The US Open, the second golf major of the year, is drawing closer, and majority of the ongoing talk has been about the course. Chambers Bay will be unlike the usual US Open configuration of having tight fairways, high rough and fast greens.
So with the course set to play a major part in this major, who among the field can successfully navigate this unconventional terrain to emerge victorious? For that sort of analysis, let’s turn to the respected golf experts and check out their insight for the upcoming tournament.
Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson are top contenders
[sc:Golf240banner ]In Golf Digest’s US Open Preview, Alex Myers decided to poll some golfers for their picks and predictions for the tournament. Although most weren’t too willing to share their predictions for a winner at Chamber Bay, they were in agreement in terms of the qualities that will be needed to succeed at the course. These were: being long off the tee, having a high ball flight, and possessing an imaginative short game.
Three names that did come up as potential winners were World No. 1 Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson. Mickelson, a six-time runner up at the US Open, is still in search of that first win to complete his career Grand Slam. He’s priced at +1,800 to come away victorious this time around.
Myers notes that Lefty’s recent links golf success will serve him well at Chambers Bay, which could be the course where he finally gets the long-awaited major.
Golf.com
Expert
Prediction
Peter Kostis
Phil Mickelson is the top contender
Peter Kostis of Golf.com continues to build the case for Mickelson finally winning the big one. Kostis even goes as far as to say that Chambers Bay is tailor-made for Lefty’s game. Kostis agrees with the idea that players need to be pretty imaginative to make their way across the course, and that Mickelson has has such imagination and creativity around the greens.
Basically, if Mickelson is ever going to win the US Open, this course gives him every advantage to finally do so. Apart from his sweet short game, the course’s ample room on the fairways should also help limit any negative effects from Mickelson’s occasionally wild drives off the tee.
Kostis is a little unsure who else could join Mickelson atop the scoreboard, but the ones who have gone to Chambers Bay ahead of time – McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, and Bubba Watson to name a few – could have an edge as they familiarize themselves with a potentially tricky course.
The Scotsman
Expert
Prediction
Martin Dempster
Tiger Woods will not be a contender
As for another high-profile American, The Scotsman’s Martin Dempster is far more bearish on Tiger Woods’ chances at Chambers Bay. He went into some amount of detail about the downfall of the once-great Woods, who has looked like a shell of himself in the past few tournaments.
Despite his recent struggles, Woods is still currently priced at +2,000 to break his eight-year major drought. That’s on par with the odds of two-time Masters champion Watson and Rickie Fowler, who have both been in much better form than Woods this year.
But Dempsey is emphatic in his proclamation that it’s “impossible” to see Woods contending at Chambers Bay. And based on what Woods has shown on the course, it’s hard to argue with that sentiment.
Top Bet’s early US Open preview tips Masters champion Jordan Spieth to grab his second major of the year. Spieth has been in stunning form this season, with three wins and 10 top-10 finishes in 17 events. He’s currently a +750 favorite to win at Chambers Bay, right behind World No. 1 McIlroy.
A case can also be made against Spieth’s ability to succeed at Chambers Bay, chief among them the fact that winning the Masters and US Open in the same year is really, really hard to do. But the 21-year old has shown experience beyond his years this season, and should be right in the thick of things come Sunday.
