The U.S. Open Primer ⛳️
06/16/2022
By: Marissa Kasch
Golf’s Toughest Major Returns Despite LIV Theater (By Marissa Kasch)
The stage is set for the U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline. Can Jon Rahm defend his title? Will Justin Thomas go back-to-back? Will Scottie Scheffler show us why he’s the number 1 ranked men’s golfer? Only one thing is for sure; the toughest major is back, and you won’t want to miss it.
The U.S. Open Primer
This weekend will be a testament to the tradition of golf if it is able to withstand LIV background noise. The focus will be on the here-and-now at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, but the LIV Tour conversations will be lurking in the background through interviews and event coverage. Rory McIlroy, a favorite to win this weekend, has already voiced his opinions on the LIV Tour (though I’d classify them as criticisms instead). He expressed his disappointment in players defecting to the LIV Tour in a recent press conference, where he said they are “taking the easy way out”. