US Open has Scheffler as hot favourite, but plenty of competition lurks

A full field of 156 will tee off at Pinehurst in North Carolina, at the US Open on Thursday with the world’s top three golfers – Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy – clubbed together for the first 36 holes. Similar groupings dot the draw sheet for the opening two days including Bryson DeChambeau with Viktor Hovland and Max Homa, and Brooks Koepka playing along with Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas.

The 124th edition of the season’s third major will also see former champion Tiger Woods back in the mix after his disappointing run at the PGA Championship last month where he missed the cut after finishing dead last on the final day at the Masters despite making a record 24th straight cut at the season’s second major championship.

Woods has unhappy memories of the venue, losing the 2005 US Open in a shock verdict to New Zealand’s Michael Campbell, for whom it was the lone win in America. Six years earlier, Tiger finished third behind the late Payne Stewart and Phil Mickelson, and he has not returned to the North Carolina venue after his two-stroke loss to Campbell 19 years ago. But both course and player have changed greatly since then.

“This golf course is going to test every single aspect of your game, especially mentally, and just the mental discipline that it takes to play this particular golf course. It’s going to take a lot,” Woods was quoted as saying at Tuesday’s press conference after playing a 9-hole practice round. “Nothing can simulate what we have here this particular week, the amount of little shots and the knobs and runoffs, and either using wedges or long irons or woods around the greens or even putter.”

The 15-time major champion had his son Charlie Woods alongside on Tuesday and pointed out that having the 15-year-old at the tournament would be a help. “I trust him with my swing and my game. He’s seen it more than anybody else in the world. He’s seen me hit more golf balls than anyone,” Woods said. “He gave me a couple little side bits today, which was great, because I get so entrenched in hitting certain putts to certain pins, I tend to forget some of the things I’m working on.”

US Open winner in 2011, McIlroy was displaced to third in the rankings by PGA Championship winner Schauffele while raging hot Scheffler comes into the Open riding a hot streak that has seen him take five wins from his last six starts including the Masters and last week’s Memorial tournament this is hosted by 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus at his Muirfield course.

“Explosiveness isn't going to win a US Open. It's more methodically building your score over the course of four days and being okay with that, McIlroy said on Tuesday at Pinehurst Resort. On the nine years since he won a fourth major title, the Northern Ireland golfer added, “I'm really proud of my body of work over the past 15 years and everything that I have achieved, whether it be season-long titles or individual tournaments or majors.

“Obviously getting my hands on a fifth major has taken quite a while, but I'm more confident than ever that I'm right there, that I'm as close as I've ever been.”

With the Pinehurst 2 greens forecast to be lightning fast despite the relatively flat terrain of the area, this promises to be a major with a difference in that the longer hitter will have to plot their short game

more carefully that at most other venues. Said Woods, “There’s so many different shots that you really can’t simulate unless you get on the property. That’s one of the reasons I came up here last Tuesday, to be able to try and do that. Quite a bit of work. The golf course has firmed up and gotten faster since then (2005).”

Hovland is being tipped as one of those to watch this year, as also DeChambeau, who will be playing together. At the final round of the PGA Championship, again in the same group, 2020 US Open winner Dechambeau finished second and the talented Norwegian third behind Schauffele.

Meanwhile, world number 8 Jon Rahm failed to recover in time from an infected toe, and fellow-Spaniard Sergio Garcia was a late addition to the US Open field, and will make his 25th unbroken appearance at the championship.