"I think they made a mistake and I'm sure they learned from it," Singh said at a news conference. "I told Tom Meeks, 'If you lose the golf course, you'd better hide. But there's going to be no place to hide, because we're going to find you.' "

Singh was kidding — sort of — and everyone in the room laughed. Then he took another swipe at Meeks and USGA president Fred Ridley and vice president Walter Driver.

"I just want to know if they ever go out and play the golf course on Sunday to find out how difficult it is," Singh said. "None of those guys are ever going to break 100, if they try, if they set it up like they did at the U.S. Open last year."

Hearing Singh's challenge later, Driver said in a news conference, "Fred and I will take that bet that we can break 100."

Again, everyone laughed. Apparently time heals some wounds.

But no one was laughing last year as the wind howled in the final round. Greens dried out and the grounds crew didn't water them enough. That made putting conditions absurdly difficult, especially on the seventh green, which was mistakenly rolled and made ever faster. The average final-round score was 78.73 on the par-70 layout. At least that wasn't as bad as Billy Mayfair's closing 89.

Phil Mickelson, the runner-up to Retief Goosen last year, also took his shot with a veiled warning for the USGA on Tuesday.

"I feel as though without rain, and it doesn't look like we're going to get any, we have the potential for 18 holes that could be like No. 7 at Shinnecock," Mickelson said.

Golfers are worried that Pinehurst will play as tough as Shinnecock Hills, where the average final-round score was 78.73 on the par-70 layout. Kathy Willens • Associated Press

"If it doesn't rain, you can't stop the ball on the greens," Singh said. "I've been hitting wedges and it's not spinning back. It's taking one big hop and stopping."

Singh added that the grounds crew "should keep watering it and not let nature takes its course."

Driver promised he would keep a close watch on the sky above Pinehurst.

"We're very attuned to weather conditions and we're working closely with the Pinehurst people," he said. "And if we need to put water on the greens, we will."

Add to that the challenge of high rough that seems to be sucking golf balls to the ground, tricky areas around the greens and the greens themselves that don't hold approach shots easily and you are left with a lot of players concerned about what the USGA considers a fair but tough test of golf.

"Fair and tough, what is fair and what is tough?" Singh said. "What is impossible? You have to define all those. Last year was impossible. This golf course can get impossible today. If the wind blows, it's almost impossible to keep the ball on the greens."