The 116th U.S. Open begins Thursday. This is our national championship, open to everyone (with a handicap index of 1.4 or better) able to qualify. The field is a mix of the best professionals around the world and those who made it through the worldwide qualification process, making for a much larger and deeper field than we see every year at the Masters.
The U.S. Open is also a unique event in that it’s set up to be a difficult test. This does not please professional golfers, but it tends to be a fascinating watch. Here are the storylines to look for through the weekend:
The Course
Just outside Pittsburgh, Oakmont Country Club was established in 1903, making it almost as old as the U.S. Open itself. This will be the ninth time Oakmont has hosted, twice more than any other course. It has a few unique features, including the famous (or infamous) Church Pews Bunker (pictured above) that is in play off the tee on both the third and fourth holes. Oakmont’s membership seems to worship at the altar of difficulty, and it shows.
There aren’t any water hazards, out of bounds is rarely a concern, and there aren’t even that many trees. It’s not an overly lengthy course, playing around 7,200 yards. So how does it defend itself? Bunkering, for one; the rough is almost laughably penal:
Golf writer @dougferguson405 gives a short game lesson on the 17th at Oakmont…. pic.twitter.com/DsBaYbfSu2
— Graeme McDowell (@Graeme_McDowell) June 12, 2016
Of course, the pros are going to have a bit more success than the average media member:
Workin on my short game #usopen #sportscenter #sctop10 pic.twitter.com/VLExxYAhiv
— bubba watson (@bubbawatson) June 14, 2016
But Oakmont’s main defense are the greens. There aren’t many flat putts on the course, and with the USGA setting the difficulty to Expert, you’ll see quite a few three-putts from the best players in the world. Phil Mickelson said it was the hardest course he’s ever played, and after seeing it for the first time in May, defending champion Jordan Spieth said he’d be happy to shoot even par.
Last year, the conversation was dominated by the disdain for the hosting course, Chambers Bay. That was an outside-the-box choice for a U.S. Open, to be sure. But this year, the venue couldn’t be more traditional, both in course and history. The list of past U.S. Open champions at Oakmont includes some of the biggest names in the history of the sport: Tommy Armour won the first back in 1927. Ben Hogan dominated in 1953. In 1962, Jack Nicklaus defeated Arnold Palmer in a playoff for his first major, and first professional win. (I’d watch that movie.) In 1973, Johnny Miller shot 63 on Sunday to win, widely considered one of the best rounds ever played. (Just ask Johnny himself.)
In 2007, the last U.S. Open held at Oakmont, Angel Cabrera won with a score of five over par. It’s quite possible, especially if it’s windy, that we could see an even higher score win this week.
The Big Three
Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, and Rory McIlroy are ranked first, second, and third in the world. Jason Day’s game is perhaps without weakness; he’s long, straight, and a fantastic putter. Coming off a win at The Players Championship, he’s deservedly considered the best player in the world. Spieth is the defending champion, which means he’s no stranger to the sort of grind required to win a U.S. Open, and he won a few weeks ago at Colonial. However, his collapse at the Masters might still linger. Rory McIlroy is also a former U.S. Open champion, an incredible driver of the golf ball, and he recently won the Irish Open. But he’s struggled with his putter and is hoping that recent return to a conventional grip will hold up on Oakmont’s treacherous greens.
Will one of these three men win? It’s quite possible! But golf is not so predictable, especially in this deep, post-Tiger era. There are a few more players to keep an eye on.
A Few More Players to Keep an Eye On
Phil Mickelson
The six-time U.S. Open runner-up, Phil finished T2 last week at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. Modern Phil is a tough player to gauge; he desperately wants to conquer this event and complete the career grand slam. He’s played very well this season, leading the PGA Tour in scoring average. But he’s still wildly erratic off the tee, ranking 174th on tour in driving accuracy. With tight fairways and punishing rough, this course setup might not be conducive to a Phil win. But he might not need driver often, and if he can put shorter clubs in play and use his short game, you never know, which is a sentence that can likely be reused for every Phil Mickelson tournament preview until he retires.
Dustin Johnson
Johnson is quickly becoming a top candidate for the title of best player to have never won a major. He remains — as Tiger once put it — “stupid long” off the tee, and possesses a very well-rounded game. But he’s already racked up multiple heartbreaking moments in majors, including last year’s gut-wrenching three putt on the 72nd hole, where he went from “reasonable chance to win” to “good chance to force a playoff” to “OH MY GOD, NO!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvPO7yLt-Yc
Danny Willett
The Masters champion, Willett has only played three times since his win at Augusta National. His last appearance was a third-place finish at the BMW PGA Championship. Still mostly an unknown to American fans, his game is certainly strong enough to win. If he does, he vaults himself up the rankings and heads to the Open Championship with a suddenly realistic shot at three consecutive majors. But this is also his first chance to show that he’s not a one-hit wonder, and many golfers have failed under that sort of pressure.
Sergio Garcia
The Spaniard is still somehow only 36, despite being part of the golf consciousness since 1999. He’s never won a major and hasn’t had a U.S. Open top-ten finish since 2011. However, he’s coming off a win at the AT&T Byron Nelson and if he’s ever going to win one of these things, it’s going to have to be soon.
Bryson DeChambeau
The reigning U.S. Amateur champion, DeChambeau gave up his amateur status (and thus his guaranteed U.S. Open spot) to turn professional following his low-amateur showing at the Masters. He then qualified, and he’ll bring his unique game to Oakmont. DeChambeau is fascinating for many reasons, not least because he uses irons of the same length, all the way through the bag. Normally clubs get shorter as the lofts increase, as a way to create gaps in distance. DeChambeau’s theory is that by maintaining one length of club, he has to vary his swing less on different shots, offering him greater consistency. It’s an intriguing approach, and if he’s in contention, look for it to be mentioned constantly.
Year 2 for FOX
This will be the second year FOX has the coverage, and they made a few changes from the much-derided inaugural version. Paul Azinger is now the lead analyst, replacing Greg Norman. Curtis Strange joins the crew as well. Both men have years of experience working golf coverage. Holly Sonders will no longer be conducting interviews, moving to a studio host role, likely a response to her widely-panned chat with Jordan Spieth last year. Curt Menefee is also out. Joe Buck remains the lead play-by-play man, which is… fine? He’s fine.
Coverage begins Thursday and Friday on FS1 at 10 a.m. ET, switching over to FOX at 5 p.m. You will also be able to stream featured groups and holes through FoxSportsGo and at USOpen.com, as well as through the corresponding mobile apps. FOX has the weekend coverage beginning at 11 a.m. ET on both Saturday and Sunday.
Final Thoughts and a Prediction
This is always a fun tournament, requiring both mental and physical toughness from players. It’s nearly impossible to predict a winner, but Jason Day is due. He nearly won last year, finishing tied for ninth despite battling vertigo. He then captured the PGA Championship for his first major. Chalk is never the fun choice, but Day has all the required skills to get it done this week. Let’s see if he can.
