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U.S. Open starts Thursday at Congressional
U. S. Open Golf Preview
Tees Off: Thursday, June 16
Congressional Country Club - Bethesda, MA
The last time a U.S. Open was played at the Congressional, the final hole was a par-3. In the years since, course architect Rees Jones has made some changes that will see the 2011 U.S. Open’s final hole be a par-4.
The 1997 Open occurred right after Tiger Woods had staked his claim as the future of the sport, when he dominated the field and won his very first major at The Masters. Ernie Els won his second U.S. Open in a four-year span after Tom Lehman over hooked his approach shot on 17 and it found the water that surrounds the green.
Things have changed quite a bit in the golf world since then, and the majors results are one of the reasons. The past four major winners going back to Graeme McDowell’s win in the U.S. Open last year, have all been first-time major winners. Going back to Padraig Harrington’s win in the 2008 PGA Championship, the last 10 majors have all had different winners. Golfers today have become more fit and ready to win than in any era of the game's history. Young players don't fear winning and veterans have learned how to use their experience as an advantage. With that being said, this could be the most wide-open field in the history of the U.S. Open, there are many players that could win this week and handicapping the field is nearly impossible.
Woods will not be present this year, after announced that injuries, mainly lingering issues with his left leg, will cause him to miss the Open. Tiger created a PGA Tour stop at this course starting in 2007 after the Washington D.C. Tour event had evaporated. Back then, Woods alone had the power to draw AT&T as a corporate sponsor for a new event, one that would benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation. Congressional hosted the 2007-09 AT&T National, which is taking place in Pennsylvania this year as it did in 2010, so Congressional could host the U.S. Open this year. Congressional will be the annual host of the event again starting in 2012.
Thursday will mark the first round of play for the 156 players in the field, with several golfers having a good shot to win, including:
Phil Mickelson (12/1): The course could be a good fit for his risky style of play. Mickelson has won four majors, but never the U.S. Open. He’s come close, finishing second an amazing five times (1999, ‘02, ‘04, ‘06 and ‘09). Lefty's been Mr. Consistent, making every cut so far this season, with one win and four top-10s, and is the second-highest Yank currently in the world rankings.
Steve Stricker (18/1) is playing the most consistent this year and has come close to winning a Major on a couple recent occasions. Stricker is coming off a victory at the Memorial Tournament last Sunday in which he built a big lead with extraordinary play in the third round and early in the fourth and then held on down the stretch, making enough clutch par saves to earn a congratulatory handshake from tournament founder Jack Nicklaus. It was Stricker's sixth victory in the last three years and his seventh since he turned 40. It also pushed him up to No. 4 in the Official World Golf Ranking; he is the highest-ranked American, trailing only Luke Donald and Lee Westwood of England and Martin Kaymer of Germany.
Matt Kuchar (20/1) is playing the best golf of his life and could be ready to break through for his first Major title. Although Kuchar has yet to win a major, he certainly has the game to do so—a game that is well-suited for the Congressional. He has length and accuracy. He keeps his consistency with solid putting and staying out of trouble. These are all traits that usually spell success at the U.S. Open. He finished sixth at last year's Pebble Beach U.S. Open, but he does not have a good track record of success in majors. That sixth-place finish was only his second top-10 in a major. However, he seems poised to break down that barrier this year. Of course, that is a barrier he has seemed poised to break down for a while.
There are several foreign-born players that could also contend this week and Lee Westwood (12/1) has to be the favorite from this group. Westwood has challenged repeatedly over the last few years and could make another run at Congressional. He has yet to pick up a PGA Tour win in 2011, but he's been busy on the other side of the Pacific. Over a two-week span in late April, Westwood won the Indonesian Masters and the Ballantine's Championship in South Korea. Despite claiming a trophy on every continent, the world's No. 2 is still looking to earn his first major.
Luke Donald (12/1) took over the number one spot in the world for a short time this year and has a game that is very steady. If he can find enough fairways this week, he could be hoisting a trophy on Sunday. Donald is simply sparkling on the PGA Tour right now. Even though he only has one win so far in 2011, he has placed in the top-10 in nine of 10 events. Donald's putting has been superb to this point, as he is averaging 1.69 attempts per green. He has been solid all-around the golf course, and the only area of concern would be his driving ability. With players reporting that the fairways are extremely narrow at the Congressional this time around, accuracy is going to be the biggest issue.
The Congressional course layout favors a player like Dustin Johnson (18/1) (7,574 yards – second longest course in U.S. Open history). The four-year pro averages 307.1 yards off the tee, good for fourth on tour, and he leads the PGA on par 4's, scoring birdie-or-better 22.3 percent of the time. He has the game to win, but needs to show he's got the moxie. Last year, he blew a three-stroke lead on Sunday with an 82 at Pebble Beach, then coughed up a shot at the PGA Championship by grounding his club in a hazard on the closing hole.
Rory McIlroy (10/1) is the tournament favorite. He appeared to be in complete control of the Masters' field until his Sunday debacle, which sent him falling down the scoreboard. He will be looking to rebound from that performance at the U.S. Open and if he learned from his mistakes, he could be a force at the Congressional. If McIlroy is accurate off the tee, he will have a legitimate shot at taking home the U.S. Open trophy, but if his irons and woods let him down, he will likely look like the McIlroy we saw on Day Four of the Masters.
As with any U.S. Open, it will be a test of not only skill, but of how a player manages the mental side of the game. With narrowed fairways and rock hard greens, this tournament has taken its toll on the best players over the years and the winner on Sunday will not only have to play well, but also control his emotions over 72 grueling holes.
If you don’t want to bet one particular golfer, the Field has 8/1 odds.
