US Open Golf 2015: Latest News and Predictions Heading into Chambers Bay
The U.S. Open has brought the world's best golfers to their knees in the past, as the famed tournament is known for its incredibly difficult conditions, which include ice-slick greens and thick rough that gives little reprieve. In fact, Hall of Fame golfer Cary Middlecoff was once quoted as saying, "Nobody wins the Open. It wins you."
That statement may very well ring true this year, as the U.S. Open takes on a whole new look—the look of a links-style course.
Chambers Bay, a track that just opened in 2007, plays host to the nation's most prestigious tournament in 2015. The course is unlike any previous U.S. Open venue due to its wide fairways, enormous greens, persisting fescue and an absence of trees.
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If you've never seen the course, take a look at this preview:
That sure looks more like an Open Championship track than a U.S. Open course, but that only adds to the intrigue of this year's tournament—it will truly be a unique U.S. Open. So, as we await a strong field to begin navigating this treacherous track, let's take a look at the latest tournament news and make some predictions.
U.S. Open News
Mixed Reviews on Chambers Bay
It's easy to see why playing a U.S. Open on a course that has a links feel would be met with some criticism. It is arguably golf's most prestigious event in America, and there's an expectation of what it should look like. Well, this year, it resembles more of an Open Championship than a U.S. Open, and there has been no shortage of opinions.
One of the first players to speak out was Ryan Palmer. He didn't hold back when criticizing the course, per Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post:
"As far as the greens are concerned, it's not a championship golf course—not with the way some of the greens are and the pin placements they can put out there. [Davis'] idea of tee boxes is ridiculous. That's not golf. I don't care what anybody says. It will get a lot of bad press from the players. It is a joke. I don't understand it. I just don’t know why they would do it.
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Not only is the strategic layout of the course under fire, but the overall feel of the track has been met with skepticism as well. Phil Mickelson weighed in, per Bob Harig of ESPN.com:
"That's because historically it's not like a normal U.S. Open. It's everything like a British Open. The exact same grasses. I've never seen this type of fescue in the United States. I've never seen greens with fescue grass in the United States.
It plays exactly like the British Open plays. The ball runs like the British, you're hitting the same shots as the British, and so it's like a British Open in the U.S.
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Although, not every player has made the trip to Chambers Bay only to produce negative comments. World No. 2 Jordan Spieth summed the course up in one word, per the Associated Press (via FoxNews.com), calling it "inventive."
Spieth added, "If you are going to talk negative about a place, you're almost throwing yourself out to begin with because golf is a mental game."
That's the kind of attitude that can help a player win a mentally taxing tournament like the U.S. Open. At just 21 years of age, Spieth has already shown a high level of maturity on and off of the golf course, and that's just another example.
Tiger Woods Update
As is usually the case before a major tournament, Tiger Woods is generating plenty of headlines. The former world No. 1 has recently dropped to 195th in the world, giving him his lowest ranking since 1996. While his tie for 17th in the Masters this year was promising, he's been dreadful in every other start.
Well, according to Jason Day, that may be changing.
Day has played practice rounds with Woods at Chambers Bay and gave an assessment on Woods' form, per Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press (via Yahoo Sports):
"Tell you what, if he could get on the fairway, he'd probably be back to where he was. His iron play is just ridiculous how good it is right now. It's really special. The driver and the 3-wood ... the 3-wood is OK, the driver gets a little wide sometimes. But I think that's the biggest thing for him right now is to really kind of get on the fairway. His short game looks pretty good.
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That's an interesting statement from Day. If Woods is hitting his irons as well as was described, he could be a force at Chambers Bay. After all, the course's firm greens will make it difficult for players to get close to pin locations, making accurate iron play necessary.
As for the driver, that has always been Woods' Achilles' heel. Missing fairways is nothing new for him, and luckily, the links-type layout at Chambers Bay will be far more forgiving for errant drives than a usual tree-lined U.S. Open track.
Updated Odds
Everyone wants to know who has the best shot at winning a U.S. Open. Will Woods find his form and win another major? Will Lefty finally complete the career Grand Slam? Will Spieth keep his major streak alive? Perhaps the best way to address those inquiries is to take a peek at the Vegas odds.
Here's how the oddsmakers view the players who have the best chances to earn a U.S. Open title:
| Rory McIlroy | 7-1 |
| Jordan Spieth | 8-1 |
| Dustin Johnson | 18-1 |
| Justin Rose | 18-1 |
| Phil Mickelson | 18-1 |
| Rickie Fowler | 18-1 |
| Henrik Stenson | 25-1 |
| Adam Scott | 28-1 |
| Bubba Watson | 28-1 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | 33-1 |
| Jason Day | 33-1 |
| Jim Furyk | 33-1 |
| Jimmy Walker | 33-1 |
| Sergio Garcia | 33-1 |
| Martin Kaymer | 40-1 |
| Matt Kuchar | 40-1 |
| Patrick Reed | 40-1 |
| Billy Horschel | 50-1 |
| Brandt Snedeker | 50-1 |
| Brooks Koepka | 50-1 |
| Tiger Woods | 50-1 |
| Byeong Hun An | 66-1 |
| Keegan Bradley | 66-1 |
| Lee Westwood | 66-1 |
| Paul Casey | 66-1 |
| Ryan Moore | 66-1 |
| Zach Johnson | 66-1 |
U.S. Open Predictions
Predicting any golf tournament—especially one as enigmatic as the U.S. Open—is no easy task. There are an abundance of factors to take into consideration. Which players are riding hot streaks? Whose game is best suited for this style of course? How do the weather conditions look for the week?
Even after carefully combing over players who fit the mold for the tournament and appear poised to make a run at the title, someone will likely come out of nowhere to send those predictions down the drain. But, hey, it's always fun to speculate.
That said, here's a prediction for how the leaderboard may look after 72 holes at Chambers Bay:
| 1 | Rory McIlroy | -7 |
| T2 | Phil Mickelson | -5 |
| T2 | Jordan Spieth | -5 |
| T4 | Dustin Johnson | -4 |
| T4 | Justin Rose | -4 |
| T4 | Jason Day | -4 |
| 7 | Brooks Koepka | -3 |
| T8 | Henrik Stenson | -2 |
| T8 | Rickie Fowler | -2 |
| 10 | Hideki Matsuyama | -1 |
Why not predict a win for Rory McIlroy? Sure, he's missed the cut in each of his last two starts, but if any player has a knack for elevating his game in a major, it's him. He has the experience necessary to flourish in a links environment, and it's not as if he's had a run of bad form this season—he already has three wins under his belt and produced a solid showing in the Masters.
It seems cruel to predict another runner-up finish for Mickelson, but that's the case here. Lefty has previously finished second a total of six times in the U.S. Open, and the tournament continues to thwart his attempt of completing the career Grand Slam. The openness of Chambers Bay suits Mickelson's game, but his putter has been unreliable this season.
Spieth will contend at Chambers Bay. As previously mentioned, he has the maturity to tackle this tricky track, and combined with his great course management and slew of shots at his disposal, we should expect nothing less than seeing his name near the top of the leaderboard Sunday.
One player to watch this week is Dustin Johnson. Chambers Bay sets up well for this long hitter, as he'll be able to set himself up to use higher-lofted irons for his approach shots, giving him a better chance of hitting greens in regulation and avoiding big numbers. He may very well give McIlroy a run for his money.
All tournament odds courtesy of Odds Shark.
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