The second major of the year gets underway on June 16th at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. This will be the third time the U.S. Open will have been played at Congressional, the last being in 1997 when a young, fresh faced Ernie Els took home his second major championship by besting Colin Montgomerie by a stroke.
At 7,574 yards it’s safe to say the course will be playing long. Add to that the fact that it’s a par 71 and that yardage becomes even more daunting. That’s 500 yards longer than last year’s Open at Pebble Beach. That type of set up certainly gives the advantage to the bombers, but can they keep it in the fairways and away from the long, thick rough? Last year Graeme McDowell held on to win his first major, and we also saw Dustin Johnson collapse on Sunday by squandering a three shot lead and go on to shoot a final round 82. The Recap After a bit of a slide, I’ve managed to bounce back with a few strong weeks and bring myself back up to the 96th percentile mark. In that time I’ve also notched two more tournament winners as well, with the “Bearded One” Lucas Glover at the Wells Fargo Championship, and David Toms at Colonial.
The Picks
I still get goose bumps when I watch the 1999 U.S. Open, where Payne Stewart outduels a much younger Phil Mickelson. Mickelson has had his share of heartbreaking losses in the U.S. Open, between five runner- up finishes and a handful of other top 10s this championship has eluded him. His game is not suited to win a British Open, and his results there show it. But at 40, he still has plenty left in the tank to contend here. His length on the long track will be an advantage. His lack of accuracy off the tee will not. Backing him up I like a much straighter and shorter hitter, Luke Donald. His consistency has been off the charts this year, and at a major where ball striking is an overwhelming factor, there’s nobody better. Within the B group there are a lot of options to choose from. I like another big swinging lefty, Bubba Watson, who is currently leading the FedEx Cup and has two victories on the season already. He ranks 2nd in Driving Distance on Tour, and 1st in GIR, a great combination to have. Hunter Mahan seems to always show up for the majors, so I’ll give him a start too.
Even though he had a miserable showing at the Masters, it’s hard to shy away from picking Martin Kaymer. His game is well suited for major championships, just not Augusta. On the bench I like Adam Scott who’s riding a hot putter and showed us at the Masters that he can still be a factor.
Starting Foursome: Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Hunter Mahan, Martin Kaymer
On the Bench: Luke Donald, Steve Stricker, Charl Schwartzel, Adam Scott
You can follow Jeff’s weekly Fantasy Golf picks online each week at www.mynegm.com. Jeff also writes on his blog at www.goodwalkgolf.com and can be reached at jeff@goodwalkgolf.com
About Jeff Palopoli
Web marketer, father, husband, and golf blogger continually searching for the golf game I used to have.
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