US Open starts tomorrow

The Men's US Open starts tomorrow at Pinehurst# 2 in Pinehurst North Carolina. Retief Goosen is the defending champion. The 2001 Open champ beat Phil Mickelson by two shots last year.

Making golf predictions is next to impossible though I've had some sucess over the years. There are the obvious names- Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Mickelson, Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia to name a few. Goosen, David Toms, Justin Leonard, Padrig Harrington to name a few don't draw as much attention but are more than capable of winning this weekend.

Below is the Yahoo news article.

By DOUG FERGUSON, AP Golf Writer 1 hour, 59 minutes ago
PINEHURST, N.C. - Balls that land in the rough can't be seen 5 feet away. Shots that land on the domed greens at Pinehurst No. 2 don't stay there very long.

But it was only Wednesday, and that's what troubled him.

"If you're not careful, you can make bogeys on every hole with good shots," Singh said. "It's very fair at the moment, but it's very, very difficult. But it could get on the edge very quickly —
if they don't watch it, it's going to get over the edge in a heartbeat."

The U.S. Open begins Thursday, and several players still couldn't stop thinking about last year.

The USGA refused to water the greens or account for dry, blustery warmth that baked out Shinnecock Hills and turned the final round into a fiasco. Tee shots wouldn't stay on the par-3 seventh green until officials had no choice but to hose it down every other group.

No one could break par on the last day, and 28 players couldn't break 80.

It must have been a welcome sight for Singh, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and the rest of the 156-man field to see a maintenance crew water the greens during the first three days of practice at Pinehurst.

USGA officials say they have learned from their mistakes. Try convincing the players of that.
"Without rain — and it doesn't look like we're going to get any — we have potential for 18 holes that could be like No. 7 at Shinnecock," Mickelson said. "Very conceivable."

Pinehurst No. 2 was regarded as one of the best U.S. Open setups when Payne Stewart won in 1999, making a 15-foot par putt on the last hole to beat Mickelson by one shot and finish as the only player under par.

Can the USGA possibly mess up this wonderful Donald Ross creation?

Most certainly the USGA can. They have been gimmicking courses for years when it comes to the US Open. Anyone remember Hazeltine? As Dave Hill quipped, it was missing 80 acres of corn and a few cows. That was back in 1970. There was the massacare at Winged Foot in 1974 when +7 won.

Long grass, fast greens, narrow fairways that's the standard for the Open. Rarely is the open a chipping contest because of the rough around the greens. Ray Floyd who won the 86 open wasn't much of a threat on USGA setups because of how the rough took away his advantage around the greens.

I'll take a shot in the dark at this week's winner. Padrig Harington is my choice