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The 115th edition of the US Open promises to be an exciting one with Chambers Bay hosting a major event for the first time.
The course was finished in 2007 and the 2010 US Amateur tournament was played here. Apart from a few young players, most players have not experienced the course.
"The best thing about Chambers Bay was the amount of creativity that we had to use," says Peter Uihlein, the 2010 champion. "The concept of aiming away from the pins and using slopes to get the ball close to the hole was awesome."
It is one of those rare occasions where a golf course has garnered more attention before a tournament than the players themselves. Ryan Palmer called the course a “joke” after his practice round on Sunday.
The course features three of the longest par 4s in US Open history and four of the five longest – 14th (546 yards), 11th (537 yards), 13th (534 yards), 16th (528 yards), 18th (525 yards).
Jack Nicklaus isn’t happy with players expressing displeasure over the course.
“Guys would say a course doesn’t suit their game,” Nicklaus said, ”It’s not supposed to suit your game. You are supposed to suit your game to the golf course.”
How do you play this course and who holds the edge?
Players with a good iron game will have a distinct advantage on this course. The likes of Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth will enjoy driving on the fairway.
On a long course such as this, players who are mentally tough can come out on top. They should forget their mistakes and should move on as even a single error can lead to elimination in a matter of seconds. Experienced players Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson, Justin Rose will thrive in these circumstances.
Don’t be surprised if you see a new winner come June 21. The course is unpredictable and players like Francesco Molinari and Patrick Reed can move up fairly quickly.
Americans in contention
The Americans will hog all the limelight over the weekend.
Mickelson will aim to finally get the monkey off his back and complete his career Grand Slam. The 45-year-old has finished second at his home major a record six times.
Tiger Woods is coming to the US Open after recording the worst performance of his career at the Memorial last week. Woods has played practice rounds at Chambers Bay before, but contends that the course has changed drastically since.
“It’s as if each hole is playing uphill,” Woods said after playing the first nine holes.
Jordan Spieth is another player to watch out for come Thursday. The young American was calm and composed in his first major win at the Masters earlier this year. His caddie Michael Greller knows Chambers Bay course inside out as he worked here before joining Spieth.
Will McIlroy reign supreme?
Europeans have won the US Open on four of the last five occasions. Rory McIlroy missed the cut in his last two tournaments, but the Irishman is one of the best ball strikers on the tour and can be expected to go all the way here.
McIlroy rose to stardom with his first Major win at the US Open four years ago, but has missed the cut in his last two appearances here. The 26-year-old aims to win at least 10 more Majors in his career.
"Win one every two years from now to the end of my career? I'd like to think so. I'm motivated. There's no reason why I can't compete and give myself chances in a lot more Majors,” McIlroy said.
"I've got three more to play in this year. I think I have good chances at two of those.”
Defending champion Martin Kaymer hasn’t had a great season with a third place finish at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship being his best showing thus far. He is a man for big occasions and could just end up winning his third major come Sunday.
