Here are my US Open predictions for Chambers Bay. They are in early this year, which should make them even more impressive. As a disclaimer, I would also like to remind everyone just how hard it is to correctly predict golf tournaments.
Top: 5
- Jordan Spieth - about 3 years ago, I predicted Jordan would win his 1st major at Chamber's Bay in 2015. This long range pick is looking even more likely now that Jordan his risen to #2 in the world and claimed victory at the Masters. Spieth wins by 1 draining a 12 footer for birdie on 18 that sends the crowd into a frenzy of total madness!!!
- Rory McIlory - Rory goes down swinging after suffering a tough double bogie on the 16th hole to give up the lead and lose by 1. Rory manages to roll in a nice birdie on 18 forcing Spieth to make his 12 footer for the win. Ratings glory for FOX!!
- Jason Day - Another solid performance in a major by J-Day. His all weather Adidas pants propel him up the leader board with the low round of the day on Sunday.
- Dustin Johnson- I originally had Sergio here but decided to go with Dustin Johnson. This was based on the fact that I think Dustin is a better golfer at the current time.
- Ryan Moore - Going with the hometown favorite to have a strong showing. A tough Sunday round sees him fall out of a tie for the lead.
Notables:
- Tiger Woods: Tiger plays 2 of the 4 rounds under 70 and the other 2 not so much. He finishes a respectable T-26th place.
- Rickie Fowler: Rick finishes in a tie for 6th ending that whole "top 5 in a major" thing he had going on last year.
- Jason Dufner: Dufman finds his grove and leads after day 1, he then turns in 3 sub par (above par) rounds to finish in a T-27, 1 shot behind Tiger.
- Angel Cabrera: My friend Joe will bet heavily for "El Pato" to pull this one off. Joe will lose heavily.
- Greg Norman and Joe Buck: Earn moderate to bad marks as Fox's 1st time US Open commentating team.
- Phil Mickelson: Phil's driving holds him back this week. Too much trouble off of the tee costs him a realistic shot at a Sunday run. He finishes in a T-7 position. He chips in a whole bunch though and people love it.
Cinderella Story:
A 21 year old by the name of Ollie Schniederjans (a) from Georgia Tech plays like a man on a mission through 2 days coming into within 1 shot of the lead. The papers erupt with Francis Ouimet stories of old. People start chanting Ollie after every birdie, One particularly ambitious fan paints "Ollie Ollie Oxen Free" on her T-Shirt. In short, people get real excited..... Unfortunately, Ollie fades into a respectable finish over the weekend right along side Jason Dufner. Not bad for a 1st timer.
Winning Score in relation to par: 1 under par: A near perfect score for the USGA. The weather ends up being about 1 stroke nicer than expected.