Pinehurst No.2 hosts the 124th edition of the United States Open. The defending champion is Wyndham Clark, who was victorious at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023 edging out Rory McIlory by a shot. Clark finished10 under at LACC.
Scottie Scheffler is the prohibitive favorite. He’s won 5 times already heading into Thursday’s Open tying Tom Watson, the last person to accomplish that feat. Watson did that in 1980. He has joined Eldrick Woods as the second player to win the Memorial, the Masters, the Players Championship and the Arnie in the same season. Eldrick did it in 2001. Scheffler has also won the RBC Heritage this season. He’s got a great wife, a 3 week old son, and two majors under his belt along with two Players Championships. So life is very good. And he’s earned every penny and every trophy he’s collected.
Can the other guys hang with Scheffler? They can. Can they defeat him on Sunday? Possibly. He’s taking on 155 other players with every one of the best players in the world in the field. Here are details for the Open.
Weather
Thursday: 88 Sunny, ENE 8
Friday: 92 Sunny, NW 5
Saturday: 91, Sunny, NNE 9
Sunday: 89, Partly Sunny, ESE 7.
TV
Thursday: 5:30 AM-4 PM CT, USA; 4-7 PM CT, Peacock.
Friday: 5:30 AM-12 PM CT, Peacock; 12-6 PM CT, NBC; 6-7 PM CT, Peacock.
Saturday: 9-11 AM CT, USA; 11 AM-7 PM, NBC.
Sunday: 8-11 AM CT, USA; 11 AM-6 PM CT, NBC.
Notable tee times Thursday. All times Central. All groups off No.1 unless otherwise noted.
6:29 AM (No.10)-Will Zalatoris, Matt Fitzpatrick, Eldrick
6:40 AM- Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka
12:14 PM-Rory, Xander, Scottie
12:25 PM-Brian Harmon, Nick Dunlap, Wyndham Clark
12:25 PM (No.10)-DeChambeau, Viktor Hovland, Max Homa
12:36 PM- Hideki Matsuyama, Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm WD’d.
Key holes
No.5, 588 yards, Par 5. The runoff down the sides of the green is brutal with a misplayed chip. The waste areas are a major part of this course’s defense.
No. 16, 536 yards, par 4. The longest Par 4 on the course. Par here is a very good score.
No.17, 207 yards, Par 3. Will be filled with drama on Sunday.
No.18, 448 yards, Par 4. Forty two year old Payne Stewart sank an 18 footer for par in 1999 to win the first Open played at No.2. He won by a shot over FIGJAM in that classic. He tragically died in a plane crash four months later. That was a historic Open moment. More in store this Sunday on 18.
Odds
Scheffler, 3/1
Rory, 10/1. Reunited with his wife. That should help him.
Xander Schauffele, 12/1. PGA Champion tries to add another major
Morikawa, 16/1, been close recently. Tied 3rd at the Masters and tied 4th at the PGA, but showed some shakiness in the clutch at the PGA and at the Memorial last Sunday where he was in a battle with Scheffler, but couldn't capitalize on opportunities and finished second. Maybe he gets major number 3. He won the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 Open Champinship.
Hovland, 18/1. A guy who is due for sure.
DeChambeua, 18/1. Finished 2nd at Valhalla, but this is a totally different golf course. The Donald Ross design (1909) and the Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw redesign (2011) places a premium on approach shots and scrambling. He could overpower Valhalla. He can’t overpower No.2. There are waste areas that are hazardous if you’re offline off the tee or on your approaches.
Ludvig Aberg, 22/1. Has really come on this season.
Koepka, 22/1. Won two U.S.’s and three PGA’s, so the game’s there unless LIV is just too soft a test for a U.S. Open.
Tommy Fleetwood, 35/1. Love his scrambling ability.
Cam Smith, 35/1. With his putter, he can be dangerous.
Patrick Cantlay, 40/1. Great putter when he’s cookin’.
Justin Thomas, 40/1. Gotten better this season, but still somewhat of a disappointment recently.
Homa, 45/1. Picked Max to win the PGA. He’s an outstanding player who’s due as well. I like him to win a major soon.
Hideki, 50/1. Got all the shots, but his putter usually holds him back. If he putts well, he’s a factor.
Matt Fitzpatrick, 2022 U.S. Open winner at Brookline Country Club outside of Boston.
Tyrrell Hatton, 50/1. Does he have the mental game to handle an Open? That’s a “major” question.
Tom Kim, 55/1. Hasn’t done a lot since breaking on to the scene a couple of years ago.
Spieth, 55/1. Does he have any mental game left?
Shane Lowry, 55/1. Won the Open Championship in 2019 in his home country of Northern Ireland at Royal Portrush.
Wyndham Clark, 60/1. Hasn’t fared great lately.
Sahith Theegala, 60/1. Possible.
Tony Finau, 60/1. If he can chip and putt, yes, he has a shot.
Winner
Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee and Paul McGinley are taking the 155 man field versus this 156th player in the tournament. Maybe they think he looks too good to be true in this Major. I’m saying he is that good and he is the truth. The only reason he didn’t win the PGA Championship at Valhalla is because he was unlawfully arrested by some thug cops in Louisville. Give me the truth; the 27 year old Ridgewood,New Jersey native by way of the University of Texas captures major number three in what is becoming a historically terrific career…..
Scottie Scheffler
Sleeper
I’ll take the 26 year old from Orange, Cali by way of Pepperdine University…...
Sahith Theegala
Speaking of the truth, this 1992 classic features one of the best movie scenes of all time.