Can You Break 100 At Bethpage? 

Second Annual U.S. Open Challenge Set For June On Black Course

The 2009 contest presents a challenging twist right from the start as hopeful participants have only six words to explain why they think they can break a score of 100. Starting today golf fans can go to www.gdopencontest.com to submit their six-word essay. The submission period runs through Jan. 31, 2009.

John Atkinson, center, was the inaugural contest winner and got the chance to play Torrey Pines with three celebrities just prior to the 2008 U.S. Open. (USGA Museum)

Entrants may also submit a short video (less than 60 seconds) that further supports their six words. Contenders will be narrowed down to five finalists, with the winner to be chosen by the public, through online voting, in March and April.

The winner of the Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge will play 18 holes on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y. only days before the 2009 U.S. Open Championship. NBC will broadcast the round, which will include three celebrities accompanying the winning contestant, as a 90-minute television program on June 21, prior to its final round telecast of the U.S. Open.

"The passion for this opportunity that was expressed by golfers from every walk of life last year was overwhelming," said Jerry Tarde, Chairman and Editor-In-Chief of Golf Digest . "With the help of the USGA and NBC Sports, we hope to again create a very special and emotional day for one deserving winner."

The 2008 contest generated 56,374 essays and saw more than 117,000 people vote online for their favorite finalist. John Atkinson, a sales manager from Omaha, Neb., with an 8.0 USGA Handicap Index ®, won with more than 42 percent of the vote.

"The Challenge - through Golf Digest 's lead-up stories and the NBC broadcast of the competition - was a creative way of giving people a peek into what goes into setting up the U.S. Open every year," said USGA Executive Director David Fay. "It also provided a fun, informative platform through which we could promote some of our other core programs, including the USGA Handicap System, our role as equipment regulator and our impact - through our Green Section - on golf course conditioning. So we're delighted to participate again and to see how the average golfer fares on a very challenging golf course set up under U.S. Open conditions."

Golfers of all handicaps are eligible for the contest. The nationally televised round will be played under the same course conditions and USGA Rules that the U.S. Open competitors will face the following week.

"Last year's event exceeded our wildest expectations," said Jon Miller, Executive Vice President, NBC Sports. "The Challenge was embraced by the entire golf community, and one of the highlights was seeing some of the pros come out to watch and enjoy the event, and hearing their positive feedback. We can't wait to build on last year's success."

To enter the 2009 U.S. Open Challenge, visit www.gdopencontest.com . For more information about the Challenge and the 109th U.S. Open Championship at Bethpage Black, visit www.usopen.com . Additional details about the contest can also be found in the December issue of Golf Digest (on newsstands today) and at www.golfdigest.com , and www.nbcsports.com .

The USGA is the national governing body of golf in this country and Mexico, a combined territory that includes more than half the world's golfers and golf courses.

The Association's most visible role is played out each season in conducting 13 national championships, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Senior Open. Ten additional USGA national championships are exclusively for amateurs, and include the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Women's Amateur.

The USGA also writes the Rules of Golf, conducts equipment testing, provides expert course maintenance consultations, funds research for better turf and a better environment, maintains a Handicap System and administers an ongoing "For the Good of the Game" grants program, which has allocated more than $62 million over 11 years to successful programs that bring the game's values to youths from disadvantaged backgrounds and people with disabilities. For more information about the USGA, visit www.usga.org .