The US Open - at Merion

While the Masters is the most prestigious, the US Open may be my favorite golf tournament. I look forward to this event every year, and this week’s US Open is no different. I cannot wait to watch it play out this weekend.  We begin our preview today a bit differently, by answering the “ESPN Four-Ball”, questions discussed Monday on ESPN.com:

1. Harris English got his first PGA Tour victory Sunday at the FedEx St. Jude Classic but isn't in the U.S. Open field. Should he be?

Andrew – No doubt! First off, Harris English is a darn good golfer. I’m shocked he wasn’t in the field already. Also, the US Open should have a built-in auto-invite to the winner on tour the week before. In fact, my opinion is that anyone who won a PGA Tour event this year should be invited. It’s a shame English misses this.

Greg – All winners on tour should, like at Augusta, automatically be included in the field. If the PGA is the governing body of the American-based tour, and the US Open is their "token" tournament, doesn't it stand to reason that any winner on their tour should be able to automatically participate in "their" open? Makes sense to me.

2. Phil Mickelson finished second and looked good doing so. Does he finally get that elusive first U.S. Open?

Andrew – He may be playing well enough to get into contention, but I don’t believe he has another major in him, especially a US Open where he has choked time and time again. This course is not a course that is suited for an aggressive player like Phil anyways.

Greg – I'd like to say yes, but Phil doesn't hit fairways and Merion is short, but narrow. His wedge play will have to be phenomenal and his driving miraculous for him to win, but it'd be nice if he would contend.

3. How do you think Merion will hold up this week as a U.S. Open venue?

Andrew – In terms of its difficulty, I think it will hold up fine as a stiff challenge despite being short. A lot is dependent on weather (if it rains and plays soft it will be much easier), but it still will have US Open pressure, penal rough, and costly pin locations. BUT, in terms of the actual event, it will be costly as a whole. Not only is the course short, but also the entire area is a smaller venue compared to other courses. Quite simply, it can’t hold the same amount of people as other US Open courses. It will cost the tournament a lot of money. It will be very cramped and won’t be as great of an experience for fans as other places could have been. It does have great history on its side though.

Greg – I think it'll be a nice blast from the past, which we all need every once in awhile. The course should hold up great. Either way it plays, hard and fast or soft and short, it will be a good test for the players and a good watch for the spectators. It will be interesting to see if it’s windy how the players handle not having the flagstick to judge the wind direction by.

4. Was Tiger Woods' performance at the Memorial any reason for alarm heading into the U.S. Open?

Andrew – I think (and hope) that it will serve as extra motivation as opposed to an alarming hindrance. He’s won four times this season already so there is no reason to panic. I’m sure he’s put in the work over the last week to work out the kinks and will be back into form. The question to me is all about the putting, and that largely depends on confidence. He’ll be hitting a lot of irons and fairway woods off the tee so I doubt he struggles again in that regard.

Greg – Reason for alarm, yes. Reason to overreact, no. Anytime a player shoots a "career worst" score there is always a tendency to throw it out as an outlier and chalk it up to a bad day at the course. In this case though, Tiger has been playing SO well that a day like this makes you wonder how it all went so bad, so quick. I don't think it will have a huge impact on him, but it will be interesting to see if he starts to play poorly, just how bad will it get this time?

Now for our normal preview:

Key Holes (or in this case, stretches of holes)

1-2: The course begins easily enough. #1 is a short par 4 that will be a birdie chance for most. #2 is a par 5 that will be reachable in two for most players. A wayward drive at either hole however could be trouble (but that’s the case on nearly every hole on the course). It’s key for players to start fast here.

3-6: This stretch will be brutal for most players. #3 is a very lengthy par 3 where par will be a great score. #4 is the last par 5 players will see on the course and it stretches nearly 630 yards. #5 and 6 are par 4’s that play around 500 yards apiece. There is trouble on every shot here. If you play this stretch at even par, you’ve gained on the field for sure.

