Payback. Revenge. Retribution.

These aren't words we often hear in golf.

Football? Sure. Teams want to avenge embarrassing losses all the time. Basketball and hockey? It's what provides the glory of playoff series as teams that were humiliated in one game extract a pound of flesh in the next. Boxing? That's why we pony up pay-per-view bucks to see a rematch.

But golf has so few mano-a-mano battles, the notion of payback is rarely part of the equation. However, as the U.S. Open approaches, revenge may be the No. 1 factor to keep in mind as you prepare your fantasy roster for ESPN's Best Ball Majors Challenge.

First, let's remember how our game works. Your job is to assemble a fantasy foursome of golfers who will work together to post the best round possible using "best ball" rules. Basically, your four players' scorecards are combined and you get the lowest score of any of your four players on each hole. So if three of your pros dump their tee balls into the water and the final one dunks his ProV1 into a hole-in-one shot, you get credit for the ace, and all those waterlogged bogeys melt away like it never happened. That's huge, because this game is built on birdies and eagles, not overall scores. Also, you still have a budgetary limit of 50 fantasy bucks to spend on your active roster. So if you want to spend exactly 12.5 on four players, it's your prerogative. If you'd rather spend 44 on your top three players and then fill your last slot with the guy who drives the armored ball-collection cart on the range, you're well within your rights.

While all of the above rules apply to everyone who participates in the ESPN Best Ball Majors Challenge, there are two versions of the game you can join. You can choose one or the other, or play both. We're just that accommodating.

For those of you who enjoyed the setup for Best Ball Majors from the past several years, you can tee it up in the exact same way this year via our "round lock" format, with the ability to replace the players in your fantasy foursome before each round. Feel free to swap out players who are underperforming and take advantage of low-rent options who are exceeding their paychecks. You never have to worry about a player making the cut, because if he doesn't you can simply plug in an active player.

Then there's the other choice. In a return to the primordial soup that spawned ESPN Best Ball, fantasy players can choose the "tournament lock" scoring track in which they pick four golfers at the start of the U.S. Open and stick with them through for the entire tournament. You score what they score. If one misses the cut, that's it. Basically, it's more like real golf in which you have to make the best of a bad lie.

There are separate leaderboards and prizes for both scoring tracks, and while picking the best players is a good idea in both versions of the game, the strategy you should employee is drastically different. You might ask, "Why?"

The answer is, once again, "Payback."

Last year, when Congressional hosted the U.S. Open, Rory McIlroy won with a stunning 16-under par final score. That's the kind of winning mark we expect to see at The Transitions Championship or the Valero Texas Open. Not to disparage either event, but the courses that host those tournaments are laid out to let very good golfers put up gaudy numbers. U.S. Open courses are supposed to punish even the truly great golfers and make them wish they'd taken up tennis or lacrosse or curling. A year ago, 20 players finished under par. That might be 20 too many as far as the USGA is concerned.

So now word is the USGA is out for retribution, meaning it has set up the Olympic Club in a way that will make birdies rarer than flat streets in San Francisco. The course has been stretched out to a worthy 7,170 yards and will play to a par of 70, but it's not the length that's likely to torture the pros. The Olympic Club is set among many hills and valleys, subject to gusty coastal winds and features more doglegs than a puppy farm. With several landing areas sloped away from the holes' contours and funneling the ball toward carnivorous rough, players are going to be severely punished for any errors made in judging direction or distance.

So what does this all mean to you, the fantasy player? It depends which version of our game you're playing.

If you are playing the "round lock" format, you should feel free to fill your team with riverboat gamblers who will try to make birdie from anywhere, bogey-be-damned. After all, the more conservative players will be trying to win this game by avoiding big numbers, counting on the notion that even par might just make them a major champion. That might help them win, but it won't light up your birdie meter.

Conversely, if you are one of the people who is kicking it "old school" and committing to a fantasy foursome for the entire tournament up front, it makes sense to play conservative and select four players with a legitimate chance of making the cut, since four rounds from cautious players are likely to provide you with better results, compared to just two rounds from a bomb-and-gouger.

Are there a few names out there who could benefit both types of fantasy rosters? Yes, though you'll pay for that luxury more often than not. That said, let's get to the golfers and see who will pay you back for your faith and who might just fall victim to payback.

Grip and Rip

Lee Westwood: Any time you discuss "the best player to never win a major," Westwood's name comes up, and it will continue to do so until he wins one. Could this be it? Absolutely. He has finished in the top 16 the past four times the U.S. Open has been played in California , including a tie for seventh at The Olympic Club in 1998. Westie also has eight top-10 finishes in his past 11 majors, all without a title. But you don't really need him to win. You need him to make the cut and make birdies if you're going to spend 14.9 on him. He hasn't missed a cut on U.S. soil so far in 2012, and he ranks ninth in birdie average. Altogether, he makes for one of those very rare players who is equally valuable on either scoring track.

Hunter Mahan: Mahan has a spotty past in Majors, but the man has a game that was built for cruel conditions. He's one of the most accurate drivers on tour but has plenty of distance. He makes birdies, but his scoring average is even better before the cut, which makes him a safe bet in groups in which you cannot swap your roster out. Best of all, Mahan is playing the best golf of his life. In just 10 starts this season, he's already won twice. His 14.7 price is expensive, but few players have an all-around game better suited for a course in which hitting fairways and greens will be so important.

Graeme McDowell: Who has been the most accurate driver on the PGA Tour this year? Mr....