10 golfers to watch
at the 2015 US Open
The second Major of 2015 promises to offer a different tournament to the
majority of US Opens as it heads to the Pacific Northwest for the first time at
Chambers Bay.
The course, in University Place, Washington, has more in common with a
traditional British-style Links course rather than the tough tracks usually
associated with a US Open.
by
ozmafan
USGA executive director Mike Davis has recommended players put in plenty of
practice before the tournament starts on June 18 in order to get used to the
big fairways and undulating greens amid criticism from some golfers.
Due to the venue, there is little course form to go on when it comes to
trying to pick a winner this year as
Peter
Uihlein, who won the 2010 US Amateur at Chambers Bay in 2010, missed out on
a play-off in qualifying by one shot.
He would certainly have been of interest had he booked his place in the field.
Therefore, there is the prospect of a shock winner of the US Open this year.
However, to try to mark your card in advance of the tournament, here are 10
players it’s worth keeping an eye out for:
RICKIE FOWLER
by
Chris Breikss
Fowler’s
stunning win at The Players Championship at Sawgrass offered further indication that he is
finally ready to win the first Major of his career. Fowler produced a
mesmerising display over the closing four holes to force a play-off with a
final round of 67 and he produced more sublime golf to claim the biggest win of
his career. Prior to that victory, Fowler hadn’t finished in the top 10
in 2015 and he was only in a tie for 12th in the Masters at Augusta. However,
Fowler was a model of consistency in the Majors in 2014. He was tied fifth in
the Masters, tied for the runners-up spot in both the US Open and The Open
before being in a tie for third at the PGA. His confidence should be sky high
after his Sawgrass success and he has the all-round game to make an impact at
Chambers Bay.
DUSTIN JOHNSON
by
Keith Allison
After a troubled time in 2014, Johnson has returned to the course in 2015 in
solid form and his driving ability is going to give him a chance at Chambers
Bay given the size of the fairways. He has yet to win a Major and famously held
a one-shot lead standing on the final tee in the 2010 PGA Championship before a
penalty saw him miss out on a play-off which was won by Martin Kaymer. Johnson
finished in a tie for fourth behind Kaymer in last year’s US Open and
that showed he has the game to be a contender in this Major. So far this year,
Johnson
has won the WGC-Cadillac Championship, finished second in the Northern
Trust Open and in a tie for fourth at Pebble Beach. He was also tied sixth at
the Masters and the Texas Open.
HIDEKI MATSUYAMA
Matsuyama will be bidding to go one better than Isao Aoki by becoming the
first Japanese golfer to win a Major. Aoki finished second to Jack Nicklaus in
the 1980 US Open and Matsuyama certainly has the talent to create history. A closing round off 66 earned
Matsuyama
a
fifth-place finish at the Masters and
he was tied for 10th in the US Open two years ago. He also finished in a tie
for sixth in The Open in the same year. At just 23, Matsuyama has time on his
side to win a Major, but his form this year indicates he already has the game
to be a contender. In addition to his top five at the Masters, Matsuyama was
also in a tie for second at the Phoenix Open and a tie for fourth in the
Northern Trust Open. It will be fascinating to see how he handles the
conditions at Chambers Bay.
RORY MCILROY
by
TourProGolfClubs
McIlroy will be ignoring Davis’ advice to
put in the hours at Chambers Bay ahead
of the tournament by playing just three practice rounds in the week before it
gets underway. It’s a strategy which has served the Northern Irishman
well in the past as he followed a similar approach before winning his first
Major in 2011 – the US Open at Congressional. On that occasion he set a
record US Open score of 16 under, just two months after his dramatic collapse in
the final round of the Masters. He has since won three more Majors and he has
largely been in sensational form in 2015. He has won the Dubai Desert Classic,
the WGC-Cadillac Match Play Championship and the Wells Fargo at Quail Hollow,
where he set a course record of 61 in the third round. He missed the cut at the
European Tour’s flagship event – the PGA Championship at Wentworth
– but that was on the back of a heavy schedule. McIlroy will be refreshed
for the start of the US Open and
when this article was produced he was
generally 9/2 to win again.
PHIL MICKELSON
by
Jim Epler
Will this finally be the year that Mickelson gets his hands on the only
Major to elude him in his career? Mickelson has finished runner-up in the US
Open more times than he has actually won a Major, his six second places
eclipsing his five wins.
In
2013, Mickelson held a one-shot lead going into the final round of the US Open before having to settle
for second behind Justin Rose. He recovered from that disappointment to win the
Scottish Open and then The Open at Muirfield, with an impressive final-round
performance, to dispel the oft-mentioned doubts about Mickelson’s ability
to win on a Links course. Now that he has proved he can be successful on a
Links course, that will stand him in good stead for this unique test, certainly
compared to other American courses, which awaits at Chambers Bay.
Mickelson’s general form in 2015 would be a concern as he has largely
failed to fire and missed the cut at The Players. However, he subsequently
finished in a tie for fourth in the Wells Fargo and he was also tied for second
in the Masters. Generally speaking, the bigger the tournament, the better
Mickelson plays, irrespective of the form he has been in.
