Weather, Rebels and a Local Starter: What to Watch in U.S. Open Round 1
Gary Van Sickle of Morning Read/SI.com will offer a preview before each round of the 122nd U.S. Open. Here's what he's watching:
The Weather Channel
It looks like a front will move through Thursday featuring gusty winds (up to 25 mph) with rain, tapering off during the afternoon. It could drop an inch of rain. The conditions improve a bit in the afternoon so players with early Thursday/late Friday tee times may get a raw deal. Hey, it happens …
The Short Line
Check out the 11th hole. It’s a par 3 of 131 yards to a green surrounded by bunkers. This hole is normally part of The Country Club’s Primrose Course but has been updated and added to the composite course for the U.S. Open. This hole hasn’t been used since 1913, when amateur Francis Ouimet won the Open. It was the 10th hole then. Will there be an ace at 11 on Thursday? It depends upon the pin placement but … it could be worth a wager (although gambling is not allowed at Bushwood, sir) …
The Rebels and the Empire
Is there any chance that loyal PGA Tour players will get into an exchange with a playing partner with a player who has jumped ship to the rival LIV Tour funded by Saudi Arabia? And will the players who defected be well-received by fans? Based on practice rounds, it looks as if Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, two of the top names who departed, are just as popular as ever. But this is Boston and these fans are enthusiastic and passionate and devoted, and they also know how to boo. I don’t see that happening this week, though, unless a Ryder Cup breaks out …
Key Pairings
Nice touch by the USGA sending amateur Michael Thorbjornsen of Wellesley, Massachusetts, off first Thursday. … Your defending champ, Jon Rahm, tees off at 7:18 a.m. with Collin Morikawa and U.S. Amateur champ James Piot (a LIV defector). … Phil Mickelson plays at 1:47 p.m. with Shane Lowry and fellow LIV enrollee Louis Oosthuizen. … Dustin Johnson, a LIV agent, goes at 1:36 with former Open champ Webb Simpson and England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick, who won the U.S. Amateur at The Country Club in 2013 (and may carry the weight of several dozen pesos I wagered on him to win). … Also, don’t miss the favorite-playing-partner trio (implied sarcasm) at 1:27 of Kevin Na, Sergio Garcia and Tyrrell Hatton. Very subtle, USGA.
More U.S. Open Coverage From Morning Read:
> USGA Says It Could Shut Out Players in Future Events
> Jay Monahan Delivers In Televised LIV Golf Rebuttal; NBC’s Best-in-Class Crew Returns
> Seven Years Later, the USGA’s Anchored-Stroke Ban Lives, But Is Golf Better for It?
> USGA Museum at the U.S. Open Features Artifacts From Golf’s Pioneers
> Listen: Viktor Hovland Is Adjusting His Mindset for the Majors
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