The golf world is attracting more attention than it is used to and now the third men’s major of the year takes centre stage where the recently banned LIV Golf players will go head-to-head with the PGA Tour loyalists.
Beyond the interest of what will and won’t be said by the players who teed it up at Centurion last week, and indeed the reception to them of the boisterous Boston crowd, a return to a famed venue and top players in top form make this week an exciting prospect.
Site of the famous victory of local resident Francis Ouimet and one of the most discussed Ryder Cups in history, The Country Club welcomes the U.S. Open for the first time in over 20 years, while Rory McIlroy is perhaps his best chance at breaking his major drought. And Phil Mickelson gets another chance to claim the career grand slam after the most testing period of his time in professional golf without his career long nemesis Tiger Woods in the field as he prepares for The Open at St. Andrews.
Bring on the U.S. Open!
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Jon Rahm joined the major championship winning club in 2021 and became the first Spanish U.S. Open winner.
Playing at Torrey Pines, also the site of his first PGA Tour win, Rahm started the final day three shots back of leaders Russell Henley, Mackenzie Hughes and Louis Oosthuizen, with former winners Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau two shots off the lead.
RIGHT: Jon Rahm defends his maiden major win this week near Boston. PHOTO: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images.
A crowded Sunday leaderboard saw multiple players take the lead before Rahm managed birdies at the 71st and 72nd holes to claim victory by one shot from former Open Championship winner Oosthuizen.
COURSE: One of the five founding clubs of what would become the USGA, The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts welcomes it fourth U.S. Open this week having been off the rotation since Curtis Strange won the first of his consecutive national Opens in 1988.
Site of the 1999 Ryder Cup where the Americans stormed the green when Justin Leonard holed his putt on the final day, The Country Club was formed in 1882 with golf eventually part of the property 10 years later.
Six holes designed by the members were added to by professional Willie Campbell, with numerous designers touching the now 27 holes before Gil Hanse led a historic restoration with his associate Jim Wagner.
Using a combination of the 18 hole main layout and nine hole course, a new configuration will be used for 2022 when The Country Club will play to a par of 70 and measure 7,264 yards.
Owning more of a look and feel akin to what Ouimet conquered in 1913 after Hanse put his spin on the course, The Country Club will be unfamiliar to all the field, with Matt Fitzpatrick arguably owning the biggest advantage having won the U.S. Amateur at the venue in 2013.
The par-4 17th has been the site of plenty of drama in past events, but the par-5 14th shapes as an important part of each player’s round in the later stages.
The longest hole on the course at a beefy 619 yards, the par-5 often plays into the wind and to an elevated green.
As per usual, the USGA have put their stamp on things with longer rough bordering fairways and greens, but with varied grasses off the mown surfaces, lies and recovery will be a shot-by-shot proposition.
PRIZEMONEY: US$17,500,000
RELATED: So-called expert U.S. Open tips
PLAYERS TO WATCH: When the best players in the world congregate for a major championship most of the field is worth keeping an eye on.
After last week’s win in Canada and with his place as the PGA Tour’s most vocal proponent, Rory McIlroy is clearly fired up and ready to add to his major haul.
McIlroy showed some outstanding form on his way to PGA Tour win number 21 last week, his driving a centrepiece of the performance that will hold him in good stead in Brookline. McIlroy also put on one of his better wedge performances in recent memory, while the spat between the U.S. Tour and LIV Golf has clearly given the Northern Irishman some extra drive.
Battling with McIlroy down the stretch last week and the winner of the last men’s major, Justin Thomas arrives as one of the hot favourites.
Like McIlroy, Thomas has been vocal in his support of the PGA Tour and arrives on a hot streak.
Third last week and sharing eighth at The Masters, Thomas is putting together a magnificent major year so far and has some experience here during the 2013 U.S. Amateur.
The defending champion, Jon Rahm, was T10 in his last start at Jack’s place and recently saluted in Mexico.
Rahm has all the tools that make a great U.S. Open player, with his streaky putting and similar temperament the keys to his performance this week.
World No.1 Scottie Scheffler will be out to correct what went wrong at one of his favourite courses when missing the cut at the PGA Championship.
The Masters champion bounced back from his Southern Hills effort with a runner-up at Colonial then a respectable top-20 in Canada.
A top quality ball striker who has taken his short game and game management to another level, Scheffler plays the kind of golf that wins U.S. Opens.
After a T48 last week, Cam Smith dropped some world ranking spots but he has entered the relm of major contenders each time he tees it up and a week where recovery play and short game are at a premium, Smith inevitably shines.
Having won The Players and finished T3 at Augusta, the Queenslander is clearly comfortable on the biggest stage and his driving will be the determining factor of his success this week.
If you’re looking for lead in form, Brooks Koepka likely won’t rate a mention. But the former World No.1 gets up for the majors and particularly the U.S. Open like few others.
Recently married, Koepka featured on the leaderboard last year when having little to show on the way to Torrey Pines that suggests the same could happen this week.
England’s Matt Fitzpatrick has missed a number of cuts this year, but when he plays the weekend he has been in contention almost every time.
Fitzpatrick has winning history at Brookline, was T10 last week, T5 at the PGA and could become the first U.S. Open winner to chip cross handed.
72-HOLE RECORD: 268 (Rory McIlroy, 2011)
18-HOLE RECORD: 63 (Johnny Miller,1973; Jack Nicklaus, 1980; Tom Weiskopf, 1980; Vijay Singh, 2003; Justin Thomas, 2017; Tommy Fleetwood, 2018)
PAST AUSSIE WINNERS: Geoff Ogilvy (2006) and David Graham (1981).
AUSTRALIANS IN THE FIELD: Lucas Herbert, Min Woo Lee, Marc Leishman, Jed Morgan, Adam Scott, Todd Sinnott and Cam Smith.
TV TIMES*
Round 1: Friday (Fox Sports 503 1am – 9am) & Featured Groups 9:28pm – 1am)
Round 2: Saturday (Fox Sports 503 1am – 9am) & Featured Groups 9:39pm – 1am)
Round 3: Sunday (Fox Sports 503 2am – 10am) & Featured Groups 12am – 2am)
Round 4: Monday Fox Sports 503 1am – 9am) & Featured Groups 10:30pm – 1am)
*AEST, check local guides
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