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June is always US Open month and many of the world's top golfing superstars will be descending on New York next week for the USGA's showpiece.
Ahead of that though, the European Tour's best will be heading to Wales to compete in the Wales Open. The tournament has an added spice with the presence of next year's Ryder Cup captains in the field.
Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin, the captains of Europe and the United States respectively for the 2010 Ryder Cup, will come together in a competitive arena for the first time since their respective appointments when they line up in The Celtic Manor Wales Open this weekend at The Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, South Wales.
Montgomerie, who was selected as European Captain in January, will be playing in his seventh Celtic Manor Wales Open and competing for the second time on The Twenty Ten Course - the first course in history built specifically to host The Ryder Cup.
The course has been designed by European Golf Design (EGD) under the guidance of its head designer, Ross McMurray who enjoyed regular consultations with Robert Trent Jones Jr, the architect of the original Wentwood Hills course that hosted The Celtic Manor Wales Open on five occasions between 2000 and 2004.
For Pavin, who took over the reins from Paul Azinger last December, it will be his first visit to the Celtic Manor Resort and his first look at a course where his charges will tackle Montgomerie's European Team from October 1-3, 2010. Not surprisingly, the 49-year-old Californian admitted he was very much looking forward to the prospect, ahead of one of his few forays into Europe.
Throughout his career Pavin has not travelled away from American shores too often, with the exception of the Open Championship. Over the next 18 months or so in his role as Captain, he will be building up his air miles significantly back and forth across the pond for promotional and tactical visits.
The Twenty Ten course opened for play in July 2007. The first course to be built specifically for golf's greatest team tournament, it measures a robust 7,493 yards off the back tees and has a par of 71.
An overwhelming desire amongst those behind the design of the Ryder Cup course was to develop 18 holes that would provide a supreme challenge to the world's best golfers in match play conditions. This wish manifests itself in the extensive use of water features that have been designed to present players with classic match dilemmas.
Long-driving players are offered the opportunity to chance their arms over long carries of water but those that do so will be spurning the safety-first approach and will do so at their own risk.
This weekend however it will be stroke-play and not match play that is the test awaiting the Tour's best players. The nature of the course will provide a tournament littered with more birdies than an average week, but at the same time a considerable bogey and double bogey count.
This is a spectator's dream and should make for exciting viewing. Australian Scott Strange is defending his title this week and will have his work cut out in a field full of Ryder Cup veterans, certainties and hopefuls all vying for the title of Wales Open Champion, playing their way in to form for the US Open and at the same time hoping to catch the eye of Captain Colin.
It should be an exciting few days down in the valleys.
