🔎 US Open Preview

The 3rd Major of the year is upon us, and we are in for a real treat as the US Open kicks off this week in North Carolina. Let’s dive in!!!

The Course

Pinehurst #2 is a Donald Ross classic. The world-famous golf course architect has designed some of the best layouts on the planet including Seminole, Inverness and Oak Hill (all of which sit inside the Top 100 and have hosted significant tournaments previously). However, Pinehurst #2 is Ross’s personal favourite.

Pinehurst will be an anchor site for the US Open for many years to come. In fact, it will host this Major 5 times in the next 25 years. This speaks volumes for the course and its ability to test the world’s best golfers. It has been the venue for 3 US Opens so far (1999 Payne Stewart, 2005 Michael Campbell, 2014 Martin Kaymer) and only one golfer in all those years managed to finish under par at the end of the tournament 🤯. Hallmark features of the course include:

• Narrowing fairways further down the hole, which gives shorter hitters more of a chance.

• Firm and fast fairways and greens are often prominent because of the sandy base which produces good drainage.

• Challenging green complexes which, similar to Augusta National, repel average or poor approach shots. The landing spots on each green are small, which means great shots are rewarded with close looks while average or poor shots will end up in collection areas making for a very tough up and down.

Holes to watch

Keep an eye out for these signature holes:

• No. 2 (Par 4, 504 yards) - after a relatively gentle opening hole, the second smacks golfers in the face with a long and demanding par 4. The dog leg right has a fairway that cambers tee shots towards the left rough, whilst the green has a severe drop off at the rear which will test even Mickelson’s short game.

• No. 8 (Par 4, 488 yards) - another tough par 4 with a tricky fairway and devilish green that was the site of John Daley famously “playing polo” in 1999 when he failed multiple times to chip his ball onto the green from a collection area. Expect some more carnage here this year.

• No. 18 (Par 4, 448 yards) - the closing hole is by no means the hardest hole on the course, but it is certainly one of the most iconic holes in championship golf. Set amongst the grandstands and the clubhouse, it will provide an electric atmosphere for golfers and fans alike, especially come Sunday afternoon.

Players to Watch

Let’s take a look at the big names and how they are shaping up for this year’s US Open:

• Scottie Scheffler - Following his fifth win of the season (he could easily have had more), Scheffler is undeniably the world's best golfer. He's shown that he is mentally tough as nails and also adaptable to a variety of conditions and courses. He is the deserving favourite for the event and it will take a special effort for someone to beat him.

• Rory McIlroy - Even though Rory has been one of the most dominant golfers for many years, he hasn't won a Major in over a decade despite going heartbreakingly close (most notably when he was beaten by Cam Smith on “almost” home soil at St Andrews in 2022). We are past the point of picking Rory in Majors - it's not that he can't win, but he has fooled us too many times before.

• Collin Morikawa - As one of the most elite iron players on the planet, he is well suited to this “second shot” golf course at Pinehurst. His form has been trending nicely, finishing 2nd at Memorial, 4th at the Charles Schwab and 4th at the PGA Championship. All signs point to Morikawa being a very strong chance this week.

• Jon Rahm - Rahmbo withdrew from the LIV Houston event this week with a foot injury. He shot three-under in R1 and was only six holes into R2 before having to withdraw. His major form this year has been off the pace with T-45 at the Masters and a missed cut at the PGA. Lots has been made about him being unhappy at LIV, but we call BS on that. Beware the wounded Spanish bull.

• Brooks Koepka - We can't talk Majors without talking Brooks. He is a five-time major champion, including winning this event twice. The tougher the conditions the more Brooksy likes it. He just seems to find another gear. His final round seven-under par at LIV Houston will have caught the eye of all the top players.

• Bryson DeChambeau - BAD has won this tournament before and is a much more mature and well-rounded player since winning at Winged Foot. Bryson definitely has another Major in him. His form at LIV Houston was average, finishing T18 with too many bogeys on the card. However, he was very competitive at the Masters having held the lead, and almost won the PGA at Valhalla. Expect good things from Bryson.

