If Tiger is in contention, I'll have to pull for him. He has the opportunity to do some things that Koepka, for all his ability, will never be able to do.
OT: US Open @ Pebble Beach
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82 and 18 are within reach. I doubt he'll read 18. But I believe he will pass 82 by a handful.
That's the way I see it also. Any shot at 18 depends on winning another one very soon.
Tiger has already done a ton of things Koepka won’t do. Remember the Perkins waitress?
I'll have to remain demure on that one.Tiger has already done a ton of things Koepka won’t do. Remember the Perkins waitress?
Rory's weakness is his erratic driving and mediocre short game. But nobody hits irons better. And not even Rory misses 3 footers. After that 61 he's got to be the favorite.
DJ's weakness is between his ears. But I'll bet he is contention on Saturday.
Tiger needs to come out firing and get up to the top of the leaderboard in the first 2 days. This ain't 2000 and he isn't 26 years old.
Jordan's game has come on lately so he's one to watch. He has to avoid shooting a 75.
Ricky isn't mentally tough enough for a major.
Brooks has a complete game and he's firing on all cylinders. But his game is not "easy" like Rory's game.
Dark horse candidates have to be Kuchar, Michelson (how sweet would that be) Thomas, Finau, Scott, Rose, Casey and Cantlay.
Whoever can keep it in the fairway and manage the rough around the greens will probably win.
DJ's weakness is between his ears. But I'll bet he is contention on Saturday.
Tiger needs to come out firing and get up to the top of the leaderboard in the first 2 days. This ain't 2000 and he isn't 26 years old.
Jordan's game has come on lately so he's one to watch. He has to avoid shooting a 75.
Ricky isn't mentally tough enough for a major.
Brooks has a complete game and he's firing on all cylinders. But his game is not "easy" like Rory's game.
Dark horse candidates have to be Kuchar, Michelson (how sweet would that be) Thomas, Finau, Scott, Rose, Casey and Cantlay.
Whoever can keep it in the fairway and manage the rough around the greens will probably win.
In my mind, Dustin is like Fred Couples, but with perhaps more talent. He could conquer the golf world if he only had more drive.
I get Rory being a favorite, but THE favorite? Over the guy who won a major last month, finished 2nd in the one before that. And won two of the last 3 the year before? And not to mention is the 2-time defending champ? Only one person wins, but Brooks Koepka should be the heavy, heavy favorite. It’s pretty amazing how the guy still hasn’t gotten the respect he’s earned (not saying this about you by the way, but in general). I like Spieth, but if Jordan went on this run people would be going ape $hit over this run.
If a had to bet the mortgage, I'd put it on Koepka.
Someone mentioned Kuchar above. I've always liked him but I've never seen him as a major winner. He's like a pre Tiger guy on the tour that is just happy getting a Top 10 check.
You cant win it tomorrow but you can lose it tomorrow.. Thursday will essentially eliminate a couple TOP GUYS... We will have to see about the weather.. Always a few surprises on Day one, but the cream will rise to the top as the weekend progresses...
This is the US Open. It requires pizzaz and feel. To me, Brooks is a golfer born of the hi-tech era. He does everything right and he wins, but he's an athlete first and a golfer second. He could still win but head to head Rory would win 8 out of 10.
Still, I think there's a 50% chance that the winner is either Brooks or Rory.
This is the US Open. You mean a tournament Brooks has won two times in a row?
I don’t get this at all. First of all you claim that no one hits irons better than Rory, but I think his wedge game is pretty average, and Tiger is the best iron player of all time. And what has Rory proven in majors over the last 5 years? He’s so hot and cold, and recently he hasn’t been hot enough in any major. He certainly has the talent to win, but I just don’t see it happening. I’d never take him over Koepka in a major after recent performance. But I’m not taking Koepka either...
Brooks is a great player. His particular skill set is less suited to this course than the previous two , I believe.
Same guy who nearly choked away a big lead in the 2019 PGA Championship with 4 straight bogeys on the back side on Sunday. I just don't think he will win 3 US Opens in a row.
If he does the drinks are on me.
His short game can be erratic and sometimes his driver too. But he was sharp at the Canadian Open. Rory can do more with middle irons than anyone I've ever seen - as good as Tiger in his prime.
My thinking too. If Brooks drives it straight and hits a high number of GIRs he's tough. If he starts pushing and pulling shots he can't make the recovery shots like Rory.
That's the only reason I'm not picking Brooks to win. 3 straight USOpens? I just don't think so.
I get that. But there is a difference between who is the favorite and who one picks based on a feeling. I’d take the field against Koepka too. But he’s the favorite. Pretty much every gambling outlet agrees.
Actually I like Spieth in this one. Been playing well and this is a short course. But not sure I wouldn't pick Koepka if my life depended on it.
My dark horse, and someone who hasn't been mentioned yet, is Xander Schauffele. He's a California native used to poa greens, and he's been playing well this year. He has good performances in majors (T-2 at the Masters, for example), and in his two previous U.S. Open starts, he finished tied for fifth and tied for sixth.
Tiger Woods primed to punk out. Never seen a golfer hit a double cross with a short iron and have a good round at a major.
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He needs to get Butch Harmon back on his team. Butch can work with the physical tools Tiger has now. He wouldn't try to turn back the clock.
Flat stick saved his ass! He hit it so bad 76 is the best he should have been able to get. But his putting has been unbelievable.
He and Nicklaus willed more putts into the hole than any two men in history. But that was a really scratchy ball-striking round. He'll have to turn it around completely to have a chance. And he won't have much time to work on it, either.
But I just didn’t understand your comment. Tiger has always been this way. Today was no different. He had one bad shot. Had he gotten par there, he’d be sitting at -3 in 16th after the first round.
He had to grind his @$$ off to shoot that score. Made one par putt from 40-plus feet. His proximity to the hole on his approaches was not as world class as it has been. It was more likely that his score would be higher than lower today. I admire his courage, but he's got to get his accuracy up to standards or he's not going to win this.
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Please his ball striking was well off his average. He had to grind for every par. He missed 5 greens with short irons in hand from the fairway. He sailed a bunker shot clean over one green into the ruff on the other side. A mere moral would have shot 76.
Projected cut as of this morning is +1. I'd be surprised if it goes lower and, like King, would bet on +1 or +2.
No big red numbers or much movement in the early tee offs. Jim Furyk of all people looks like he'll have the best second round (-4) of the first groups. At least none of the big names near the top (Rose, Koepka, Spieth, Tiger, Stenson, Adam Scott) shot themselves in the foot so they're all still in good position for moving day. Nice round by Kuch to move up to -4, too. Time to see how Rickie, Rory, Xander, Oosty, GMac, Sergio, Bryson and the rest of the gang do. Projected cut is now at +2.