7-13: This is the stretch of holes to score on. #7 is a short par 4 where players will be approaching the green with wedges. #8 will play that way too, but there is talk of moving the tee up for at least one day to give players a chance to reach it with their drives. #9 is a tough par 3 stuck in the middle of these holes. Par would be a good score. #10 is a drivable par 4 for every player in the field however, so you can expect birdies. #11/#12 are also fairly short par 4’s similar to 7 and 8. Lastly, #13 is a par 3 around 115 yards in length. That is a wedge approach and huge birdie opportunity. Players must go low on these holes to have a chance on Sunday.

14-18: Like many US Open courses, it’s a tough closing stretch. #14-16 are tough par 4’s that require difficult tee shots and approaches. These holes contain heavy rough, OB, multiple hills, yet they might be the last possible birdie opportunities for players down the stretch. #17 is a brutal par 3 that can play close to 250 yards. It also is set up in an amphitheater way so it will be loud! #18 is a great and massively difficult par 4 finishing hole. It will play just over 520 yards with a semi-blind tee shot and a dome shaped green. Anything is possible here. Players frankly will be hanging on during this stretch. No lead will be safe down the stretch and playing par golf will be the goal on these holes for all.

Pick 5 Challenge

For those who are not familiar, for each PGA Tour event we pick 5 players in different categories that we think will do well. Andrew leads the competition so far this year 1318 to 1152. Just like at the Masters and the Players, this week our categories are based on age. We must pick one player in each of these age ranges: 20-25, 25-30, 30-35, 35-40, and anyone over 40 Here are our picks:

Greg's Picks

20-25: Rory McIlroy

25-30: Louie Oosthuizen

30-35: Justin Rose

35-40: Tiger Woods

40+: Steve Stricker

Andrew's Picks

20-25: Rickie Fowler

25-30: Webb Simpson

30-35: Matt Kuchar

35-40: Tiger Woods

40+: Jim Furyk

Players to Watch

Greg – This year's venue for the US Open is not an overly long course, and depending on the conditions it could play extremely short. However, either way, this event always rewards players who can stay at or near par. Staying at or near par means hitting greens in regulation consistently. My players to watch are all in the top 20 in that GIR statistic.  (GIR% in parentheses):

Rory McIlroy (70.3), Bubba Watson (70.2), Justin Rose (69.9), Brandt Snedeker (69.1), Bill Haas (69.1)

Andrew – First off, how will Harris English do after winning last week… oh wait, he’s not in the field… So I guess let’s watch Webb Simpson. He is the defending champion and it will be interesting to see how he defends it. I’m also looking forward to watching the bombers (Bubba, DJ, etc.) because it is a short course and I’m curious to find out their strategies.

Americans vs. Foreigners

Greg – As evidenced by my list above (60% Americans) I am going to go with an American here, though the two non-Americans on my list above have a very good chance of winning. Still have to go with the stats though- this IS the U.S. Open.

Andrew – As evidenced by my “Pick 5” picks, I’m going American. It’s our tourney, although McDowell, Donald, and obviously Rory are serious threats. Americans have dominated on tour this year, except for the last major…

Intriguing Pairings

Greg – Only one intriguing pairing because it is so much more intriguing than the rest: Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott. All 3 are in good form. All 3 are now major winners. This pairing could set Tiger off on a good pace, as he relishes playing with other top players, though if he is not paired with a big name going into the weekend it could drop his concentration level slightly.

Andrew – Greg mentioned the biggest pairing but here is a list of other pairings I like. You can call them my “Super 7:”

-       Bubba Watson/Dustin Johnson/Nicolas Colsaerts

-       Phil Mickelson/Steve Stricker/Keegan Bradley

-       Matt Kuchar/Justin Rose/Brandt Snedeker

-       Ian Poulter/Jason Dufner/Boo Weekley

-       Rickie Fowler/Matteo Manassero/Jason Day

-       Luke Donald/Lee Westwood/Martin Kaymer

-       Jim Furyk/Graeme McDowell/Zach Johnson

Like always, let us know your thoughts. Feel free to pick five guys yourself and compete against us. Let us know what you are looking forward to. And don't miss the action, particularly on Sunday afternoon. Enjoy!

By: The Sports Guys