IAN POULTER
Well
several players have played Chambers Bay in prep for US Open. The
reports back are its a complete farce. I guess someone has to win.
— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter)
April 29, 2015
The Englishman has been at the centre of much of the debate about the state
of the course at Chambers Bay in recent weeks after tweeting that he had been
told the course was a ‘farce’. That isn’t Poulter’s
experience of the course and he is only planning to practice at the venue in
the days leading up to the US Open.
Given the headlines that have been generated, Poulter is one to watch closely on
the West Coast as he bids for a first Major title. The US Open has never been
the Major where Poulter has performed to his best, with a tie for 12th in 2006
and a tie for 17th last year his best efforts. However, he has been playing
well in patches this year, finishing in a tie for third at the Honda Classic
and a tie for sixth at the Masters after back-to-back rounds of 67 over the
weekend. He also tied for fifth at the Crowne Plaza International at Colonial
after sitting second going into the final round. There have been times this
year when Poulter has bemoaned the state of his putting and that would be a
concern given the undulating nature of the greens at Chambers Bay. But the
testing nature of the greens could bring out the best in Poulter as he looks to
silence the critics who recently
voted him
the most over-rated golfer in golf, alongside Fowler. And we know how Fowler
responded to that criticism.
JUSTIN ROSE
by
Oliver Gunning
Since finishing in a tie for fourth at the 1998 Open as an amateur, Rose has
always threatened to be a golfer capable of winning a Major. He finally
achieved that feat two years ago
when
winning the US Open at Merion. He started the final round two shots adrift of
Mickelson, but he held his nerve down the closing stretch to beat the American
and Jason Day by two shots. He finished in a tie for 12th in defence of his
title last year and the peculiar demands of the Chambers Bay course are
unlikely to faze the 34-year-old. This year, Rose’s form has been on the
inconsistent side as he missed the cut in three of his first four tournaments.
However, he was in excellent form at Augusta to finish in a tie for second and
he followed that up by
winning the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with a score of 22 under. He missed the
cut at The Players, but while he is battling to find a consistent level of form
in 2015, it would be dangerous to dismiss his chances.
ADAM SCOTT
by
Hone Morihana
Of all the players struggling to come to terms with the impending rule
change which will ban anchored putters, Scott is the one who appears to be suffering
the most. He started the year with a short putter before returning to his
belly putter, which will be
outlawed by the end of the year. It has almost left the Australian in a
state of flux and, given how tough the greens are at Chambers Bay, watching
Scott on the putting surface at the US Open is going to make for captivating
viewing. His only top-20 finish so far in 2015 was when he was tied fourth at
the WGC-Cadillac Championship back in March. The former Masters champion was
only in a tie for 38th at Augusta this year to further underline the
difficulties he has been experiencing. He also doesn’t have the best US
Open record on his CV after missing the cut six times. However, his finish in a
tie for ninth 12 months ago was his best effort to date.
JUSTIN SPIETH
The great American golfing hope heads into the second Major of the year as
the
winner of the first after a performance at Augusta which belied his youth. The
21-year-old produced an exemplary display over four rounds to demonstrate he
can handle the pressure of leading from the front. His Masters triumph is
merely part of a successful 2015 to date which has also seen
Spieth
win the Valspar Championship. He has also finished second, or tied for
second, in the Texas Open, the Houston Open and the Crowne Plaza. Spieth will
now be aiming to take that form into the US Open, having been the leading
amateur when finishing in a tie for 21st three years ago. He was in a tie for
17th last year. The fact Spieth doesn’t have to rely on hitting the ball
long distances off the tee will help him to get good position on the fairway.
He was superb with the putter for most of the Masters and he looks capable of
getting a handle on how the greens are playing quicker than most of his rivals.
TIGER WOODS
by
Keith Allison
At some point, there will come a time when Woods will be casually overlooked
when talking about possible Major winners, but there is still a mystifying
‘something’ which keeps the former world number one in your
thoughts. At 16/1 for the US Open, he isn’t a betting proposition given
his form so far this year following his return from a back problem.
He
shot a second round of 82 – the worst of his career – when missing the cut at the Phoenix
Open before then withdrawing from the Farmers Insurance Open. Woods briefly
flickered at the Masters before a disappointing final round saw him finish in a
tie for 17th and, after scrambling through to the weekend, he was in a tie for
69th at The Players Championship. Woods has not won a Major since winning his
14th at the 2008 US Open and it is looking increasingly doubtful that he will
match Nicklaus’ record of 18. Two of his three US Open wins have come on
the Pacific coast and there will always be anticipation when Woods steps on to
the first tee. But given the way he has been blowing hot and cold with his
putter on his rare appearances this season, allied to the ongoing work on his
swing, it would be a major surprise if he triumphs at Chambers Bay. Yet he is
still not quite at that point in his career where you can completely dismiss
his chances.
10 golfers to watch at the 2015 US Open - Handicappers Hideaway
