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We have finally arrived at the second major of the 2015-16 season. Don't blink, though, because three of these big boy events are going to fly by in the next 60 days. Let's look at what you need to know this week for the 116th U.S. Open at Oakmont.

1. Not sure if you've heard this, but the U.S. Open will be difficult this year. I know this is pretty different than every other U.S. Open year, but we're in for a real treat this time around. The average winning score at Oakmont in its eight U.S. Opens is two strokes higher than the average winning score at U.S. Opens overall since 1930. Also, we have physical evidence that this is not, in fact, the John Deere Classic.

Back to the traditional US Open set up here at Oakmont.

A video posted by Graeme McDowell (@graeme_mcdowell) on

2. Field breakdown. This year's field includes all of the following:

  • 89 Americans
  • 50 of the top 50 in the world (for the first time all year, I believe)
  • 11 amateurs (down from 17 last year)
  • Oldest is 52, youngest is 19
  • Three players with 22 or more U.S. Open appearances (Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Jim Furyk)
  • 23 major winners

3. A winemaker, a 52-year-old rookie and the son of a sportswriter walk into a bar. This is not a joke, nor is it a drill. The U.S. Open is always rife with great stories about guys you've never heard of and will likely never hear of again. Here are a few of those.

4. It's difficult to see a no-name winning. I keep going back to this question: "Who do I trust when the chips are down and somebody needs to shoot a 73 on Sunday to win?" U.S. Opens have notoriously produced no-name winners in the past, but this track seems forged to keep the likes of David Lingmerth, Danny Lee and Chris Wood from hoisting a trophy. As for who actually will hoist that silver prize, I keep coming back to my answer in No. 14.

5. This course is actually relatively short. At 7,200 yards, it will play the same as it did in 2007. It won't overpower you, but it doesn't need to to beat you into submission. Even more startling is that there are no water hazards and no blind shots (although it does include the longest par 3 in Open history). Just pure, straightforward fury from the toughest course in the nation. Tiger Woods once said a 10-handicap couldn't crack three digits.

6. Several stars are limping into the Open. Justin Rose noted on Tuesday that he just picked up his driver a few days ago after taking a month off and insinuated he was less than 100 percent. Jason Day has a cold. (Jason Day sort of always has a cold though, doesn't he?) Phil Mickelson is flying cross-country to his daughter's graduation in California and back. He's not exactly limping, but he's also not exactly focused.

Here's the thing about all of this: These are golfers I think will play well this week. You need distractions leading up to a U.S. Open (unless you're a robot like Spieth) to cushion the blow for when Oakmont comes out swinging on Thursday morning.

7. This week is not exactly going to be ... fun. Here's how Day described it.

"U.S. Opens are always stressful, but it's just a different kind of pressure stressful situation. This U.S. Open, you just get out there and it's like, 'OK I've just got to somehow survive this week and hopefully it works out.'"

Jim Furyk said it was like going to the principal's office. Rory McIlroy said it lacks the excitement of an Augusta.

On that note ...

8. If you're a viewer, I hope you don't enjoy birdies. There won't be many of them. Only two golfers broke par in the most recent round at Oakmont (the final round of the 2007 U.S. Open). Only 23 golfers have ever played an entire four rounds here under par. That's less than two per U.S. Open on this track. The U.S. Open always produces a course that outshines most of the players. This year, that more true than many in recent memory. It's one of the all-time great tracks in American golf history.

Here is the logic behind the way it was constructed, according to the Oakmont Country Club website.

[Creator] H.C. [Fownes] studied his land, then fitted his course to it, much like Beethoven listening to a messenger only he could hear. Most courses are "strategic" in layout, offering the golfer more than one route to the green, but Oakmont was the prototypical "penal" course, offering one way, the straight-and-narrow. If you stray, you pay.

9. So how do you win? The traditional thought here is that fairways hit and scrambling are at a premium because of the insane rough. Jordan Spieth however does not understand how players who missed the fairway still played well back in 2007.

"Fairways or first cut, I think, is the most important statistic for me to focus on this week," said Spieth. "But it's interesting looking back, it wasn't that important at the last U.S. Open. I can't seem to fathom why. I mean, out of the fairways I've missed in these practice rounds so far, I've maybe hit a green in regulation once when I haven't been in the first cut."

Even more important than not being in the rough is what being in the fairways allows you to do on the greens. That is, hit shots below the hole so you give yourself a chance at birdies.

"Those greens are the toughest greens in the country,'' Johnny Miller told ESPN of his famous 63 to win the 1973 Open here. "You just have to be a great ball striker. You have to put the ball underneath the hole. In that 63, I only had two balls above the hole in 18 greens hit. That was the secret to that round.''

10. Is Jordan Spieth's play at the majors ... underrated? Spieth will be one of the most discussed players in the field this week (and he should be). In his last 20 major rounds, Spieth has shot four of them over par and 12 of them in the 60s. This includes two Masters (one of them brutal) and two Opens (U.S. and British). Remind me again why you think he'll play poorly this week.

11. This is Rory's 30th major. That was a stunning number to me. If he wins this week, it will be his fifth win in 30 starts at majors. Tiger Woods has 14 wins in 75 starts. That would be what we in the business call "tracking."

12. Sleepers I love (but wouldn't bet on): Kevin Chappell (100-1), Jason Dufner (100-1), Jim Furyk (100-1), Kevin Kisner (125-1), Justin Thomas (125-1), Emiliano Grillo (125-1) and Bill Haas (150-1). All great ball-strikers. All consistent players.

13. Tiger Woods will not win. I promise.

14. Jason Day will win. It seems too ... obvious, which means he will probably miss the cut. But Day is one of just five players to make the cut at each of the last five U.S. Opens. Of those five players, he has the best cumulative score by nine strokes over Matt Kuchar. His average finish is 15th in that span as well. Oh yeah, and he's had one of the greatest 20-tournament stretches we have ever seen in professional golf.

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Rickie Fowler preps for a U.S. Open. USATSI