2019 U.S. Open
By T.J. Auclair ยท June 12, 2019
Weโre always excited when itโs a major championship week.
But there are times when those extra special weeks are even more extra specialโฆ this is one of those times, as the worldโs best players descend upon iconic Pebble Beach Golf Links for the 119th U.S. Open.
Pebble is synonymous with the U.S. Open. There have just been so many great moments there, whether itโs Jackโs 1-iron, Watsonโs chip-in, Tigerโs 15-shot victory and so on. You really canโt beat a U.S. Open at Pebble.
READ: Legendary Pebble Beach caddie helps USGA with hole locations for 119th U.S. Open
This time around, Brooks Koepka โ coming off a fourth major win at the PGA Championship just last month โ enters as the two-time defending champion. Heโs arguably the hottest player in golf โ certainly in the majors the last two years โ and has a chance to Scotlandโs Willie Anderson in 1905 as the only player to win the U.S. Open in three consecutive years.
If Koepka is to match that feat, it wonโt be easy.
Itโll be so difficult, in fact, that not a single one of our caddies have him pegged for the three-peat.
Hereโs a look at the players they believe you should be keeping a close eye on this week on the Monterey Peninsulaโฆ
Caddie 1
- Jim Furyk. โHeโs a longshot, but because heโs the most accurate driver of the ball I feel he will give himself a shot at the belt! Playing Pebble Beach as many times as these players have, the one who drives it in the fairway will have the least amount of stress and thatโs what you want in a U.S. Open. Furyk knows Pebble well AND is a former U.S. Open.โ
- Henrik Stenson. โHeโs another excellent driver of the ball so, that being said, look for him to put himself in position all week to keep hanging around. Come Sunday all you want is to be hovering around and it all starts with the driver this week.โ
- Paul Casey. โAnother great driver of the ball โ see the trend Iโm going with here? Keep your eyes on the best drivers this week. Weโve got some gnarly rough thatโs going to play havoc on every player so the best drivers will have the best shot. Thatโs my take and Iโm rolling with it!โ
Caddie 2
- Dustin Johnson. Dustin Johnson has played well many, many times at Pebble. , he couldโve won this thing the last time it was here! One of the best players in the world and playing that way after finishing runner-up to Brooks at Bethpage (who I have to stubbornly forget to mention yet again). This track seems to require a bit of NorCal comfort. Shout out to Johnny Goodman!โ
- Rory McIlroy. โA Sunday 61 and shot tracer looked like a video game. Great warmup event and he just dominates. The Players was on a course that requires accuracy and his ball flight could really shine, especially if the winds are lighter. He has the nuts and pedigree to take on all the holes bordering on the Pacific โ 4-10, 17, 18. Will still be buried below headlines of Brooks and some other guy.โ
- Tiger Woods. โThis is like Steph Curry at Oracle. Tiger has played the course for over four decades! Seems like heโs going to have to play his absolute best to win against a top-heavy and deep field. But if heโs chipping and putting well in Jim Nantzโs backyard, I think he could finish on top outright or survive the first condensed playoff in the championshipโs history.โ
Caddie 3
- Jason Dufner
- Keegan Bradley
- Rickie Fowler
This week is, for sure, a wide-open championship. A wide array of player can win because, for the most part, guys will hit it to the same spots off the tee, with the exception of a few holes. Thereโs a max distance to hit it off the tee on so many holes, and whether you need a 4-iron to 3-wood, doesnโt really matter that much. In a nutshell, itโs not a bombers paradise. Itโs a position-off-the-tee paradise.
So, whatโs the deciding factor. Itโs second-shot iron play. Pebble Beach is a second-shot golf course thatโs second to none. So, distance control with your irons is crucial. On top of that, flight control with your irons when the wind gets up, is crucial.
To pick guys whoโll be thereabouts late Sunday with a chance to win, you need to look at players proximity to the hole on their approach shotsโฆ In that category, Dufner, Bradley and Fowler rank eighth, fourth and T51 (just 2 feet outside the top 10, which shows you just how good these guys are), respectively this season.
These three players stand out.
