This weekend hosts the second (of four) major golf tournaments of the year – the US Open. Fans should be in for special treat, as the course is expected to play very tough this year on Father’s Day weekend in the US.
The tournament is being played at Shinnecock Hills, which is situated right on the Atlantic Ocean on Long Island. The course is links style and is known to have strong and gusty winds, in addition to quick greens, which is expected to make the tournament difficult for the players. The forecast for the event is relatively warm and sunny, but recent low rains have made the course a bit firm, which is expected to cause extra havoc on the greens. The course has let the rough really grow out, so balls off the fairway will cause lots of problems.
As expected, the field is filled with the world’s top players. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will be closely watched by fans, but are not necessarily expected to be near the top of the leaderboard with the elite field. Dustin Johnson, the number 1 ranked golfer in the world, is the favorite of the tournament, which is expected to favor long hitters like him. Adding to the expectation for Dustin Johnson is the fact that he dominated the field in the tournament leading up to the US Open. Las Vegas betting has shown Rickie Fowler to be a favorite among the betters. Do not count out world number 4, Jordan Spieth either, as he has won this event in the past. Jason Day’s stock has gone down due to a recent illness, but he is still in the field as of right now. Europe is properly represented as well, with Rory McIlory, Justin Rose and Joh Rahm some of the golfers with a good shot at winning the trophy.
The tournament tees off tomorrow (Thursday, 6/14/18), and I am looking forward to following the action over the next 4 days.
I have some skin in the game with some FanDuel fantasy picks - Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Jimmy Walker, Scott Stallings and Brian Gay. I do not recommend following my lead though as I have not proven to be someone who can make money on FanDuel! Good luck if you are playing as well.
Enjoy the tournament!
Brian