Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, about 30 minutes south of New York City, hosts the 120th United States Open for the 6th time. Only Oakmont in Pennsylvania and Baltusrol in New Jersey have hosted more Opens. Oakmont hosted its ninth in 2016, won by Dustin Johnson, the 17-2 favorite at this U.S. Open, and Baltusrol has hosted the Open 7 times.
The course measures 7,477 yards and will play to a Par 70. It’s a beast, and the players will be severely challenged on the tight, multiple dogleg holes with rough 3 to 5 inches if not more. and the severely sloping, tiered Poa Annua and Bent grass greens which will by Stimping at 13. Treacherous putting conditions are in store with drier weather this week and winds leading to harder putting surface conditions.
The previous 5 winners have had to survive this course. Bobby Jones won in 1929 at +6, Billy Casper won in 1959 at +2, Hale Irwin won in 1974, labeled “The Massacre at Winged Foot,” at +7, Fuzzy Zoeller won in 1984 at -4, and Geoff Ogilvy won in 2006 at +5.
In 1974, with players demoralized by the difficulty of the course and critical of it, USGA president Sandy Tatum was asked why would they want to demoralize the players with a course playing like this. He said famously, “We’re not trying to humiliate the best players in the world. We’re simply trying to identify them.” Irwin won 3 Opens in his Hall of Fame career. Not anything close to as difficult as Winged Foot in 1974.
The defending champion is Gary Woodland. Woodland, who shot -13 at Pebble Beach last year, defeating 2017 and 2018 champion Brooks Koepka by 3 shots. Koepka was going for an unprecedented 3rd straight U.S. Open, but was denied by Woodland’s stellar play and tremendous putting. Always have to putt well to win a Major. Koepka is not playing this week as he’s still struggling with a knee injury he suffered in October of last year.
Key tee times Thursday
Going off Number 1
6:56 A.M. CT-Hideki Matsuyama, Japan, Patrick Reed, Houston, Jordan Spieth, Dallas. Not sure if there is a contender in this group, possibly Matsuyama and Reed. Matsuyama is not a great putter so that could keep him out of contention, but Reed is a good putter, so if he can hit it straighter or curve it on all the doglegs, he could have a shot. I want Spieth to contend, I’m just not seeing it right now.
7:07 A.M. CT-Collin Morikawa, La Canada Flintridge, California, Justin Thomas, Louisville, Tiger Woods, Jupiter, FL. Certainly Justin and Morikawa are in the hunt. I’m not seeing it with Tiger. Just not playing well enough right now. If Morikawa and Justin putt well, they’ve got a real shot. Justin is 14-1, Woods is 40-1.
7:18 A.M. CT-Matt Kuchar, Sea Island, GA., Lucas Glover, Jupiter, FL., Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland. I don’t see any of these 3 seriously competing, but Glover won the 2009 Open at Bethpage Black, and McDowell won the 2010 Open at Pebble Beach.
11:54 A.M. CT-Joaquin Niemann, Chile, Sungjae Im, South Korea, Cameron Champ, Sacramento, CA. These guys are possible. They’ve all won on tour and Champ competed well at the PGA. Not seeing it completely though.
12:05 P.M. CT-Gary Woodland, Topeka, KS., Andy Ogletree, Little Rock, Shane Lowry, Republic of Ireland. You’ve got the defending U.S. Open champion and the present Open Championship champion in this group along with the U.S. Amateur champion, so there’s a chance at least Woodland and Lowry can get in the hunt. Not convinced they’re playing well enough now though.
12:16 P.M. CT-Bryson DeChambeau, Clovis, CA., Dustin Johnson, Jupiter, FL, Tony Finau, Salt Lake City. Certainly can see a winner out of this group. DeChambeu’s issue will be keeping it in play off the tee. If he’s driving it well, he’s a good putter, so he’ll have a shot. Dustin has all the shots, and is on a tear after winning the Northern Trust and then the Tour Championship in the Fed Ex Playoffs and earning the Fed Ex Cup and being voted PGA Tour Player of the Year on Monday. He’s the favorite at 17-2. Finau finishes in the top 10 in Majors, but can’t seem to close a deal. That’s always the question with him and he hasn’t proven he can.
12:27 P.M. CT- Mickelson, Rancho Santa Fe, CA., Paul Casey, England, Jon Rahm, Spain. Rahm is 10-1. Mickelson is 70-1 at 50 years old. The last 50 year old to have a shot to win it was 100 years ago, when Harry Vardon had a 5 shot lead with 5 to play in the 1920 Open at Inverness Golf Club in Toledo, but then gave it away down the stretch and lost in a playoff. So the odds aren’t in FIGJAM’s favor. Casey, maybe a top 10.
12:38 P.M. CT-Rickie Fowler, Murrieta, CA., Matthew Wolff, Agoura Hills, CA., Viktor Hovland, Norway. Two bright young stars in the game in Wolff, who is 21, and Hovland, who’s 22 and turns 23 on Friday, who both have a shot. Their youth might catch up to them on Sunday. I like them both here though. They’re both strong mentally and could win. Fowler is an underachiever with 5 tour victories and no majors at 31 years old. Don’t see him getting it done this year either.
Teeing off on No.10
6:56 A.M. CT-Webb Simpson, Charlotte, N.C., Sergio Garcia, Spain, Jason Day, Australia. I see Webb getting in the hunt, but not Garcia. Day, possible.
7:07 A.M.-Rory, Northern Ireland, Adam Scott, Australia, Justin Rose, England. Rory certainly a possibility. Scott could be in the hunt, Rose hasn’t really gotten it together since the restart or even before the postponement, but he is the 2013 U.S. Open Champion at Merion Golf Club, so he’s got the mentality to win at Winged Foot.
