PGA Power Ranking: Breaking Down the Top 25 Players Post-US Open
The message from players to the USGA and, by extension, Chambers Bay was "We're just not that into you," except for maybe Jordan Spieth, who won his second major in a row.
The 115th U.S. Open had putting browns instead of putting greens and elicited any number of insults and criticisms.
Billy Horschel, the 2014 FedEx Cup champion, was vocal about his distaste for Chambers Bay. He nearly axed the business end of his putter into one of the putting surfaces.
In his post-round interview on Fox, Horschel said:
"I'm not going to hold my tongue on this. This is very disappointing to hold a championship-caliber tournament on greens like this. Very inconsistent. We're not looking for perfection but they sure aren't very good.
It's frustrating on the greens when you hit really good putts and they're bouncing worse than I [have] ever seen. It's the way it is. I lost a little respect for the USGA this week.
"
In any case, Horschel is just one golfer on this list of 25 worth examining, but his sentiments are largely universal.
Read on for a true-rolling, post-U.S. Open power ranking of the top 25 players.
25. Martin Kaymer
1 of 25
Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR): 19
Previous Ranking: 15
Why He's Here: The 2014 U.S. Open champion never could, to borrow a tired phrase, "get it going" at Chambers Bay. He wasn't alone.
He sank 10 spots on this list because he failed to display the tight play he exhibited a year ago when he won this tournament wire-to-wire. Martin Kaymer played just two days at Chambers Bay.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: Kaymer couldn't hit a green. He was 21-of-36 for 58 percent. Once on the green, he couldn't putt to save himself from his wayward approaches. He had a swollen though not entirely pitiful 62 putts over his two rounds.
24. Zach Johnson
2 of 25
OWGR: 25
Previous Ranking: 19
Why He's Here: For Zach Johnson, "moving day" was like moving back in with his parents. He started Round 3 at four over par and then played his first 11 holes in Round 3 at 10 over par.
Two birdies late in the round kept him from shooting 80.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: Like many, he putted poorly. There wasn't a day when he had fewer than 30 putts. On that Saturday slide, he landed just 44 percent of his approaches on the green after hitting 71 percent of his fairways.
23. Bubba Watson
3 of 25
OWGR: Four
Previous Ranking: 10
Why He's Here: After grinding out an even-par 70 on Thursday, Watson was feeling like he had several more swings at Chambers Bay.
"I'm down, but at the same time, it's the U.S. Open and I know there are a lot of big numbers waiting," Watson said in Jim McCabe’s Golfweek story, per FoxSports.com. "I've got three more days."
No. He had just one more day.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: One part good and two parts bad. The result was a 77 on Friday that sent Watson home.
Nine bogeys, including three to start his Friday round, created too much trench for Watson to hack himself out of. Hitting only 50 percent of his greens clipped his wings in Washington.
Watson hasn't fared well at U.S. Opens in general, and Chambers Bay chewed him up and left him up to his knees in fescue.
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22. Phil Mickelson
4 of 25
OWGR: 17
Previous Ranking: Eight
Why He's Here: Phil Mickelson had a veritable meltdown Saturday, which bled into a not-so-happy Phather’s Day for Phil.
At age 45, Mickelson shot 13 over and finished in a tie for 64th. Mickelson is running out of time if he wants to win the ever-elusive U.S. Open to complete the career Grand Slam.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: Mickelson grinded just to get to the weekend and then proceeded to hit just 33 percent of his greens Saturday to shoot a dispiriting and demoralizing 77.
Lefty had been playing well heading into the U.S. Open, which made it seem like completing the career Slam was within his grasp.
Per FoxSports.com, Alex Miceli of Golfweek wrote, "He is trending in the right direction, maybe, but Mickelson has not shown the ability to finish at the top of the leaderboard on Sunday recently. At 45, he may have passed the point where he can win a U.S. Open."
21. Jimmy Walker
5 of 25
OWGR: 11
Previous Ranking: 14
Why He's Here: Jimmy Walker found himself in a decent spot at one over par after the first round. He came unglued over the following three days to finish just one stroke better than Mickelson at 12 over par.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: That opening round was the prototypical you-can't-win-a-U.S.-Open-on-Thursday-but-you-can-lose-it round. Then, his balls were fairway-averse the rest of the week.
