June 16 — Time was, back in the day, when no golf observer could go wrong predicting Tiger Woods to win a tournament in any given week. Indeed, the trick was throwing a dart to pick the runner-up.
The times they are a’ changin’. Times have certainly changed, with Woods almost as likely to miss the cut at Pebble Beach this week as he is to hoist the trophy Sunday night. The state of Woods’ game is anybody’s guess at this point, although the still top-ranked golfer said Tuesday that it was progressing nicely.
One thing’s almost guaranteed: Woods will not lap the field by a record 15 shots, as he did in here in 2002.
If range work is any indication, however, Woods may have another run in him.
“Tiger Woods is on the range, hitting TOWERING short irons,” Golf.com’s David Dusek posted on his Twitter account Wednesday. “He looks dialed in and extremely focused.”
In contention? In any case, trying to pick a winner of any golf tournament is a dicey proposition, at best. Choosing the guy who will overcome a field of 156 top players in the world to win this year’s U.S. Open is an exercise in futility. Instead, here’s a look at a handful of golfers other than Woods who may, or may not, be in the mix over the weekend:
Phil “Bridesmaid” Mickelson. The perennial Open runner-up has to win at Pebble to keep his Grand Slam hopes alive. He already earned the green jacket at this year’s Masters and has won three times at Pebble Beach. At 40 (Lefty celebrated his birthday Wednesday), Mickelson believes he’s playing some of his best golf.
Plus, Phil really, really, really wants a first-place finish. “Having five seconds of the last 11 years and coming close,” he told reporters Tuesday, “this is a tournament I’d very much like to win.”
Lee Westwood. Sure, the Englishman is on something of a roll, after his win last week in Memphis. He’s also finished high up on the leaderboard in the majors since 2008. But, how realistic is it to believe the third-ranked golfer will win two tourneys in a row, with the Open being one of them? Not bloody likely.
Lucas Glover. The defending Open champ was an improbable winner last year at Bethpage Black and an unlikely victor at Pebble.
Ernie Els. The Big Easy will tee it up with Woods and Westwood Thursday. Should be interesting, with Tiger blasting Ernie last year for not working hard enough to rehab his surgically repaired knee, and Els later calling Woods “selfish” for upstaging a PGA Tour event with his made-for-TV apology to the world for his behavior.
Els also seemed to have lowered expectations for himself at Pebble Beach. “I’m hitting the ball quite nicely,” he told the media. “So I need a bit of a boost this week, and I’d love to play well here.”
Padraig Harrington. The Irishman had knee surgery three weeks ago but has the confidence to win this week. “Am I capable of winning? Yes. No problem about that,” Harrington said at his Tuesday press conference. “I’ve shown enough form in a number of tournaments, that, yeah, it could take place this week.”
Rory McIlroy. The 21-year-old has made five of six cuts in major championships. His final-round 62 to win the Quail Hollow Championship in a walk after almost missing the cut was a testament to his skills and patience. Probably not his time yet to win the Open, as even he acknowledged Wednesday.
“Maybe in a couple of years I’ll hopefully be a bit more advanced in my career to say, yeah, I think it’s time that I’m ready to win a Major,” McIlroy told reporters. “But there’s no rush right now.”
Steve Stricker. The Wisconsin Cheesehead was on the disabled list for six weeks with a shoulder injury and finished well back at the Colonial and the Memorial. The 43-year-old Stricker, however, should not be at a disadvantage off the tee, since the course will play at a relatively short 7,014 yards. Most guys will hit fairway metals and long irons just to stay on the fairways. He’s definitely a workhorse, but it’s hard to imagine Stricker’s name atop the scoreboard this weekend.
Dustin Johnson. This guys is “stupid long,” as Woods said in his presser Tuesday. Long hitters do not necessarily have an advantage this week (see Steve Stricker).
Tom Watson. The 60-year-old has proven that age is just a number, with his near-win at last year’s Open Championship and play at the 2010 Masters. Despite his special exemption into this year’s field, his miraculous chip-in from the rough at the 17th hole to win the event in 1982, and his extensive Pebble Beach experience, don’t expect to see Watson kissing the 2010 U.S. Open trophy.
Jon Curran. New England golfer Curran believes he belongs at the Open and will make the most of his first U.S. Open opportunity. “I’ve never been [to Pebble Beach], but I think the course fits me and to be honest, I’m looking to tear it up,” the 23-year-old from Hopkinton, Mass. wrote on his website prior to Open week.
For a detailed look at each golfer in the U.S. Open field this week, check out ESPN.com’s Jason Sobel. Curran will take his first swing in a U.S. Open off the first tee at 12:12 p.m. EDT Thursday.
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