The Aussies

There are 6 Aussies in the field, so let’s take a look at their creds:

• Cam Davis - Hasn't shown great form in Majors yet. Cam got himself into contention at this year's Masters but crapped the bed pretty quickly. There is nothing in his recent form which leads us to think he'll contend.

• Jason Day - JDay has certainly been in better form this year. He has Major champion pedigree and should have more majors to his name than just the one. He has five top 10s in US Opens including second at both the 2011 and 2013 events. Probably Australia's best chance.

• Min Woo Lee - Woosey's form has been average so far this year on the PGA Tour. His best finish was second at the Cognizant back in March. 22nd is his best finish in the last seven starts. He can go real low but Pinehurst is not a standard Tour course. Hoping he can turn a corner this week.

• Jason Scrivner - Jason qualified via the sectionals event in the UK. He has been playing on the DP World Tour and is currently 109th in the Race to Dubai standings. He has missed the cut in three of his last five events. It will be a tall order for him to contend this week

• Adam Scott - Scotty back doored his way into the US Open coming off the Alternates list because Grayson Murray has been removed from the OWGR rankings (after his untimely death). This meant Scotty moved into the Top 60 qualifying category. Unfortunately, he's just making up the numbers. His recent form and style of game don't match Pinehurst well.

• Cam Smith - The event this week at Pinehurst should have Smithy licking his lips at the chance of another Major. However, he had a shocking finish at LIV Houston with a final round 80 that included four doubles and a triple. He finished T-6 at the Masters this year but was never really in contention. His T63 at the PGA was 18 shots behind the winner. So, some big improving for Smithy if he’s to win this week.

🏆 Results Recap

LIV: Ortiz and Cleeks get their first W

Carlos Ortiz has secured his first individual LIV title edging out Adrian Meronk at the LIV Houston event. Ortiz and Meronk were four shots ahead of the field with five holes to play, but a mistake by Meronk finding the hazard off the 15th tee led to him making bogey whilst Ortiz birdied the same hole. This was the defining moment of the tournament which handed Ortiz his first title. Patrick Reed and David Puig rounded out the individual podium.

In the team event, it was the Cleeks who won their first ever team title. Smash GC came from the clouds to mount a big challenge off the back of Brooks shooting 7-under and Gooch 6-under. Ripper GC also came out of the blocks fast equaling the lead at one point but faulted as Smithy bombed out. The Cleeks win was driven by strong performances from Captain Martin Kaymer and the in-form Richard Bland. The win was met with typical parody from NLU’s Tron Carter.

PGAT: Scheffler does it again

Scottie Scheffler has secured his 5th PGAT title this year, and the 11th title of his career. Amid release of more video footage of his arrest, Scottie shot a magnificent 9-under par opening round to lead by three. By the back nine on Sunday, it was a race of three between Sheffler, Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin. Scheffler was unusually wayward of the tee in the final round (only hitting 7 of 14 fairways) which gave Morikawa and Hadwin a chance. But neither could get the job done.

We haven't seen a player win five times in a year on the PGAT since Justin Thomas achieved this back in 2017. With 13 events still left on the PGAT schedule this year, you'd have to think Scotty is likely to get at least a 6th win in the books. Muirfield Village showed its teeth this week with only 11 players finishing under par for the tournament. Love to see it!

📅 Schedule for the Week

All eyes will be on Pinehurst this week as the PGAT, DPWT and LIV take a break from their schedules to make way for the Major.

Your golfing schedule for the week, and how to watch is below:

• Major: US Open - Pinehurst No. 2 (North Carolina), $20m purse, Friday 14/6 to Monday 17/6 - Coverage on Foxtel & Kayo, Main Coverage starts 2am AEST Friday, Featured Groups from 8.30pm Thursday.

• LIV Golf: no event

• DPWT: no event 

• LPGA: Meijer LPGA Classic - Blythefield Country Club (Missouri), $3.0m purse, Friday 14/6 to Monday 17/6 - Coverage on Foxtel & Kayo, starts 5.00am AEST Friday.

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