U.S. Open Sleepers

I want to start off this week’s Thrash Talk by congratulating my Oklahoma State Cowboys on winning another national championship in golf. The men’s team outlasted the Florida Gators en route to winning their 10th national championship in the sport. On top of that, redshirt freshman Jonathan Moore won the individual title for the Cowboys. Needless to say, it has been a great weekend for this proud Okie.

Now that my personal pride is out of the way, it’s time to start the U.S. Open talk. The season’s second major championship is a little over a week away, and I’m definitely ready for it. The last time a PGA Tour major was played at Winged Foot, Davis Love III won in memorable fashion. Love’s putt on the 72nd hole is still one of my fondest golf memories of all time.

Most of the time, the final day of the U.S. Open falls on Father’s Day, and this year is no different. This always makes things extra special. However, there is still a lot of golf to be played before a U.S. Open winner is crowned, so first things first.

Everyone knows who the favorites are this year. Tiger Woods, who hasn’t played competitively since The Masters, is still the favorite to win. A win on Father’s Day for Tiger will surely mean more than words can say. Besides Tiger, Phil Mickelson and Retief Goosen will also be favorites. Lefty will be trying to win his third consecutive major championship, and the Goose will be trying to win his third-career U.S. Open.

These three golfers are the main favorites, but the rest of the top-10 golfers in the world have a decent chance as well. That being said, which golfers have a good chance to sneak up on the field and win their first major championship? There are a few golfers I have been keeping my eye on, and all of them have a chance to do great things at Winged Foot next week.

Trevor Immelman

Trevor Immelman’s name has been fixed atop the leaderboard for the past couple months. I really started noticing Immelman at last year’s Masters. It’s easy to remember his hole-in-one at the 16th hole in the final round. The young South African finished in a tie for fifth at the 2005 Masters, followed by a T15 finish at the 2005 British Open and T17 finish at the 2005 PGA Championship.

Those finishes were all last year, so they may not mean very much to you. What has Trevor Immelman done for us lately? Immelman did miss the cut at Augusta earlier this season, but he has come on very strong since then. He lost in a playoff to Jim Furyk at the Wachovia Championship and finished in solo-second place at the Byron Nelson Championship last month. At the Memorial Tournament this past weekend, Immelman finished in a tie for seventh.

These strong finishes over the past month or so is definitely a sign of things to come. Immelman has a very easy-going attitude just like fellow South Africans Ernie Els and Retief Goosen. Els and Goosen know a thing or two about winning the U.S. Open. Trevor Immelman may very well become the next U.S. Open winner from South Africa.

Zach Johnson

I have been a Zach Johnson fan since he became a mainstay on the PGA Tour in 2004. Johnson is small in stature like I am, and we both have a similar swing. That’s definitely a good reason to cheer for a golfer. On top of that, Johnson has been pretty darn successful along the way, winning the BellSouth Classic in his rookie season.

Like Immelman’s situation, those past results don’t really mean anything to golf fans. It’s all about the here and now. That’s okay with Zach Johnson because the young golfer from Iowa is currently enjoying his most productive season on the PGA Tour. So far this season, Johnson finished third at the Accenture Match Play Championship, tied for second at the BellSouth Classic, and tied for fifth at last week’s FedEx St. Jude Classic.

Zach Johnson also tied for second this past weekend at Jack’s tournament and looks to be on his way to another victory in the near future. Whether or not that victory will come at Winged Foot next week remains to be seen. Johnson is accurate off the tee, and his putting stats are in the middle of the pack. If he can sink a few putts in key situations, he will make some serious noise at this year’s U.S. Open.

Lucas Glover

Lucas Glover made news last season by finishing in the top 30 on the PGA Tour money list. Glover’s best moment of 2005 was undoubtedly his win at the Funai Classic last October. I really didn’t know much about the guy, but he has become one of the most consistent golfers on the PGA Tour.

Lucas Glover already has six top-10 finishes on the season, including a sixth-place finish at The Mercedes Championship, a tie for fourth at the Buick Invitational, a tie for fifth at Doral, and a tie for fourth at the Wachovia Championship. These tournaments are first-rate tournaments with first-rate fields, and Glover has proved he can compete with the best in the world on a weekly basis.

Coming into next week’s U.S. Open, Glover isn’t necessarily on a hot streak. He missed the cut a few weeks back at Colonial and last week at The Memorial. However, Glover is ranked third in total driving, 36th in greens in regulation percentage, and 13th in putting. Those are definitely numbers worthy of winning a U.S. Open.

Lucas Glover has only played in one U.S. Open, and that was back in 2002 as a late qualifier. This year, Glover earned his way into the tournament by having a great 2005. He has continued his great play in early 2006. If he can maintain his composure at Winged Foot, he will make the cut and finish in the top 10 or 20.

The Final Say

I’ve mentioned numerous times that the U.S. Open is my favorite stroke-play tournament in golf. In a perfect world, I would love to see every golfer currently ranked in the top 10 battle it out for the U.S. Open Championship next weekend. That being said, it just isn’t going to happen. Golf fans will be lucky if a handful of the big guns are near the top of the leaderboard when Sunday rolls around.

The U.S. Open has been won by a sleeper in the past, and that is a definite possibility this year as well. The last month or two on the PGA Tour has been crazy, with lower-profile names winning a majority of the tournaments. So it’s not out of the question that Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson, or Lucas Glover will win this year’s U.S. Open at Winged Foot. In fact, it’s a pretty good possibility a sleeper will win if recent history is any indication.

That’s all I have to say this week. It’s your turn to tell me what you think about this week’s article. In your mind, who is the sleeper to watch at this year’s U.S. Open Championship? Also, what are the chances of a lower-profile golfer winning their first major championship at Winged Foot next weekend? Finally, does any of this matter because Tiger Woods is in the field? If you have anything to add, feel free to comment below or discuss it in our forum. Thanks for reading Thrash Talk this week and give those Oklahoma State Cowboys one last applause!

Photo Credit: © Andy Lyons/Getty Images.