Thursday June 16, 2011, 07:12 AM

Golf's five top-ranked players will start the 111th US Open off the 10th tee on Thursday as a host of stars begin their major title bid on a testy par-3 hole firing to a waterside green.

In Congressional Country Club's revamped layout from its host role at the 1997 US Open, the former 18th hole has been flipped tee to green to become the 10th, featuring water in front of the green and bunkers to the back and side.

"It will be awkward," World No. 2 Lee Westwood said. "Obviously in the morning the ball is not quite flying as far, so starting on the 10th, it'll be a big shot."

The US Golf Association began starting players off the front and back nines in 2002 as a way to help ensure the full field of 156 could complete rounds of nearly five hours between dawn and dusk.

That means a Thursday or Friday start for everyone that sets up to be a 4-iron over water off an elevated tee to a green guarded by bunkers to the back and side.

"I can't see too many tougher holes to start on, especially off that back tee," said Ernie Els, the 1994 and 1997 US Open winner. "Your first hole of the day could be a 4-iron over water and a bunker at the back.

"Incredibly difficult start. So you have to be on right from the go. It'll be interesting to see how the guys cope."

The superstar feature group of World No. 1 Luke Donald, fellow Englishman Westwood and World No. 3 Martin Kaymer of Germany will begin off the 10th tee at 8:06 in the morning, the seventh trio to start the US Open on the back side.

"It's certainly a challenging start," Donald said. "I would have preferred to tee off one early on. It's not too often you begin on a par-3. It's just a different kind of feel. It's something you just have to deal with."

Fifth-ranked Phil Mickelson will celebrate his 46th birthday Thursday with an afternoon start on the back nine alongside fellow American Dustin Johnson and Northern Ireland star Rory McIlroy.

"It's fine being the first hole of the day because you are just trying to get into the flow of the round," Mickelson said. "And even though it's a tough shot, it's really only one shot. You have to hit an iron shot where you can get up and down."

Mickelson, however, is no fan of the 218-yard 10th hole.

"Eighteen is like a brilliantly designed golf hole -- I think 10 is the exact opposite," Mickelson said. "The average guy can't play that hole. He can't carry that water and get it stopped on that green."

Mickelson will be satisfied with four pars on the 10th for the week.

"When I play that hole, 3 is a great score. I'll take 3 every day, and if I happen to make a 4, so be it," he said.

"But you've got to take the front out of play, so you have to miss that hole long, and you might hit a shot out of the bunker. And I've spent some time out of that sand. I think I can get it up and down to most of those pins.

Hopefully I'll take the water out of play, be either on the back edge of the green or just over and be able to salvage some pars there. The whole back nine is a good stretch. Hopefully I can play them well and move on."

Others who start off the 10th tee Thursday include World No. 4 and US top man Steve Stricker, Japan's Ryo Ishikawa, Irishman Padraig Harrington, South Africans Charl Schwartzel and Retief Goosen, South Korean Yang Yong-Eun and Australia's Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy.

As if the 10th is not headache enough, it is followed by the 494-yard par-4 11th, an uphill march to a green flanked by water right and bunkers left.

"It's going to be a very tough start to the day and then you've got pretty much a 500-yard par-4 straight up the hill with a ditch on the right," said Westwood.

"To be honest, though, if you were given the opportunity to start anywhere on this golf course it would be a tough start because they're all tough holes. It's one of my favorite golf courses and probably one of the toughest and best tests if you're looking for an all-around player."

© 2011 AFP/sid