The People's Championship comes back to the People's Course

As we speak the worlds best golfers are assembling in the shadow of Gotham to prepare for the biggest golf event on the PGA tour calendar.

The U.S. Open is unlike any other golf tournament of the year. It requires accuracy off the tee, precise irons and a magic putter. Above all else it requires patience. The ability to pick your spots and attack at the right times is what makes the difference between winning and losing.

This year's open has the makings to be truly great and what separates this Open from all others is the golf course and the fans who will line the fairways.

Bethpage Black, in Farmingdale New York, is an absolute bear of a golf course. Designed by A.W. Tillinghast, one of the greatest designers of all time, it is one of the most difficult tests of golf on the planet. The Black course is known for its' length, cavernous bunkers and tricky greens. It is a difficult but fair test of golf (although the absurd length becomes a bit of a controversy).

But what makes the Black course so special is that it is truly a course of the people. In 2002 the Black course became the first actual public course to host a major championship and it left nothing to be desired. When we say public were not talking about a Pebble Beach resort course that costs $500 to play but rather a muni where your average-joe can tee it up for $60.

In 2002 only one player broke par at the Black, Tiger. The tournament also set new records for attendance. The New York crowds turned the course into a zoo, practically making it a stadium. They marched around the course as Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson squared off in a classic David vs Goliath match. The outcome, atmosphere and most importantly, the setting made it unlike any other golf tournament.

This year's Open has all the necessary plot lines to provide the hair-raising drama that only the open can provide. Tiger Woods is peaking just at the right time, some young guns are rounding into shape and Phil Mickelson is bouncing back from some hard personal times and looking to capture that elusive U.S. Open.

No matter who hoists the trophy at the end, however, will not matter because the true star will be the people and their golf course.