LIV Golf shadow looms large over US Open, but Irish trio can make their mark

There's likely to be a sense of some relief among the leading contenders this week as soon as the first ball is struck in the 122nd US Open because that might just mark an end of question after question about the current state of the game which is in considerable flux right now.

Brooks Koepka, a winner of the title twice in the last five years, labelled the press conference inquisition of players here on all matters 'LIV’ as a ‘black cloud’ such has been the lack of discussion about the actual championship.

Whatever about the final product served up near Hemel Hempstead last week, the PR department of golf’s new interloper tour, must feel their promotional efforts knocked it out of the park because not even a riveting conclusion on the PGA Tour’s Canadian Open on Sunday and a performance of considerable charisma by Rory McIlroy, could change the agenda.

The week would, in usual circumstances, be filled with references to Francis Ouimet’s fairytale-like 1913 success as a 20-year-old amateur who grew up in a house by the 17th fairway or perhaps the extraordinary story of the ‘Battle of Brookline’ Ryder Cup comeback by the USA in 1999 where that penultimate hole proved a pivotal site in determining the outcome.

Instead we have the wind behind ‘Saudi money’ story which is not likely to abate any time soon.

The non-US Open theme of the press conferences began early afternoon on Monday, when the richest player on LIV Golf’s roster Phil Mickelson straight-batted every question in a display of stoic rehearsed retorts which will likely go down as far and away his dullest interview in history.

That wasn’t entirely of his own doing because not a single question was asked of the six-time major winner about his unique US Open record of six