The 125th U.S. Open Preview/Prediction
The brutal Oakmont Country Club, 14 miles from downtown Pittsburgh, will host its 10th and the 125th edition of the United States Open. Scottie Scheffler and the course are the main storylines along with can anybody stick with Scheffler.
Oakmont is a 7,372 yard, Par 70 that will severely test the perseverance/mental toughness of the players. The rough is 5 inches high and extremely thick, so driving accuracy to the bentgrass fairways and approaches to the greens will be critical. There are 168 bunkers on the course, an average of 9 per hole. Once you get to the massive Poa Annua greens, they are stimping at over 14. The normal PGA greens stimp at 12, so these are historically fast greens. It’s going to be a beast for these players.
And who will challenge the seemingly unbeatable Scheffler? That is quite an undertaking though the talent from the PGA and LIV Tours are still through the roof good. Can Bryson DeChambeau, one of the ultimate grinders on either tour, go back to back at the Open. Joaquin Niemann has won 4 times on the LIV Tour and just won this past weekend at a LIV event in Virginia. Jon Rahm is definitely a threat. On the PGA side, Justin Thomas looks like he’s got a shot as he has his game back in order. Rory is struggling with a new driver as his former one was banned a couple of weeks ago, so he’ll have to figure it out. Collin Morikawa is long and accurate, so if he can putt, he’s got a shot. Ludvig Aberg is still ascending up the PGA ladder and looks primed for a breakout major championship victory. Here are the details that you need to know to get you set for this epic on Father’s Day weekend. Always a pleasure to watch on Father’s Day Sunday after a round.
Weather
Thursday: 88, Sunny, wind WSW 7 MPH.
Friday: 84, Partly Cloudy, 24% chance, SSE 5.
Saturday: 75, 63% chance of scattered t-storms. SSW 6.
Sunday: 79, 60% rain, scattered t-storms. SSE 6.
TV, ***All times Central***
Thursday: 5 A.M.-4 P.M. USA; 4-7 P.M. Peacock
Friday: 5:30 A.M.-12 P.M. Peacock; 12-6 P.M. NBC;6-7 P.M. Peacock.
Saturday: 9-11 A.M., USA; 11 A.M.-7 P.M. NBC
Sunday: 8-11 A.M. USA; 11 A.M.-6 P.M., NBC.
Key Odds
Scheffler, 3/1; DeChambeau, 8/1; Rahm, 12/1; McIlroy, 14/1; Xander Schauffele, 22/1; Aberg, 22/1; Morikawa, 25/1; Niemann, 28/1; Shane Lowry, 33/1; Sepp Straka, 35/1; Tommy Fleetwood, 40/1; JT, 40/1; Patrick Cantlay, 45/1; Corey Conners, 60/1; Vik Hovland, 60/1; Tyrrell Hatton, 66/1; Russell Henley, 66/1; Ben Griffin, 70/1; Jordan Spieth, 70/1; Hideki, 70/1; Sam Burns, 70/1; Brooks Koepka, 70/1; Keegan Bradley, 75/1; Harris English, 80/1; Patrick Reed, 80/1; Daniel Berger, 90/1; Tony Finau, 90/1, Cameron Young, 90/1; Justin Rose, 90/1. Cam Smith, 100/1. Ryan Fox, 100/1.
So it’s a heckuva field and there are no guarantees for even the best of them all.
However…
Winner
When Shohei Ohtani hits one of his 400+ feet mammoth shots out of Dodger Stadium or anywhere else, it’s a “no doubter.” While this field is spectacular and the talent immense, I’m going to take my “no doubter” player. Give me the greatness of the kid from Jersey by way of the University of Texas. I’ll take the 28 year old, who turns 29 on Saturday, June 21st. It’ll be a tremendous Father’s Day and early Birthday present for this superstar of the game. Give me the great one to make this U.S. Open, like many tournaments these days, as the Talking Heads once sang, “same as it ever was.”
Scottie
