When the U.S. Open starts on Thursday, the spotlight will be on tour favorites such as Jason Day, Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson. Let’s take a look beyond the top 10 rankings for that one player who’s looking to shake up the field and give something the media to talk about. Don’t get me wrong, Jason Day is my favorite player and I’d love to see him win this major, but who doesn’t want to see an underdog make a run at the title? Here’s my view on ten players (not in the top ten World Golf Rankings) you could see making a run at this year’s 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont.
1. Phil Mickelson (20th WGR) – Will 2016 be his year? All he needs is this major for the career Grand Slam. Lefty has made a strong resurgence as of late. He has jumped up 10 spots in the World Golf Rankings since the start of the season. We haven’t seen this side of him since 2013 when he went on to win the Open Championship. He’s still got some gas left in the tank. As long as he stays healthy, I expect him to have a strong presence on that leaderboard.
2. Justin Thomas (29th WGR) – He’s made the cut 13/16 times this year. He’s placed top 10 or better four times this year including his first PGA Tour win at the CIMB Classic this past fall. While all these numbers are fantastic for a player in his second season, what impressed me most about Justin Thomas is desire to win. In an interview with the Golf Channel, JT said he would rather be a part of a winning Ryder Cup team than win a Major. He is 6th in Fed Ex Cup points with a lot of people suggesting he’ll be one of the captain’s pick for Team USA come this September. A major win would be big boost for him and his Ryder Cup goals.
Oh, and speaking of Thomas, yesterday he showed us what the rough at Oakmont looks like. And it is ROUGH.
3. Kevin Na (31 WGR) – He might put you to sleep while watching him live, but don’t sleep on his overall performance. Let’s take a look at some of his numbers from this year. He’s played in 15 tournaments, making the cut 12 times with 5 top 10 finishes including two runner ups. He’s sits at 11th place in FedEx Cup points with a lot more golf left to play. He usually doesn’t come to form until later in the golf season, so it will be interesting to see if he can keep the momentum going. A sleeper pick indeed (no pun intended) whose hungry for a second tournament win.
4. Danny Lee (42nd WGR) – Oh Danny Lee. What can we say that hasn’t been said about Danny Lee? He’s been all over the leaderboard this season, and only has MC twice. I think I really just want him to win, just to see what type of post round interview he’ll give. If it’s anything like the Greenbrier interview, we will all be in for a real treat.
5. Martin Kaymer (52nd WGR) – In 2014, it seemed like Kaymer was invincible. After he dominated the competition at the Players Championship, he then went on to nearly wipe out the entire field U.S. Open field at Pinehurst. Since then, Kaymer has led a quiet run splitting time between both the PGA and European Tours. I don’t know what it is about Kaymer, but something tells me he’s going to shock us out of nowhere like he did in 2014.
6. Billy Horschel (55th WGR) – He was winless in 2015, then before the start of this season jumped from PING to PXG. Since the switch, he’s 12 for 13 with 3 top ten finishes. Horschel was very outspoken about the conditions at Chambers Bay last year. I wouldn’t be surprised if he placed very well at this year’s event. I feel that Oakmont fits his style of play. If anything, it will come down how well he can perform on the greens.
7. Smylie Kaufman (57th WGR) – His numbers haven’t been amazing this year, but when he’s in control, he’s something to watch. His win at the 2015 Shriners, all had us wondering what type of player he will become down the road. This SB2K16 crew member has become popular with the crowd due to his performances off the course. I think that boost from the crowd could easily motivate him to finish at the top.
8. Jason Dufner (60th WGR) – After taking home the PGA Championship in 2013, Dufner went winless for two straight seasons. If there was any news about Jason, it was more related to his ex-wife possibly having an affair with Tiger Woods. With that behind him, Dufner has approached 2016 a little differently. He’s lost some weight, cut his hair and oh yeah, won the 2016 CareerBuilder Challenge. He’s 16 for 19 this season with 4 top ten finishes. He’s quietly moving up the World Golf rankings in pure Dufner fashion. I expect something big from Duff Daddy very soon.
9. Graeme McDowell (75th WGR) – Winning the OHL Classic after a disastrous 2015 season was I thought the boost GMac needed for the upcoming season. The 2016 season hasn’t been to kind to him either, but let’s not count him out. With the Ryder Cup coming this fall, I think we’ll see him make a jump towards making the team. He has been on the past 3 winning Ryder Cup teams. A true tour veteran with outstanding resume who has performed well in previous U.S. Opens including a win in 2010. A win at Oakmont could punch his ticket to Hazeltine.
10. Keegan Bradley (105th WGR) – Okay, this my longshot pick. This has probably been Keegan’s worst start since joining the PGA Tour. He had a string of good runs from 2011 to 2014 but then just fell out of place in 2015 going from 28th to 70th in the WGR. Now at a 105th, he’s got a long ladder to climb. Any win would be a boost, but a major win could really get the Keegan Show back on board again. Let’s not forget that he’s only 30 years old. There’s a lot of players older than him that don’t have a major nor a tournament win to their name. He’s got plenty of time to shake things up on Tour. [Editor’s Note: Keegan Bradley winning the 2016 U.S. Opem? Really? REALLY? Yeah, not a fucking chance.]