U.S. Open preview

The 114th U.S. Open
Pinehurst Resort and Country Club (Course No. 2), Pinehurst, North Carolina
Yardage: 7,562 (Par 70)

It is time for the second major of the season, with the U.S. Open beginning tomorrow.  Pinehurst No. 2 has staged two previous U.S. Opens, 1999 and 2005, but a redesign in 2011 by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore has seen it transformed back to its original design by Donald Ross in 1907.  The word "native area" will be used quite a bit this week, but it is much easier to hit out of than usual U.S. Open-style rough.  Some 200-300 yards have been added since 2005, but the course is supposed to play firm and fast, although rain is expected over the next four days.  The course will play almost like a links course, but with the greens being so firm, it will be very beneficial to hit the fairways and aim for the middle of the greens (as usual in U.S. Opens).

Phil Mickelson, a six-time runner-up in this event, would be the fairytale winner.  However, "Lefty's" game heading into the U.S. Open has not been Phil-esque.  With only one worldwide top-10 in 2014, the five-time major champion will need to improve his putting if he is to complete the major grand slam this week.

From a European Tour perspective, Rory McIlroy has to be the favorite.  He won the BMW PGA Championship just three weeks ago and his game has been trending upwards for quite some time.  The Northern Irishman will become an even greater favorite if rain ends up falling, which would make the course play longer.  In today's press conference, he said that he is really enjoying his golf, a pleasant comment following his breakup with fiancée Caroline Wozniacki three weeks ago.  Look for the two-time major champion to remain in the mix throughout the week.

Of course, Englishman Justin Rose defends the title after winning last year at Merion.  Rose's play this season has been good enough to deliver wins, but he has not been able to get over the line.  You just have to wonder if being defending champion will prove to be too much to handle.  However, I highly doubt this.  I expect Rose to be in contention when he comes to the back nine on Sunday.

Other European hopefuls include Graeme McDowell (2010 winner), who's game is tailor-made for U.S. Opens; Henrik Stenson, who looks poised to win a major very soon; Martin Kaymer, the Players Championship winner on the PGA Tour; and Lee Westwood, who seems to always be in contention on the back nine on Sunday of a major.  Sleepers include Stephen Gallacher, Paul Casey, and Joost Luiten, and Francesco Molinari.              

Get ready to see plenty of pars and bogeys this week, but there will certainly be a worthy winner come Sunday evening.

The difficulty and challenge of winning national Opens

With this week's Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity being Austria's only Tour event, it is certainly the fifth major for Austrian golfers.  In fact, most golfers will say that their national open or, if their country only stages one event, is their fifth major.  Over the years, homegrown players have found it difficult to win their national opens.  This is due to the immense pressure that both players and fans put on the event, and the difficulty of the golf courses.  Here is a list the national opens on Tour and the success rate of home players:

1. South African Open Championship (Tour event since 1997; South African winners/number of stagings: 12/18; 66%)
2. Hong Kong Open (Tour event since 2002; Hong Kong winners/number of stagings: 0/13; 0%)
3. Maybank Malaysian Open (Tour event since 1999; Malaysian winners/number of stagings: 0/16; 0%)
4. Volvo China Open (Tour event since 2005; Chinese winners/number of stagings: 0/11; 0%)
5. Open de Espana (Tour event since 1972; Spanish winners/number of stagings: 7/43; 16%)
6. Nordea Masters (Tour event since 1991; Swedish winners/number of stagings: 6/24; 25%)
7. Lyoness Open (Tour event since 1990; Austrian winners/number of stagings: 2/15; 13%)
8. U.S. Open (Tour event since 1972; American winners/number of stagings: 31/42; 74%)
9. The Irish Open (Tour event since 1975; Irish winners/number of stagings: 4/39; 10%)
10. Alstom Open de France (Tour event since 1972; French winners/number of stagings: 3/42; 7%)
11. Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open (Tour event since 1972; Scottish winners/number of stagings: 1/31; 3%)
12. Open Championship (Tour event since 1972; British winners/number of stagings: 6/42; 14%)
14. M2M Russian Open (Tour event since 2003; Russian winners/number of stagings: 0/7; 0%)
15. Made in Denmark (first year of event)
16. D+D REAL Czech Masters (Tour event since 1994; Czech winners/number of stagings: 0/7; 0%)
17. Italian Open (Tour event since 1972; Italian winners/number of stagings: 3/42; 7%)
18. Omega European Masters (Tour event since 1972; Swiss winners/number of stagings: 0/42; 0%)
19. KLM Open (Tour event since 1972; Dutch winners/number of stagings: 2/42; 5%)
20. ISPS Handa Wales Open (Tour event since 2000; Welsh winners/number of stagings: 0/14; 0%)
21. Portugal Masters (Tour event since 2007; Portuguese winners/number of stagings: 0/7; 0%)
21. Turkish Airlines Open (Tour event since 2013; Turkish winners/number of stagings: 0/1; 0%)

*The European Tour formed in 1972
*This season, Miguel Angel Jimenez won the Open de Espana in his 27th attempt, which represents the only home player to win his national open this season so far.