THEATER IS A

Expect plenty of drama & noise at

THE par-3 17th hole on the Black Course at Bethpage was a tranquil setting yesterday. Groups of golfers lumbered through, hitting one or two tee shots before putting from various points on the two-tier green.

Once they had committed enough information to memory, players like Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Charles Howell III, and Scott Laird began their trudge up the hill toward the 18th tee. Some stopped to sign a few autographs along the way, but the only real cheer of note came when Mickelson handed a golf ball to 4-year-old McKenzie Lall, who was sitting atop the shoul- ders of her dad, Keston.

Expect the atmosphere to be much more energized when The Barclays begins play tomorrow. By Sunday, it should border on surreal. The 17th green has been transformed into a mini-amphitheater that figures to be the loudest spot on the golf course.

An estimated $2 million worth of corporate tents border the sides of the green, while grandstands behind the green are large enough to seat about 2,000. Add the standing room along the ropes and figure about 5,000 people will be surrounding the 17th hole waiting for the leaders to come through for a FedEx finish.

“I’ve said before that that’s my favorite hole in golf — my favorite par 3, for sure,” said 2011 PGA champion, Keegan Bradley, who played the course often while attending St. John’s. “I just love it. It’s going to be a lot of fun. As usual, the New York fans are going to be loud. We were hearing them a little bit [yesterday]. It makes it more fun for us.’’

The additional skyboxes and grandstands should only add more character and characters to a hole that produced a number of memorable moments during the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Opens. It was at the 17th where Scott Hoch made a hole-in-one on Sunday of the 2002 U.S. Open and received extended chants of “U-S-A… U-S-A” for wearing a golf shirt depicting an American flag and the skyline of New York. It spoke to the hearts of a crowd still recovering from the devastation of 9/11.

It also was on the 17th where the gallery serenaded Mickelson with a rousing rendition of “Hap-