US Open Preview
By Ashkan Motamedi
The 3rd major of the year is upon us at the beautiful Pebble Beach golf course. There are so many storylines coming into this week. Will Brooks Koepka win three US Opens in a row, will Tiger Woods get number 16 and 82 at the place he made history at before? Will Phil Mickelson finally complete the career Grand Slam and win his first US Open. Can Rory Mcllroy be the first golfer to win the week before and win a major the week after since he did it himself 2014? All these storylines and being at Pebble Beach offer what should be a great tournament. The one tournament that happens to be on Fox Sports. I offer my preview here of rankings, a winner and some sleepers to watch out for.
Sleepers/dark horses
Kevin Kisner, Jim Furyk, Paul Casey, Henrik Stenson, Graeme McDowell, Brandt Snedeker, Brandon Grace, Gary Woodland
Rankings
( Just missed the cut) Adam Scott, John Rham, Justin Thomas, Justin Rose, Tony Finau
10 Jason Day
Steve Williams is his caddie this week who knows Pebble Beach in and out. With that course knowledge at his disposable expect Day to be in contention.
9 Rickie Fowler
He has yet to break through and win a major. I picked him to win the PGA Championship but he did not break through. Expect Rickie Fowler to still have his name the first page of the leaderboard at a course that fits his game well like Pebble Beach.
8 Xander Schauffele
With good play and form at recent majors Schauffele has always been the quiet guy nobody looks at. With two T2 at recent major championships within the past year his game comes alive to get himself in contention so roll with Schauffele as a contender.
7 Matt Kuchar
In great form all season Kuchar comes in number one FedEx Cup standings. He continues to put on consistent results. Kuchar has yet to however knock on the door of a major championship Sunday back nine since 2017 Open Championship. However with his play coming in and his putting being red hot do expect this Sunday to hear a lot of Kuch chants around Pebble Beach.
6 Patrick Cantley
Centley is the winner of the Memorial is one of the hottest golfers in the world at the moment. He is a hot pick this week because of his play all season and should be a factor come Sunday.
5 Jordan Spieth
You can argue no golfer is more hot then Spieth coming off three straight top 10 finishes including a T3 at a US Open like setup in Bethpage. His putting has been phenomenal past month and if his wedge and tee game catches up Spieth will be in contention.
4 Tiger Woods
Tiger came off a top 10 the Memorial and believes his game is ready for the Pebble Beach. The key for Woods this week is to hit fairways and avoid trouble. A clean scorecard will have you in contention here at Pebble Beach. Woods has also had some trouble lately on Poa greens so that is something to keep an eye out for.
3 Rory Mcllroy
A winner at the RBC Canadian Open Rory wedge game and putter was on fire. It has held him back lately for contending at more tournaments since his Players win back in March. Mcllroy is hot however and there is nothing that beats a hot golfer but himself. IF Mcllroy putter cooperates with him this week we will see him in contention. However past 2 majors Mcllroy was nowhere to be found so you wonder if that trend will continue.
2 Dustin Johnson
The world number two returns to the golf course that he shot an 82 at in the final round to blow a 54 hole lead nine years ago. Dustin Johnson has all the tools to win the US Open. It is the only major he has ever won. If he finally gets rid of the demons of his major putting that has cost him multiple majors. Then expect a redemption story this week as Johnson is a favorite to hold the trophy.
1 Brooks Koepka
The number one golfer in the world and going for three straight US Open wins is Brooks Koepka. Koepka tops this list because of his ability to show up at Majors and contend or win with nobody being able to stop him yet past 2 years. After dominating wire to wire win at Bethpage Koepka faces a similar setup here at the US Open. This is an advantage for him for hitting it long off the tee and grinding out tough conditions while others faultier. Koepka has yet to crack under pressure and there is no bigger pressure he will face yet then trying to win three straight US Opens.
Winner Dustin Johnson
I usually pick Johnson to win US Open’s a lot. It fits his game so well and he’s got some spark under him this week knowing his best buddy Koepka going for three straight. Johnson has finished 2nd both majors this year and after his meltdown at Pebble Beach nine years ago. What better redemption story is there in Golf then winning the US Open nine years later after blowing a 54 hole lead the same course. This is going to be a fun golf tournament.
