ADAM SCOTT

Adam Scott has been saying his major championship clock has been ticking for some years now, even if the only visible differences between the Scott of his 2013 Masters winning days are a wildly eclectic bag of clubs and a slight greying around the temples.

The now 44-year-old has played the past two U.S Opens at Oakmont, missing the cut in 2007 and finishing tied for 18th in 2016. Scott oversaw a resurrection of his game in 2024 with seven top 10s around the world, making the Tour Championship on the PGA Tour and improving his world ranking to be well entrenched inside the Top 50.

His 2024 performances and ranking have allowed him to extend his consecutive majors streak, which now stands at 95 (second only to Nicklaus (146) in the history of the men’s game), and make a 24th appearance at the U.S Open, where he has a best finish of a tie for 4th.

A key to his 2024 form has been his remarkable improvement on the greens with the L.A.B. putter in the bag, to the point where he may be far better equipped to handle Oakmont’s greens than in either of his previous U.S Open appearances.

A bogey-double bogey finish denied him a top-10 result at the recent PGA Championship – and a guaranteed return next year - but that should not dull the confidence being on the periphery of contention in a major on Sunday would have instilled.

I will say this; he’ll leave no stone unturned in his preparation and there will be no more popular winner if he can get all aspects of his game to fire at Oakmont

MIN WOO LEE

It’s important to remember that arguably Australia’s most exciting talent is just 26 years old and still finding his feet on the major stage.

Entering the year, the recently crowned Houston Open champion had played just 13 majors, but finished inside the top-25 in almost half of them, with a best finish a tie for 5th at the 2023 U.S Open at the Los Angeles Country Club. Although it’s a small sample size, the U.S Open is the only major in which Lee has not missed a cut and his “worst” finish is a tie for 27th.

We have looked back in hindsight at previous winners and seen similar track records to this, so if his lead-in form remains hot, nothing would surprise.   

CAMERON DAVIS

Much like Lee, Davis’ major championship exposure has been limited to just 11 starts entering 2025 and the now 30-year-old Sydneysider has yet to string a year together where he has played in all four.

His U.S Open track record is – again - on the small sample size, but in both of his starts in ’23 and ‘24 he missed the cut on each occasion. Davis’ strong showing at the recent PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, where he was a stroke from the lead after the opening round, ought to inspire some belief that his game is close heading into Oakmont.

What we do know about the two-time PGA Tour winner is that when he’s on his game, he contends, and a tie 4th in a PGA Championship and tie for 6th in a Players’ indicates he doesn’t mind the heat at the highest level when in form.

His two PGA Tour wins have come in this broader part of Midwest USA, so if there is any geographic inspiration to be drawn from that, a good week is not beyond him at Oakmont.

CAMERON SMITH

It’s almost ridiculous to contemplate that a full 10 years has passed since Smith made his major championship debut at this event at Chambers Bay in 2015.

Having prequalified earlier that week in Ohio, Smith flew to Seattle as an unknown to both fans and a good many of his compatriots in the field. A final-hole eagle for a 4th-place finish quickly raised his profile, however and earned him not only a place on Tour, but opened doors to other major championships.

The 2022 Open Champion is earmarked to play his 36th major championship at Oakmont, but has not had a particularly sterling U.S Open record since his 2015 debut, save for another tie for 4th two years ago.

His recent major championship form – three successive missed cuts - has been nothing to write home about, but if he drives it well, Oakmont ought to suit his overall game with its demand for creativity and dexterity on and around the difficult green complexes.

And at his best, is there anyone more creative around the greens than Smith?

JASON DAY

The very same 2015 U.S Open which heralded the rise of Cameron Smith was also synonymous with arguably Jason Day’s most unfortunate major championship campaign.

Who could forget Day’s herculean performance at Chambers Bay following his dramatic physical collapse on his final hole of the second round, later diagnosed as benign positional vertigo? Day was in the lead at the time and returned in a clearly compromised state, battling on gamely to finish tied for 9th behind Jordan Spieth.

The so-called golfing gods were obviously smiling on him after that gutsy showing, as Day was able to get the better of Spieth just two months later, capturing the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits for his only major title to date.

Now 37, Day’s fortunes have been in the ascendancy again in recent years after stabilising his health and being able to work harder in preparation. Day was the World No. 1 when he finished tied for 8th at Oakmont in 2016, the last of his five top-10s in U.S. Open play.

Perhaps his recent return to childhood mentor Colin Swatton will get those 2015 vibes flowing once again.

MARC LEISHMAN

After qualifying for the U.S Open, LIV player Marc Leishman was asked by Golf Australia magazine about the perception, promulgated by TV analyst Brandel Chamblee, that playing 54-hole, no-cut tournaments 14 times a year was not a good way to prepare for major championship golf. Leishman did not agree, it would be fair to say.

"I would disagree with that," he said. "I think the way our schedule is set up actually lends itself to being able to prepare very well for the majors. We're playing against great fields every single week on tough golf courses.

"Yes, it's 54 holes, but it puts a bit of pressure on that first round to get off to a good start because they are a little bit more of a sprint.

"We're still playing a lot of golf away from tournaments, enjoying golf more.

"And I think when you are enjoying your golf and it's not so much of a grind that lends itself to better play.

"I'm happy to be able to prepare while I prepared for the qualifier, which I normally wouldn't have been able to do; I'd be preparing for other tournaments.

"So yeah, I would probably disagree with Brandel Chamblee a little bit … a lot."