Friday saw him hit just 50 percent of his fairways while averaging 55 percent of fairways in Rounds 2, 3 and 4. That's not good for the man who sits at No. 2 in the FedEx Cup standings.
20. Branden Grace
6 of 25
OWGR: 40
Previous Ranking: N/A
Why He's Here: Nobody outside Europe knew who Branden Grace was before this weekend. He was the co-leader heading into the final round and barely wilted under the pressure.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: Grace shot no worse than 70 in any of the four rounds. It was an impressive display of steady-handed golf. Even in his final round, playing in the penultimate group, he had just one bogey and one double bogey
That last one was a three-shot swing. At the time, he was tied with Spieth at four under. Spieth rattled in a bomb for a birdie to go up three and seemingly lock up the tournament with two holes remaining.
Grace remained calm and parred out to finish in a tie for fourth.
19. Matt Kuchar
7 of 25
OWGR: 18
Previous Ranking: 15
Why He's Here: Matt Kuchar played well early in the tournament and late in the tournament thanks to great accuracy (Round 1) and a decent back nine (Round 4).
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: Kuchar's most exciting stretch of golf came when he went birdie-eagle on No. 11 and No. 12 on Sunday. Unfortunately, he paired those two holes with a double bogey and a bogey on two of the next three holes.
He finished with two birdies to get to one over for the tournament and a tie for 12th.
18. Jim Furyk
8 of 25
OWGR: Three
Previous Ranking: Six
Why He's Here: The 2003 U.S. Open winner shot seven over for a tie of 42nd and wasn't bad, but he wasn't good either. He was just around the cut line and then shot himself out of contention in the first seven holes of the third round.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: Jim Furyk had just three double bogeys all tournament, but they came in one seven-hole stretch at the start of the third round.
His putter let him down all tournament. In the first round, he hit 83 percent of his greens and then managed to sling around 34 putts. Driving the ball roughly 17 yards shorter than the rest of the field did little for his approaches.
17. Ian Poulter
9 of 25
OWGR: 24
Previous Ranking: 21
Why He's Here: Ian Poulter, who finished in a tie for 54th, climbed two spots not because of impeccable play (which it wasn't) but because others on this list played their way off it (with gratitude to Tiger Woods and Hunter Mahan).
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: Poulter had 13 birdies on the week and whited them out with 13 bogeys and six double bogeys. A 69 on Saturday wasn't going to make Poulter a contender, but it showed he has the chops to shoot a low score at a challenging course such as Chambers Bay.
Once this field heads to a genuine links course where you can, you know, score, Poulter may be a dark horse to contend at The Open Championship in a few weeks.
16. Hideki Matsuyama
10 of 25
OWGR: 14
Previous Ranking: Nine
Why He's Here: As impressive and steady as Hideki Matsuyama was, he was simply bested by some hot golfers. He's got one of those beautiful, repeatable swings that will translate well as he matures.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: Matsuyama started the tournament by hitting 13 of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens for an opening-round 70. Not bad.
People forget how young he is. Matsuyama is only 23 and a winner on tour, and he showed glimpses of that talent. The fact that he had five birdies on Sunday to card yet another 70 show that he's capable of going low in big tournaments. His accuracy off the tee is an asset he'll parlay into greater gains in the future.
15. Jason Dufner
11 of 25
OWGR: 70
Previous Ranking: 23
Why He's Here: Jason Dufner did what few golfers could do at Chambers Bay: shoot under par in at least one round.
His two-under-par first round announced his presence as a contender. The problem was that he stalled.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: Dufner had a great tournament to finish at three over par and in a tie for 17th. In the fourth round, in which he carded an even-par 70, he managed to roll just 29 putts.
He had just two double bogeys the entire tournament, but nine bogeys on the back nine over the final three days of the tournament cost him a chance at a top-10 finish.
14. Brooks Koepka
12 of 25
OWGR: 21
Previous Ranking: 18
Why He's Here: Brooks Koepka is the winner of this year’s Phoenix Open, and he finished in a tie for fourth at last year's U.S. Open. He was a first-round triple bogey away from possibly shooting even par for the championship this year.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: Koepka hit 100 percent of his fairways in Round 3 and 89 percent of his greens, but he shot only 70 with that tee-to-green efficiency. Something here suggests he's on board with Henrik Stenson and Horschel when it comes to the greens.
