By Mark Garrod, PA Sport Golf Correspondent, Long Island

Nick Faldo, happy just to be playing the United States Open this week, now knows he will have to be at his sharpest to survive it.

"It's a brute," Faldo said after practising on Bethpage Black, at 7,214 yards the longest course ever used for the championship.

"And if Tiger shoots 12 under par here I'm definitely quitting."

Faldo, able to play his 60th successive major thanks to a special invitation from the United States Golf Association, was joking about that.

But the 44-year-old must be worried that this won't be the place for him to hit back at former coach David Leadbetter's recent description of him as "a carthorse."

"There's still a little life in the carthorse," added Faldo, again displaying a fairly relaxed attitude and adding to the image by sporting a cap with "I Love New York" emblazoned on it.

It has not always been his way - and he accepts that.

After holding a clinic for amateurs at a local club at the weekend Faldo reflected on the "tunnel vision" attitude he thought best served him as he went about the business of winning his six majors between 1987 and 1996.

"That was me, the way I felt I had to be. I liked the thought of being intimidating to some players.

"I was out there trying to win golf tournaments, to win majors, to be the best player in the world.

"That's the way I felt I had to go about it and I was successful in what I was trying to do."

Leadbetter's comment in an American magazine was perhaps a little harsh considering Faldo has been showing definite signs of a re-emergence this season with six top 15 finishes, including the Masters in April.

His last appearance was fourth in the Volvo PGA championship at Wentworth three weeks ago - the special invitation from the USGA followed three days later - but it remains a fact that in the power game Faldo is a bit of a powder-puff.

And, once again, he acknowledges that.

"I was tearing my hair out up until about two years ago wondering what happened to my game and could I get it back," he said.

That reached its nadir in the Open at Carnoustie in 1999 when he missed the halfway cut for the second successive year.

"It took me a while to realise that I was never going to get it back. I couldn't be what I once was, that's that.

"I'm older, have more interests away from the golf course and don't have the time or desire I once did to devote to practising.

"I still think I can be competitive, but I know my chances of winning this week are much longer than they used to be."

His reference to Woods finishing 12 under was a reminder of the world number one's performance at Pebble Beach two years ago.

The 15-stroke winning margin there remains the biggest win in major championship history, but while he has not been able to get anywhere near that since Woods remains the dominant character in the game - and, inevitably, the favourite at Bethpage.

Victory would put him halfway towards golf's first-ever Grand Slam of all four major titles in one season and, having lifted all four in succession but across two years, he sees no reason why it should not be possible.

Before Thursday's start, though, there is as much talk about how everyone will cope with the course as there is about how they will cope against Woods.

They are all agreed that the sign by the first tee is not misplaced.

"Warning," it reads. "The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Course Which We Recommend Only For Highly Skilled Golfers."

And it is not just the length that is intimidating.

Open champion David Duval said he did not see how anybody could hope to do well if they pay more than a few trips to the fearsome rough.

"The guy who wrote about breaking the scoring record must have been talking about the Brown course." There are five on the complex, but as in skiing Black signifies the toughest.

"People said that the greens were pretty flat," commented Faldo. "Well, I haven't had a straight putt yet."

And defending champion Retief Goosen said: "If you miss the fairway you're pretty much stuck. You're going to be lucky sometimes just to get it back on the fairway."

And Colin Montgomerie, asked for an assessment of his chances before he even ventured out for his first look, replied: "Maybe if Tiger Woods withdraws.

"That's a good maybe, isn't it? Short of that, we'll have to do battle."

And things are tough even before you tee off.

Jean Van de Velde, who qualified last week, did not have any registration papers on his arrival. Because of the tight security he was sent to various places before he was allowed in - two hours later.