The United States Open

Every five years, the Open Championship returns to the home of golf - St. Andrews.  It is a historic nod to one of the most recognizable golf courses in the world.  In the United States, though not scheduled as precise, the US Open will return to it’s version of St. Andrews - Pebble Beach.  

Like the home of golf, Pebble Beach looks like it was crafted by Mother Nature along the shores of the Pacific Ocean.  The iconic course, which continues to host an annual PGA Tour event each year, features an iconic lineup of former Open champions:  Nicklaus, Watson, Kite, and Woods.  

The buzz surrounding this year’s US Open is the depth of the rough.  While the rough is typically maintained at a playable level for the AT&T Pro-Am (cause let’s be honest - a lot of those old rich guys have a hard enough time getting it around the course to begin with), the rough has been grown out to put a premium on driving accuracy.  

This year, players have already put the USGA on notice that they expect to see a difficult but fair layout on the Monterey Peninsula.  

“I think they’ll admit they’ve made a couple of mistakes over the last couple of years. Everyone does. And I think we should give them the chance to redeem themselves. If they can’t redeem themselves at Pebble Beach, then there could be a problem.” ~ Rory McIlroy

Phil Mickelson made similar comments about his long and storied history with playing US Open venues that were compromised by the USGA setup.  Last year, Shinnecock was, once again, not properly watered or maintained during the week leading to greens that were borderline manageable.  For reasons passing understanding, the USGA continues to flirt with losing control of golf courses in the name of “identifying the most complete player.”  

This year, there is no reason for the USGA to trick out one of the most historic and storied golf courses in the world.  Tall rough was expected and produced at the PGA Championship last month at Bethpage Black - and the best players in the world still navigated that that course well enough to produce under par scores.  The high rough at Pebble will once again put a premium on driving accuracy.  And just like the Old Course, weather and the winds provide the biggest defense at Pebble Beach — a variable the USGA constantly underestimates.  

For the golf viewer who laments the limited television windows at The Masters, the US Open is the tournament for you.  Between FS1 and FOX, the networks will broadcast 40 hours of US Open coverage.  This does not include the streaming options through Fox Sports GO and the US Open app.  

The USGA decided against any “superstar” groupings for Thursday and Friday - but that doesn’t meant there is any shortage of star power.  The reigning US Open and PGA Champion will be grouped with the Champion Golfer of the Year Francesco Molinari (the two were also paired together last month at the PGA Championship) alongside US Amateur Champion Viktor Hovland.  Dustin Johnson will be playing alongside Phil Mickelson and Graeme McDowell - three men who were all in the chase when the US Open was last played at Pebble Beach in 2009.  All three men have also won at Pebble.  And the reigning Masters Champion Tiger Woods will play with former US Open Champions Justin Rose and Jordan Spieth.  

So who will walk away with the US Open trophy?  Look for someone who can overpower the golf course, muscle a ball out of the rough, and make clutch putts for par to keep a round going.  Anyone come to mind? 

Yeah - this guy - for the third time.  

Until he loses, he’s still the favorite.