13. Billy Horschel
13 of 25OWGR: 20
Previous Ranking: 22
Why He's Here: Horschel moved up based his three-under 67 on Sunday, which earned him a tie for 25th. He was dialed in on Sunday, hitting 89 percent of his greens. Had the greens been more to his liking, however, he wouldn't have been nearly as entertaining Sunday.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: His game was all right at four over par. It was his temper regarding the broccoli-floret greens that had him rip the USGA for subjecting the best golfers in the world to greens that challenged them to the point of vegetative commentary.
Either way, this was a solid effort from a player looking to crack into the top tier on tour.
12. Louis Oosthuizen
14 of 25
OWGR: 27
Previous Ranking: N/A
Why He's Here: While others fell victim to Chambers Bay, Louis Oosthuizen made Chambers Bay his victim. On the back nine, he got aggressive and shot a 29, the lowest nine-hole score in the history of the U.S. Open.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: Oosthuizen birdied six of the last seven holes on the back nine after bogeying three of the first four holes to start the day.
"It was a rough start," he said during the Fox broadcast. "It was a big comeback to do something. I kept on doing my thing and being more aggressive on my putts in the final nine holes."
It paid off. He ascended the leaderboard and was in a tie for the lead at one point until Spieth birdied No. 18.
11. Henrik Stenson
15 of 25
OWGR: Two
Previous Ranking: Seven
Why He's Here: Henrik Stenson, the No. 2 player in the world, played like it Thursday. Then, over the next three days, he let that wonderful championship-quality first round erode with a five-over tie for 27th.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: Stenson shot 65 on Thursday on the back of 27 putts. He followed that up by shooting 74 on Friday—a nine-stroke swing from Thursday—with 38 putts. Stenson hit more greens on Friday too.
Per Josh Berhow of Golf.com, Stenson said, "It’s borderline laughable at some of the greens and some of the pin positions, when we're actually almost better off plugged in a bunker than being on the top of a ridge. ... And it's pretty much like putting on broccoli."
Add him to the list of golfers who were frustrated by the afternoon putting surfaces at Chambers Bay.
10. Justin Rose
16 of 25
OWGR: Five
Previous Ranking: Three
Why He's Here: Justin Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open champ, was ranked third heading into this tournament. He didn't shoot a single round under par and finished at five over in a tie for 27th.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: Rose couldn’t corral enough birdies to make anything of his four rounds.
He had a streaky four days in the Pacific Northwest. He'd rattle off three straight birdies and then follow them up with a bogey and a double bogey, as he did in his Sunday round. Whenever he had a chance to gain some momentum, he stumbled and couldn't recover.
9. Brandt Snedeker
17 of 25
OWGR: 30
Previous Ranking: 20
Why He's Here: Brandt Snedeker bookended his tournament with a 69 and a 68, remaining about as even-keeled as any golfer on the course. His made a final push Sunday that ultimately fizzled.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: Four straight birdies on the front nine had people thinking Snedeker could perhaps get into the top five and contend.
Given the travails of most golfers on the greens, Snedeker had an impressive 59 putts over the weekend, including 29 on Sunday. He made the best of his approaches and nearly got into the mix. He stood alone in eighth place at one under.
8. Sergio Garcia
18 of 25
OWGR: Eight
Previous Ranking: 13
Why He's Here: For all of Sergio Garcia's gaffs and chokes, he played this course about as well as anyone to finish in a tie for 18th.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: Seven bogeys on Friday for a 75 drained all of Garcia’s optimism for that first major. That's too bad, as he shot two 70s and then a final-round 68.
One bad day can end all hope at the U.S. Open, and 37 putts Friday sealed Garcia's fate.
7. Rickie Fowler
19 of 25
OWGR: Nine
Previous Ranking: Five
Why He’s Here: No orange garb this year for Rickie Fowler.
In 2014, he finished in the top five in every major. So far in 2015, majors have been unkind to Fowler. He settled for a respectable tie for 12th at the Masters and parlayed that to a missed cut at the U.S. Open.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: Twelve bogeys and three double bogeys in his two disappointing rounds added up to 154 strokes.
Thirty-three putts during his first round and 32 in his second tell you just about everything you need to know regarding his time on the course.
The fact that he won The Players Championship proves he can contend—and putt—in major-caliber tournaments. He'll be one of the favorites heading to St. Andrews in a few weeks.
