The 4th of July just got a little better.

Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge Saturday at 2 p.m. (E.D.T.) on NBC



Two weeks ago 29-year-old Lucas Glover conquered some of the toughest course conditions at Bethpage Black as he defeated golfers like Phil Mickelson and David Duvalto win the 109th U.S. Open.

This 4th of July you can see a spectacular star-studded foursome of amateur golfers compete on the very same course as they tee off from where the pros have under the challenging U.S. Open conditions when the Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge airs July 4th Saturday at 2 p.m. (EDT) on NBC Sports.

We received a email directly from the USGA with this enclosed:

"Headlining this year’s Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge:

• Michael Jordan, a six-time NBA champion and perhaps the most electrifying, clutch athlete ever, with tour star Fred Couples on his bag
• Ben Roethlisberger, the Pro Bowl QB who guided the Pittsburgh Steelers to two Super Bowl wins, with 2008 U.S. Open runner-up Rocco Mediate as his caddie
• Justin Timberlake, one of the world’s top entertainers, who vowed to better the 98 he shot at last year’s Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge at Torrey Pines. This year his looper is PGA Tour star Anthony Kim.

Our three celebrity contestants will be joined by Larry Giebelhausen, a 59-year-old police officer from Phoenix, Ariz., who will be representing 73,581 contestants in trying to break 100 on a U.S. Open setup – a challenge Tiger Woods sparked two years ago when he declared that a 10-handicapper could not break 100 at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club the way it had been set up for the 2007 U.S. Open. "

Be sure to have a safe and fun 4th of July!

YOU HEARD IT FIRST: 2014 Back-to-Back Opens

Exciting news has been confirmed about the 2014 U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open will be played back-to-back at North Carolina's Pinehurst No. 2 Resort & Country Club. The unique paring of the 2014 U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open will be the first time in history these events will be held on the same course one week after another.

The 2014 U.S. Open will take place June 12-15, shortly followed by the U.S. Women’s Open on June 19-22 and will be two weeks of exciting unforgettable championship golf unlike anything else.

David B. Fay the Executive Director of the United States Golf Association said,

"Two physical characteristics of Pinehurst No. 2 make it ideal for hosting these two championships in consecutive weeks: the course’s sand base, which minimizes the damage that comes from play, and the lack of rough around the greens. The concept is novel, but I have great confidence in the ability of our operations team, the people at Pinehurst and the whole golf community to make both championships an unquestionable success.

Pinehurst No. 2 has previously hosted nine USGA national championships, including the 2008 U.S. Amateur; the U.S. Open in 1999 and 2005; the 1994 U.S. Senior Open; the 1989 U.S. Women’s Amateur; and the 1962 U.S. Amateur. The 2014 U.S. Women’s Open will be the first conducted on this Donald Ross masterpiece in the sandhills of North Carolina.

The USGA is particularly indebted to the Pinehurst Resort, and especially its owner Bob Dedman, the Village of Pinehurst and the State of North Carolina for their wholehearted support of our plan for the 2014 U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open."

Be sure to make your plans early because tickets will sell out and hotels will be booked!