U.S. OPEN FACTS

* When: Today through Sunday. * Where: Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club.

* The course: Two-time British Open champion Willie Park Jr. designed the No. 4 (North) Course at Olympia Fields, which opened in 1923. The club’s first president was Amos Alonzo Stagg, the University of Chicago football coach.* Length: 7,190 yards. * Par: 36-34--70. * Format: 72 holes, stroke play.

* Cut: Top 60 and ties, and anyone within 10 strokes of lead after 36 holes.

* Playoff, if necessary: 18 holes (stroke play) on Monday.

* Purse: $6 million. * Winner’s share: $1.08 million.

* Defending champion: Tiger Woods.

* Last year: Woods went wire-to-wire at Bethpage Black to win his second U.S. Open title and become the first player in 30 years to take the first two legs of the Grand Slam.

* Major championships at Olympia Fields: 1925 PGA Championship (Walter Hagen), 1928 U.S. Open (Johnny Farrell), 1961 PGA Championship (Jerry Barber).

* Noteworthy: Since 1991, only one player has finished higher than 40th when defending his U.S. Open title. Tiger Woods tied for 12th in 2001.

* Television: Today-Friday, 8 a.m. to noon, ESPN; noon to 2 p.m., Channel 4. Saturday-Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Channel 4.

HOW THEY QUALIFIED

* The numbers: 156 (146 professionals, 10 amateurs).

* U.S. Open champions (10 years): Tiger Woods, Retief Goosen, Lee Janzen, Ernie Els, Corey Pavin.

* U.S. Amateur champion and runner-up: Ricky Barnes, Hunter Mahan.

* Masters champions (five years): Mike Weir, Vijay Singh, Jose Maria Olazabal.

* British Open champions (five years): David Duval, Paul Lawrie, Mark O’Meara.

* PGA champions (five years): Rich Beem, David Toms.

* 2003 Players Championship: Davis Love III.

* 2002 U.S. Senior Open champion: Don Pooley.

* Top 15 and ties from 2002 U.S. Open: Phil Mickelson, Jeff Maggert, Sergio Garcia, Scott Hoch, Nick Faldo, Billy Mayfair, Nick Price, Tom Byrum, Padraig Harrington, Peter Lonard, Jay Haas, Dudley Hart, Justin Leonard, Robert Allenby.

* Top 30 from the 2002 PGA Tour money list: Jerry Kelly, Charles Howell III, Chris DiMarco, Fred Funk, Jim Furyk, Jeff Sluman, Shigeki Maruyama, K.J. Choi, Len Mattiace, Rocco Mediate, Chris Riley, John Rollins, Bob Estes, Kenny Perry, Loren Roberts, Scott McCarron, Steve Lowery.

* Top 15 from the 2002 European tour order of merit: Colin Montgomerie, Eduardo Romero, Adam Scott, Michael Campbell, Justin Rose, Angel Cabrera, Thomas Bjorn, Trevor Immelman, Stephen Leaney.

* Top 50 in the world ranking through the Colonial: Darren Clarke, Scott Verplank, Brad Faxon, Fred Couples, Paul Casey, Stuart Appleby, Niclas Fasth, Steve Flesch, Kirk Triplett, Bernhard Langer.

* Top two from 2002 Japanese tour money list, provided they are in top 75 in the world ranking: Toru Taniguchi.

* Top two from 2002 Australasian tour money list, provided they are in the top 75 in the world ranking: Craig Parry.

* Special exemptions: Tom Watson, Tom Kite, Hale Irwin.

* Sectional qualifiers: Brian Davis, Tom Gillis, Chad Campbell, Stewart Cink, Tim Clark, Brad Elder, Mark Calcavecchia, Chris Smith, Joe Ogilvie, Geoff Ogilvy, Rory Sabbatini, Jonathan Kaye, Bob Tway, Dean Wilson, Tim Petrovic, J.P. Hayes, Jesper Parnevik, David Smail, Kevin Sutherland, Trip Kuehne, Maarten Lafeber, Grant Waite, Fredrik Jacobson, John Maginnes, Billy Andrade, Bill Haas, Rod Pampling, Hidemichi Tanaka, Marco Dawson, Joe Durant, Kent Jones, Joey Sindelar, Jonathan Byrd, Alex Cejka, Brandt Jobe, Neal Lancaster, Brett Quigley, Darron Stiles, Craig Bowden, Dan Forsman, Richard Johnson, Cliff Kresge, Spike McRoy, Larry Mize, Chez Reavie, Tommy Armour, Woody Austin, Jay Don Blake, Olin Browne, Robert Damron, Brian Henninger, Roland Thatcher, Bob Burns, Ian Leggatt, Brian Gay, Jay Williamson.

* Local and sectional qualifiers: Christopher Baryla, Chris Anderson, Sean Murphy, Dicky Pride, Rob Bradley, John Holmes, Sean McCarty, Hiroshi Matsuo, Jason Knutzon, Bryce Molder, Roy Biancalana, Steve Gotsche, Tom Glissmeyer, Bret Guetz, Greg Hiller, Doug Dunakey, Alan Morin, Matt Seppanen, Cortney Brisson, Geoffrey Sisk, Ryan Dillon, Doug LaBelle, Mark Wurtz, Luke List, Anthony Arvidson, Bill Lunde, Rick Reinserg, Warren Schutte.