If the 2011 U.S. Open comes down to the 18th hole Sunday evening, we’ll probably be watching a long shot win the 2nd major this year.

That’s because the 18th hole is the longest Par 4 in U.S. Open Championship history at 523 yards. Even for the world’s best players that’s more than a driver and a pitching wedge. If you’re a golf fan, you hope the 18th hole matters when everything is on the line Sunday afternoon. The hole is built to create drama.

The story NBC is selling potential viewers is that this is Phil Mickelson’s chance to avenge five runner-up finishes in the U.S. Open. The bigger story (albeit less sexy) is that nobody has any idea what’s going to happen over the next four days. Ten different players have won the last 10 majors and it wouldn’t be hard for both those number to grow to 11 this week.

Go ahead, name any player that you think might win this thing and I guarantee someone else can make a reasonable argument why said player might not make the cut. Mickelson’s the most reliable superstar when it comes to major championship cuts, but do you really think there’s no way he loses a few drives left and right and goes 75-74-weekend at home?

Since Tiger Woods lost control of his life and his game, the golfing world hasn’t found its next staunch leader. A number of players have shown promise, but none have stepped into the role full time. That bothers many; it excites me.

This U.S. Open is a blank sheet of paper. Anybody (and I mean anybody) in the field is capable of writing a captivating story over the next four days. Let me give you a few stories to watch…

~ Dustin Johnson takes advantage of his length on the long Congressional Blue Course and makes amends for his collapse last year at Pebble Beach.

~ Rory McIlroy proves that there was nothing fluky about his performance the first three days at Augusta in April and closes the deal this week.

~ Sergio Garcia goes from out of the field to qualifying to winning and honoring the memory of the late, great Seve Ballasteros.

~ Phil Mickelson avoids his sixth runner up finish at the U.S. Open by taking home the title.

Those are stories that could be written, but my guess is the winner will be a story we don’t see yet. I believe it will be a name that most golf fans are probably glancing over at this moment. Someone they’re not marking down as a, “gotta watch this guy this week” kind of player.

That’s the new reality of golf. There’s no current dominator. Everyone seems stuck waiting for the next Tiger.

Not me, I’m fine being lost in this waiting game for a bit. I have no problem with being confounded by today’s premier players. I say, bring it on.

Bring on the U.S. Open. Bring on the ankle-deep rough. Bring on the vein-thin fairways. The greens that move like lighting. Give me four days of great golf, a tight leader board Sunday and a 72nd hole that means something….

That’s all this golf fan needs.