U.S. OPEN WEEK
U.S. Open week is my second favorite week of the year next to the Masters. The U.S. Open really excites me because it gives players from all around the country and even the world to qualify to play in such a prestigious event. However this year’s U.S. Open will be slightly different due to the fact Covid-19 cancelled all qualifiers, and invitations were handed out instead of qualifying. Nonetheless the U.S. Open constantly and consistently provides tough conditions, top-level competition, and gives players the chance to write their name in history. This year the players are going to face a tough test, Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York is no joke.
Although there was no qualifying this year, the field is unbelievably stacked. Fans will have the opportunity to view the best players from around the world, as well as the top amateurs. The notables this week that we will be able to watch are Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Jon Rham, and Rory McIlroy. However there will be two players that are missing out on this week’s action. Unfortunately, one of the blogs favorite and newly awarded Arnold Palmer Rookie of the Year recipient, Scottie Scheffler tested positive for Covid-19 and will not be competing. This is a tough one for Scottie, he's been playing remarkable golf and would have put on a show for fans. Not to worry folks, Scottie will take the two weeks to rest, get healthy and be back in the mix in no time. Ironically the other player who will not be competing is the blog's least liked player, Brooks Koepka. Now Brooks has withdrawn due to medical issues, so we do wish him a speedy recovery. However, aside from that I don't have much to say about Brooks, only that I'm excited he's not in the field and the narrative will be switched from him over to somebody who actually deserves, like DJ, Rahm etc.
Winged Foot is an absolutely incredible golf course. This week the players are going to face the toughest possible golf Winged Foot can provide. This week the players are up against four to five inch thick rough, tight, narrow fairways, and incredibly quick greens. Videos have surfaced regarding how thick the rough actually is and the one video that really sold me on the length. The video showed that when you put a 23 oz can of Arnold Palmer, Half and Half Iced Tea on the ground the only visible part of the can is the very top. In my mind i'm thinking basically if you hit it in the rough there is a very good possibility that you may not even find your ball and from the looks of it that’s what the entire golf course is like. Not to mention that's only five to ten feet of the fairway as well. Winged Foot demands precision off the tee, the long ball won't benefit players as much this week as much as accuracy. Now if you manage to stay in the fairway for the majority of the week, players will be faced with an even tough challenge, the greens. The greens at Winged Foot are undulated, massive in size and they are extremely fast. The large green complexes forces players to be extremely accurate on the second shot as well. Lack of accuracy will leave players with 40-50 foot putts which is what you want to avoid on greens this large and fast. On top of all the difficulties the course will provide, it's the U.S. Open, nerves always play a part especially for young guys and first timers. A positive, confident, cool, calm and collected attitude will prove to be very valuable this week. Events like these I always say you cant win it on the first day but you can sure as hell loose it. (Mike)
Tyler’s Thoughts
The first of SIX majors in this PGA super season is nearly here. This one certainly feels like Dustin Johnson’s to lose. Nobody is playing at the level he is, and it would not shock me to see him take this one. However, all the word out of Winged Foot is that the course is playing as hard as ever and if fans like watching the pros struggle, this week will be for them.
As for DJ, the blog has talked a lot about how dominant DJ has been lately. There are no signs that this will stop this week either. If he continues to drive the ball like he has and leave short irons and wedges into these greens we will be seeing him win his second career major. I hope he continues his great run and pulls it off this week. The only question left if he does that is how long can he keep this level of play up? As fans, we need to continue to appreciate this incredible run and the remarkable golf we have seen him play. He is making a very difficult thing seem effortless. That is greatness.
In regard to the tough course, Justin Thomas said: "The viewers at home are going to see some pretty bizarre stuff and probably a lot of putts and chips that make us look pretty bad. If you're into that stuff, then you're going to like this week." The blog is a big fan of tough courses and every player has mentioned how fast the greens are, how deep the rough is and how narrow the fairways are. This is music to our ears. There are plenty of weeks where the pros go out and make golf look boring and too easy. Seeing the best of the best struggle like many of us average hacks do is not only great TV but it shows how hard golf really is. I am hoping even par wins the tournament this week. Should be a tough, but fair test for the field this week. (Tyler)
Pick’s of the week:
Mike: Picks are difficult for majors because the field is always so stacked, however my pick to win this week will be a household name. Dustin Johnson is my pick to win the 2020 US. Open. We all know what DJ has done that last five weeks. He was just recently named The Jack Nicholas Player of Year for the second time in his career. Also DJ is coming off a nice off week, so he will be rested, healthy, and strong for this week. This week DJ is coming in with the best odds to win in the field. DJ’s odds this week sit at 8-1. I also don't believe the winning score is going to be high, a single digit under par score around 8 under will win the golf tournament. Nonetheless DJ is due for another major and I think this is going to be his week.
This week I have two notables to miss the cut, Bryson Dechambeau and Tiger Woods. In Bryson’s case I don't believe he has the accuracy for Winged Foot, he’s been so focused on length and power, when he should have been focusing on accuracy. If he doesn't hit it straight he will find himself having a very short, miserable week. I also chose Tiger because he just hasn’t played enough competitive golf to really compete. Even throughout the restart he's only played in a handful of events and none of his finishes have been anything to write home about. Although he does have 28-1 odds to win, I truly believe they gave him those odds because he's Tiger Woods. Him and Bryson will most likely be sharing their flight home Friday night.
My favorite pick of the week is my sleeper/underdog pick. This week’s sleeper is Matthew Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick has been on my radar for quite some time now, he missed the cut at the PGA and Northern Trust but had a solid T-6 finish at The BMW Championship, which nearly snuck him into East lake. He finished 36th overall in the FedEx Cup standings and is looking to make a name for himself at Winged Foot this week. Fitzpatrick comes in with 60-1 odds to win this week. (Mike)
Tyler: My pick this week (outside of DJ) is Daniel Berger at 30-1. I think he is vastly underrated still. He has been playing some great golf and since he will not have another major until the 2021 Master’s I expect to see him come out firing this week. His omission from this year’s Master’s will be discussed in the future on the blog, but Berger is playing top 10 golf right now and I expect to see him contending this week. He is a gritty player that can grind some scores out and that is what the winner will have to do this week. I would love to see Berger give the middle finger to everyone by winning this week while being omitted from the Master’s in November.
My dark horse for this week is Abraham Ancer at 80-1. He has shown some glimpses since the restart that his game is coming around. He was on the President Cup team last year and rightfully so. He is an extremely fun player to watch. His iron game is remarkable when he is on. I worry that his putter may let him down if his irons are on. He is a guy that should have a lot more wins out on tour, but if his irons are on this week and he can make a few timely putts I like his chances to be right there come Sunday. (Tyler)