U.S. Open Champion.
"It'd look nice on the letterhead, wouldn't it?" mused Nick Faldo. He smiled. But he wasn't kidding."It's priority No. 1," the tall English ace said after a practice session for the 92nd American national championship that begins Thursday.
History, however, says the odds are stacked against Faldo, who has collected two British Open titles and a pair of Masters championships.
While European players - with Faldo among the leaders - have dominated recent play in the British Open and the Masters, Tony Jacklin in 1970 is the only European to win the U.S. Open since World War II.
"It's the numbers," Faldo said. "There are so few Europeans who qualify. It wasn't until 1983 that I was eligible.
"We have what? 11? 12? Europeans in the (156-man) field this year? And that's the most ever. It's just a matter of the numbers."
But this is a little different.
"Pebble Beach will help us," Faldo said. "We have a better chance here. It is more European in character and atmosphere - a lot of character and atmosphere."
And, in its present condition, it is a lot of golf course.
"It's pretty impressive," Faldo said.
Fairways have been cut to 30-35 yards in width. The rough is up. The greens are extremely hard and fast.
"This is the best U.S. Open course I've played.
"Obviously, there's going to be a lot of chipping and putting here. If you hit it in the rough, you're wondering what the hell you're going to do.
"There's a lot of strategy to playing this course. You have to hit specific spots at the right time," he said.
And Faldo, who has slipped from his No. 1 world ranking in the months since his 1990 British Open victory, has the game to do it.
"He should play very well here," said Jack Nicklaus, who won his third U.S. Open on this course in 1972 and was deprived of a fifth by Tom Watson's chip-in birdie on the 71st hole in 1982.
"I've been playing very well the last five weeks at home, in Europe," said Faldo.
"I'm comfortable with my swing. I'm comfortable with the golf course. I feel good," he said.