might happen should he miss a fairway.

But he also noted the subtle shift provided by officials.

“Greens are definitely slower than I remember,” he said.

“I'm not saying they're slow, but it's a lot different than what I remember as far as firmness.”

Brooks Koepka thinks par will win. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

There are certain expectations of a U.S Open, from players, from spectators both on the ground and on TV, for a test.

The driver, wedge, putt sameness of so many standard PGA Tour events can be mind-numbing.

For many, the appeal of the U.S Open is watching the world's best players tested in ways rarely seen during a regular PGA Tour week. To be challenged, show the craft a creativity which elevates them above millions of other golfers.

Even Matt Fitzpatrick, a U.S Open winner in 2022, said he doesn’t like  “playing birdie-fests”.

“I don't think it's as enjoyable," he said, hoping for winds to bake the course hard.

"There was a big meltdown here last time, [people saying] 'They've lost the golf course,' but I don't think they lost the golf course at all.

"For me personally, I want it to get as dry and firm as possible, as U.S Opens do, and just see where that takes us."

Big bombers like De Chambeau, playing with a new driver which only recently satisfied regulations, need to be more restrained.

Scottie Scheffler, the world No.1, a U.S Open win away from a career Grand Slam, was another who was settling into the idea of a challenge, knowing the key to success this week was not a shot, but a mindset.  

“A lot of it's execution, but then there's definitely an element of patience to it because you can hit some pretty decent shots and find yourself in some spots that are quite brutal, especially when you get some high winds,” he said, suggesting it was more a mental than physical test at Shinnecock.  

 Scottie Scheffler wants the U.S Open tough. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

“I would probably lean more towards mental, just because you're using a lot of your imagination, especially when you don't get the exact wind on the practice round days. So you just have to imagine what that ball's going to do.

“I think that physically I'm not going to learn any new shots on Monday through Wednesday this week that I'm going to try to use you over the weekend. I think a lot of the physical's always there. I think more of it is just the preparation.”

Patience and preparation loom large as two keys to success, but with margins for error at a U.S Open slimmer than every other week, and slimmer again at Shinnecock, even the world No.1 knows there’s one thing you just can’t do.

“I think the minute you start hitting the ball offline, you are like, 'Man, how do I even finish this hole,'" he said, DeChambeau’s video case in point.

“I think that's sometimes what it feels like. The fairways are quite generous in some spots, but I think when you get wind and the firmness, they play significantly more narrow than they look.”

That was picked up by Masters champ Rory McIlroy, too, a player who can be wayward off the tee.

He has never shied away from a golfing challenge, either, but conceded that, as far as the course set-up goes, there’s a “very, very fine line” officials need to walk.

“I think [ideally, it's] good shots getting rewarded and bad shots getting punished,” he said.

“I think if everything is going the way everyone wants it in terms of weather, setup, I think it's the best championship test in the country. I think it tests all aspects of the game.

“And I’m looking forward to the test that it's going to provide this week.”