Brooks Koepka has ruled the US Open each of the last two years. And with the kind of form he’s showing everyone lately, it’s not a far-fetched notion that he’ll win the tournament again this year. However, that’s going to be easier said than done, considering the competition he is about to face. Read on for our preview of some of the field’s members at the 2019 US Open below.
It’s hard to go against the flow Koepka is in right now. He is coming off a sensational win at the PGA Championship. Prior to that, he had a fourth-place finish at the AT&T Byron Nelson. He is tearing it up in the majors, as he has won four of the last eight major tournaments he’s played. In 12 starts this season, he has two wins and five top 10s with only one missed cut. There’s no golfer hotter on the course than Koepka. There is arguably no safer bet to win a major these days than the 29-year-old Florida native.
Don’t act like you’re surprised to see Woods’ name in here. After winning the Masters Tournament in dramatic fashion, Woods had an anti-climactic campaign at the PGA Championship in which he missed the cut. However, he seems to be back at it again, having finished with a T9 at the Memorial Tournament earlier this month. Also allow us to take this opportunity to remind everyone that Woods won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am way back in 2000 despite trailing by seven shots with seven holes left. By the way, he won that tournament by 15 shots! Woods is fourth among all Tour players with a 4.54 birdie average.
At a price of +1000 to win the 2019 US Open, one could make a case that there’s a ton of value on Johnson. It was just two years ago when Johnson won his first and still only majors tournament with a victory at the 2016 US Open at Oakmont Country Club, but it’s his notable track record at Pebble Beach that sounds more promising. Johnson, who had a runner-up finish at the 2019 PGA Championship, has two wins and a pair of second-place finishes at Pebble Beach.
Finau’s value is down a little bit after missing the cut at the Memorial Tournament, which succeeded an otherwise decent second-place finish at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Finau has a penchant for showing up during a majors tournament, so it’s not such a bad idea to lay some money on him. He had a T5 at the 2019 Masters, was fifth at the 2018 US Open, and had a T9 at the 2018 British Open.
The 2019 PGA season isn’t going according to Day’s plans, but the upcoming US Open could see the former No.1 player in the world return to glory. In 10 starts at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the Australian has managed to finish inside the top six a total of six times.
Cantlay can afford to smile, as he just topped the field at the Memorial Tournament for his first win of the season. That came after getting a T3 at the PGA Championship, so you could say he’s been on a roll of late. Over his last five starts, he hasn’t finished outside the top nine four, save for a missed cut at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Hoffman missed the cut at the Memorial Tournament after firing a 73 in each of the first two rounds of the event. If anything, he has a pair of finishes inside the top 14 over his last four starts, including a T9 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Writer’s Prediction
Brooks Koepka stays hot and wins his third-straight US Open title.
