It’s U.S. Open week! Can we just fast forward to Thursday?
As always, there are a lot of questions to be answered in the U.S. Open. Is the course too difficult? Too quirky? Can Rory rebound from several poor showings following his win in Charlotte? Will Phil finally get his U.S. Open and the career grand slam? Can Tiger find the fairway? Can DJ overpower Chambers Bay? Will a dark horse from the field surprise everyone? Or is this going to be a year for the ages for young Jordan Spieth?
In the meantime, there were not one but two majors this past weekend. The women played one at historic Westchester, while the old guys vied at Belmont. And it was a week for front runners to pull away. Let’s hit the links.
Hole #1: Three Straight for the New Number One
A bogey-free 68 in the final round helped Inbee Park outpace Sei Young Kim by five strokes and win her third consecutive KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Westchester Country Club. [Link]
Hole #2: A Fab-ulous Time in Memphis
Fabian Gomez cruised to an easy, first-ever PGA TOUR win at the FedEx St. Jude Classic over a field that included Phil Mickelson (T3). [Link]
Hole #3: What Else But a Runaway
Bernhard Langer won by six in a wire-to-wire romp in the Constellation Senior Players Championship at Belmont Country Club in Massachusetts. It was his fifth major on the senior circuit. [Link]
Hole #4: Finally, a Come-from-Behind Win
We have to look to Europe to find a close tournament this week. Chris Wood shot a Sunday 67 to charge from behind for a two-stroke win in the Lyoness Open at the Diamond Country Club in Austria. [Link]
Hole #5: Quit Whining
Jack Nicklaus and Hale Irwin have some advice for players worried about the new U.S. Open course. [Link]
Hole #6: DJ DQs
Dustin Johnson withdrew after just nine holes of the FedEx St. Jude Classic due to illness. As a favorite in the U.S. Open, the withdrawal brings his status as a favorite for the U.S. Open title into question. [Link]
Hole #7: How Bubba Rolls
And you thought the U.S. Open wasn’t going to be any fun… [Link]
Hole #8: Chasing Watson
Chase Hanna became the first amateur to win the Watson Challenge golf tournament, and he had to beat Tom Watson head-to-head to do it. [Link]
Hole #9: Tour Chambers Bay
Here’s an interesting look at the U.S. Open course. Warning: some of the faster pans could result in nausea. [Link]