U. S. Open Golf Preview
Tees Off: Thursday, June 16
Congressional Country Club - Bethesda, MA
The last time a U.S. Open was played at the Congressional, the final hole was a par-3. In the years since, course architect Rees Jones has made some changes that will see the 2011 U.S. Open’s final hole be a par-4.
The 1997 Open occurred right after Tiger Woods had staked his claim as the future of the sport, when he dominated the field and won his very first major at The Masters. Ernie Els won his second U.S. Open in a four-year span after Tom Lehman over hooked his approach shot on 17 and it found the water that surrounds the green.
Things have changed quite a bit in the golf world since then, and the majors results are one of the reasons. The past four major winners going back to Graeme McDowell’s win in the U.S. Open last year, have all been first-time major winners. Going back to Padraig Harrington’s win in the 2008 PGA Championship, the last 10 majors have all had different winners. Golfers today have become more fit and ready to win than in any era of the game's history. Young players don't fear winning and veterans have learned how to use their experience as an advantage. With that being said, this could be the most wide-open field in the history of the U.S. Open, there are many players that could win this week and handicapping the field is nearly impossible.
Woods will not be present this year, after announced that injuries, mainly lingering issues with his left leg, will cause him to miss the Open. Tiger created a PGA Tour stop at this course starting in 2007 after the Washington D.C. Tour event had evaporated. Back then, Woods alone had the power to draw AT&T as a corporate sponsor for a new event, one that would benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation. Congressional hosted the 2007-09 AT&T National, which is taking place in Pennsylvania this year as it did in 2010, so Congressional could host the U.S. Open this year. Congressional will be the annual host of the event again starting in 2012.
Thursday will mark the first round of play for the 156 players in the field, with several golfers having a good shot to win, including:
Phil Mickelson (12/1): The course could be a good fit for his risky style of play. Mickelson has won four majors, but never the U.S. Open. He’s come close, finishing second an amazing five times (1999, ‘02, ‘04, ‘06 and ‘09). Lefty's been Mr. Consistent, making every cut so far this season, with one win and four top-10s, and is the second-highest Yank currently in the world rankings.
Steve Stricker (18/1) is playing the most consistent this year and has come close to winning a Major on a couple recent occasions. Stricker is coming off a victory at the Memorial Tournament last Sunday in which he built a big lead with extraordinary play in the third round and early in the fourth and then held on down the stretch, making enough clutch par saves to earn a congratulatory handshake from tournament founder Jack Nicklaus. It was Stricker's sixth victory in the last three years and his seventh since he turned 40. It also pushed him up to No. 4 in the Official World Golf Ranking; he is the highest-ranked American, trailing only Luke Donald and Lee Westwood of England and Martin Kaymer of Germany.
Matt Kuchar (20/1) is playing the best golf of his life and could be ready to break through for his first Major title. Although Kuchar has yet to win a major, he certainly has the game to do so—a game that is well-suited for the Congressional. He has length and accuracy. He keeps his consistency with solid putting and staying out of trouble. These are all traits that usually spell success at the U.S. Open. He finished sixth at last year's Pebble Beach U.S. Open, but he does not have a good track record of success in majors. That sixth-place finish was only his second top-10 in a major. However, he seems poised to break down that barrier this year. Of course, that is a barrier he has seemed poised to break down for a while.
There are several foreign-born players that could also contend this week and Lee Westwood (12/1) has to be the favorite from this group. Westwood has challenged repeatedly over the last few years and could make another run at Congressional. He has yet to pick up a PGA Tour win in 2011, but he's been busy on the other side of the Pacific. Over a two-week span in late April, Westwood won the Indonesian Masters and the Ballantine's Championship in South Korea. Despite claiming a trophy on every continent, the world's No. 2 is still looking to earn his first major.
Luke Donald (12/1) took over the number one spot in the world for a short time this year and has a game that is very steady. If he can find enough fairways this week, he could be hoisting a trophy on Sunday. Donald is simply sparkling on the PGA Tour right now. Even though he only has one win so far in 2011, he has placed in the top-10 in nine of 10 events. Donald's putting has been superb to this point, as he is averaging 1.69 attempts per green. He has been solid all-around the golf course, and the only area of concern would be his driving ability. With players reporting that the fairways are extremely narrow at the Congressional this time around, accuracy is going to be the biggest issue.
The Congressional course layout favors a player like Dustin Johnson (18/1) (7,574 yards – second longest course in U.S. Open history). The four-year pro averages 307.1 yards off the tee, good for fourth on tour, and he leads the PGA on par 4's, scoring birdie-or-better 22.3 percent of the time. He has the game to win, but needs to show he's got the moxie. Last year, he blew a three-stroke lead on Sunday with an 82 at Pebble Beach, then coughed up a shot at the PGA Championship by grounding his club in a hazard on the closing hole.
Rory McIlroy (10/1) is the tournament favorite. He appeared to be in complete control of the Masters' field until his Sunday debacle, which sent him falling down the scoreboard. He will be looking to rebound from that performance at the U.S. Open and if he learned from his mistakes, he could be a force at the Congressional. If McIlroy is accurate off the tee, he will have a legitimate shot at taking home the U.S. Open trophy, but if his irons and woods let him down, he will likely look like the McIlroy we saw on Day Four of the Masters.
As with any U.S. Open, it will be a test of not only skill, but of how a player manages the mental side of the game. With narrowed fairways and rock hard greens, this tournament has taken its toll on the best players over the years and the winner on Sunday will not only have to play well, but also control his emotions over 72 grueling holes.
If you don’t want to bet one particular golfer, the Field has 8/1 odds.
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