US Open 2013: 5 Players You Should Watch out For

Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, PA is the site of this year’s U.S. Open. With the world’s top golfers all making their way to the States, this tournament looks like it’s going to be a classic. Unlike the Masters and the British Open, the U.S. Open is at a different site every year. This is one of the many things that make the tournament so difficult for golfers.

There are some interesting trends to watch for in this year's tournament.

Only three of the last nine winners have been Americans, and nobody has defended their title since Curtis Strange in 1988-89. The average score for the winner is just -2 over the last ten years, as well. Low scores seemingly always come at a premium in this tournament.

Tiger Woods is the only golfer in recent history who has won the tournament three times. Tiger has been in a drought of major championships recently, and I’m hesitant to pick him to win this year’s installment of the U.S. Open. With that said, here are five golfers who could cause some serious damage:

5. Jim Furyk

He may have a strange swing, but “The Businessman” has some serious skill to back it up. Furyk, a Pennsylvania native, will likely have a lot of friends and family come out to the course to support him.

Furyk usually golfs much better on American soil, too. Many people forget that he really dominated in the 2003 U.S. Open. He led from the second round on, and won by three strokes.

With his home crowd cheering him on, don’t be surprised to see Furyk’s name high atop the leaderboard on the final day.

4. Ernie Els

I realize that Ernie Els has not recently been on top of his golf game. I’m aware that he failed to qualify for the 2012 Masters.

Els did, however, win the 2012 British Open and has had a considerable amount of success at the U.S. Open, too. Els is a two-time U.S. Open champ, and one of those tournaments was held in Pennsylvania. Although Els is aging, history says we shouldn’t count the South African out.  

3. Sergio Garcia

He’s never won a major championship, I know, I know. After the whole debacle with Tiger Woods at the Players Championship, El Nino is going to come out on fire. He’s not only looking for his first major championship, but he’s also looking to take down his arch-rival in Woods. He may not be the favorite, but Garcia could be climbing up the leaderboard on championship Sunday.

There’s a first for everything, and the 2013 U.S. Open just might be the first of many major titles for Garcia.

2. Angel Cabrera

Cabrera has quite the resume, despite only being on the tour for six years. El Pato won the ‘07 U.S. Open and the ‘09 Masters. After his loss in the ‘13 Masters, which was an instant classic, he’ll definitely be hungry to get back to his winning ways. He started out with 80-1 odds, but don’t be surprised to see Ángel Cabrera do some serious damage, come mid-June. His loose and relaxed mentality could give him an edge at Merion this year.

1. Bubba Watson

After winning the 2012 Masters, Watson quickly became a fan favorite. He also proved that he can play with, and beat, the big boys. He also can drive a golf ball in between nine and 10 miles. Not really, but he can drive it really, really far. He’s currently at 60-1 odds, but I think he will do much better than what people expect him to do. 

You can follow Phil Oscarson at @philoscarson or read more of his posts at GolfZing.com. Odds via Yahoo!.