The United States Open golf championship begins tomorrow at Congressional Country Club outside Washington DC. With Tiger Woods out of this tournament, it may be the least talked about major championship in a long, long time. But since Woods is currently ranked 15th in the world, its safe to say the caliber of play won't be lessened by his absence.
Any favorite talk has to start with Phil Mickelson. He has finished 2nd at the U.S. Open 5 times in his career. And many people believe he his the best player in the world, despite the rankings saying its Luke Donald, who has won zero majors in his career. Both are 10-1 odds to win the tournament.
But I don't like favorites, so I've compiled a short list of long shots I think are ready to win this weekend:
Jim Furyk (35-1)- I know he's not playing well, and I know he has fallen further down the list of the world golf rankings than Tiger, which is hard to do. But Jim is a grinder. His game is built for US Open conditions. The harder the course, the better chance Jim wins in a dog fight. I like his current odds and think Furyk can put together 4 solid rounds this weekend.
Ernie Els (60-1)- This is a sentimental pick. He won the 1997 US Open here at Congressional, and has always been a personal favorite of mine. Ernie will need some luck, as his best days are behind him, but if Tom Watson can compete with the young guns at age 61, certainly Els can do it at 41.
Adam Scott (40-1)- Tiger's caddie Steve Williams is on Scott's bag this week. Scott is playing well including a win a couple weeks ago in Texas. He also played well at the Master's which should give him some confidence. He has the ball striking but has always faltered in majors down the stretch. Here's hoping Williams will help him finally bring one home for us good looking guys
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