6. Patrick Reed
20 of 25
OWGR: 15
Previous Ranking: 16
Why He's Here: Patrick Reed had a share of the lead after 36 holes with Spieth.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: Reed showed he wasn’t quite ready for the spotlight Saturday. Playing with this year’s Masters champ, Reed carded three triple bogeys and three bogeys to shoot 76. That came after a Thursday 66 and a Friday 69.
The final pairing Saturday was loaded with talent, this being Reed and Spieth. But one played some erratic though periodically brilliant golf, while the other ultimately won his second major in a row.
5. Adam Scott
21 of 25
OWGR: 12
Previous Ranking: 11
Why He's Here: The 64 Adam Scott fired Sunday was the lowest round of the entire tournament from any single player. He flew up the leaderboard and into a tie for fourth as a result.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: The former world No. 1 golfer did the unthinkable Sunday: He didn’t card a single bogey.
Scott drilled his fairways (12 of 14) and stuck the greens (17 of 18). He played the cleanest round of golf of anyone over four days. Too many bogeys Friday and too few birdies Saturday kept Scott from making a serious move.
4. Jason Day
22 of 25
OWGR: 10
Previous Ranking: 12
Why He's Here: Jason Day delivered one of the more valiant efforts—even while losing—to overcome his vertigo and play near-winning golf. True grit.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: When he fell down on the final hole of his Friday round, nobody knew if Day could stand, let alone play on the weekend.
Day shot four under on the back nine Saturday, but the fatigue ultimately caught up with him, as he fired a four-over-par Sunday to finish at even par and in a tie for ninth.
3. Rory McIlroy
23 of 25
OWGR: One
Previous Ranking: Two
Why He's Here: Rory McIlroy slipped down a spot due to his lackluster performances Thursday and Friday. A pair of 72s inspired no confidence. He nearly missed the cut.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: McIlroy knows how to turn it up, and he played like the world No. 1 on Sunday with six birdies through 13 holes. The crowd roared, and with five holes remaining, it looked like he was in a position to scare the leaders.
"If I could get to two under the guys in front would think a bit," McIlroy said on Fox in a post-round interview. "Considering how I putted, to be close to a win on the back nine shows how good I was tee-to-green."
Thirty putts didn't make for a bad fourth round, but those two late bogeys took the bite out of his comeback, and he finished in a tie for fourth.
2. Dustin Johnson
24 of 25
OWGR: Seven
Previous Ranking: Four
Why He's Here: Dustin Johnson had two putts to either win the tournament or force a playoff. He withstood a barrage of bogeys and still had a chance to overcome the mishaps—or meltdowns—at previous majors.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: He led after the first round and during parts of the fourth. Whenever he got close, his putter let him down. He bogeyed three of four holes on the back nine and ended up settling for a tie for second at four under par.
His drives, which averaged 346 yards in the final round, kept him close and gave him short irons into the greens. His problem, as was the case with many golfers throughout the tournament, was the putter. He let several slip past the cup, none more painful than his birdie attempt on No. 18.
"He’s got to get over this as fast as he can," Fox golf analyst Tom Weiskopf said during the broadcast. "He's such a talent. You have to get over it and move forward."
Johnson may never bounce back from this.
1. Jordan Spieth
25 of 25
OWGR: Second
Previous Ranking: First
Why He's Here: It's simple. Spieth won this tournament and became just the sixth golfer to win the Masters-U.S. Open double. A few of those names: Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
It's as simple as that, really.
How He Fared at Chambers Bay: When so many golfers were complaining—including Spieth, who took issue with No. 18 being a par four at one point—he stood tall and took all of Chambers Bay's punches to the gut and chin.
He double bogeyed No. 17 and came back to birdie No. 18 to force Johnson's hand. A Johnson eagle would have won, and a birdie would have sent them to a Monday playoff, but the resulting three-putt handed the trophy to Spieth.
Spieth's four-day scorecard is littered with bogeys, but he came through with timely birdies, none more electric than when he curved his putt in from 15 feet out on No. 16 on Sunday.
In the end, Spieth was in shock, fully expecting to play another 18 holes against Johnson on Monday. Now, Spieth has a chance to win the Grand Slam.
"You can’t win them all unless you win the first two, I guess," Spieth said on the Fox broadcast.
Now, he heads to St. Andrews, the home of golf, for his third career major and his third in a row.
All stats come courtesy of USGA.org and PGATour.com.
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