7:18 A.M. CT-Ian Poulter, England, Patrick Cantlay, Jupiter, FL., Steve Stricker-A lot of guys like living in Jupiter that’s for sure. The Jupiter native is the only one who has a shot in this threesome and Cantlay certainly has a shot.
11:54 A.M. CT-Lee Westwood, England, James Sugrue, Republic of Ireland, Bubba Watson, Bagdad, FL. Not seeing a winner in this group, though Bubba has been pretty competitive lately and might have a shot the way he can work the ball and if he’s putting well.
12:05 P.M. CT-Tommy Fleetwood, England, Kevin Kisner, Aiken, S.C., Abraham Ancer, Mexico. This is an interesting group. Fleetwood shot a 63 on Sunday at Shinnecock in 2018 to challenge Koepka falling a shot short. Kisner seems like he could break through at some point, but he hasn’t yet. Ancer is a solid player at 29 and may get a breakthrough. He can be in the hunt.
12:27 P.M,. CT-Louis Oosthuizen, South Africa, Zach Johnson, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Keegan Bradley, Woodstock, Vermont. Louis can maybe get in the hunt. He’s played pretty well lately and he won the 2010 Open Championship so has Major pedigree. Zach won the 2007 Masters and the 2015 Open Championship denying Jordan Spieth his third major in a row that year, so he’s capable of playing well. Bradley hasn’t done a lot since winning the PGA Championship in 2011.
12:38 P.M. CT-Billy Horschel, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL., Xander Schauffele, San Diego, Brandt Snedeker, Nashville. Schauffele is 14-1, so he’s a favorite. Knocking on the door. Horschel is playing pretty good golf right now. Would love to see Brandt win it, but it’ll be hard for him. Just not playing great right now but you never know.
Key Holes
There are so many spectacular and difficult holes on this course, but I’ve paired it down to 6 crucial ones.
No.1, 451 yards, par 4-Right to left dogleg with a heckuva difficult green, with many tiers and slopes. Tied for the toughest hole on the course in 2006 with No.18.
No.3, 243 yards, Par 3. 1959 U.S. Open Champion Billy Casper laid up all 4 days here in winning the Open. There are challenging, deep bunkers on this hole like there are on many holes of this beast of a course. The green is sloping and tiered again, leading to a tough 2 putt if you’re not where you need to be on the green.
No.12, 633 yards, Par 5-The designer, A.W. Tillinghast made this a double dogleg. Putting surface again is tiered and highly difficult. Getting a birdie here is great, par is solid.
No.16- 498 yards, Par 4-These last 3 holes may be the toughest in Major Championship golf. Survival is the key. Sixteen is a sharp dogleg right to left. The tee shot, according to Tillinghast, back in the day, has to be played to the right center to have a reasonable shot at reaching the green on approach.
No.17, 504 yards, Par 4. Dogleg left to right with a narrow fairway. Bunkers could be in play off the tee with several on the right hand side. The green has a mound on the center right side. Two deep bunkers guard the left and one large deep one guards the right side of the green.
No.18, 469 yards, Par 4. The toughest hole on the course in 2006 along with No.1. Ask FIGJAM, who inexplicably used a driver with a 1 shot lead and his it left into the hospitality tent and doubled the hole to lose to Ogilvy by a shot. He called himself an idiot after the round. I would agree with that assessment. He’s finished runner-up a record 6 times at the Open. Dogleg right to left with tee shots running through the rough causing major problems for the player’s second shot. The green is 6 feet in elevation and has a false front that guards the green and is the most severe on the course. If the player doesn’t clear it, he’s back down in the fairway staring at bogey or maybe worse. Par if he makes a spectacular chip. Should be riveting on Sunday.
Weather;
Perfect.
Thursday, 78, Mostly Cloudy, Wind SW 9 MPH.
Friday, 65, Mostly cloudy. Wind N 14.
Saturday, Partly Sunny, 65, Wind NNE 12.
Sunday, 65, Mostly Sunny, Wind NE 11.
Wind certainly a factor, and while it’ll be sunny on Sunday, the players aren’t going to be in sunny moods because of this beast of a course. Expect the unexpected on Sunday. It will be some serious theater.
TV
Thursday, 6:30 AM-1 PM CT, Golf Channel, 1-4 PM CT. NBC, 4-6 PM CT, Peacock.
Friday, 6:30-8:30 AM CT, Peacock, 8:30 AM-3 PM CT, Golf Channel, 3-6 PM CT, NBC
Saturday, 8-10 AM CT, Peacock, 10 AM-6:30 PM CT, NBC.
Sunday, 7-9 AM CT, Peacock, 9-11 AM CT, Golf Channel, 11 AM-5 PM CT, NBC.
Really happy NBC has the coverage again. Now it really feels like a U.S. Open again. FOX improved, but it just wasn’t the same. It’s at NBC to stay.
Peacock is a new streaming service by NBC. To get on it’s pretty easy on your Smart TV, Phone or IPad among other devices. Just go to Peacocktv.com/golf , click on sign me up, enter your email, a password, reenter your password, agree to the terms, and you’re good to go. Its’ a free service so might be worth it.
Winner
I keep going with this guy. I see it between Dustin, Justin, Rahm, Xander Schauffele and maybe Rory. I’ll take the 25 year old from Spain. The way he played at Olympia Fields at the BMW Championship in what was set up as a U.S. Open course, convinced me that he can win a major. I like him surviving Winged Foot. Give me the Spaniard at the 120th.
Jon Rahm