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5-0; +0.94pts Pre-tournament plays: LAY 20pts liability Martin Kaymer 80 37th
Matthew Fitzpatrick 90 54th
Luis Oosthuizen 100 23rd
Lee Westwood 110 32nd
Bill Haas 250 51st
With the course set-up being so punitive, even for U.S. Open standards, it looks far easier to oppose players before the event than pick someone to win...
Kaymer won this event in 2014 with a score of 9-under-par which suggests that there will be little similarity between Pinehurst that year and Oakmont, plus that was his last win on any Tour and this season he has struggled all areas of his game - he ranks 90th or worse in stroke average, driving accuracy, driving distance, greens in regulation, putts per GIR and putts per round on the European Tour
Fitzpatrick is in better form than Kaymer - he won the Nordea Masters two weeks ago - but he has played in only one U.S. Open (48th, 2014) and his difficulties with his short game will be severely examined this week - he ranks 104th in putts per GIR and 200th in putts per round on the European Tour
Second to Jordan Spieth last year, Oosthuizen has some positives in this event, but he hasn't been able to maintain his early-year form and has missed the cut in his last two events; like Fitzpatrick, his difficulties with his short game will be severely examined this week - he ranks 191st in scrambling, 174th in putts per GIR, 198th in putts per round and 197th in strokes gained putting on the PGA Tour
Westwood is another with famous struggles around the green and, as again displayed at the BMW PGA Championship last month, struggles with converting good leaderboard positions during the final round; he may secure another top-10 in a Major, but I can't see him winning on this course
Struggling for form, without a top-20 finish in this event and ranked well down the stats in the key short game departments, Haas is a player who should struggle to make the cut this week, let alone contend. |
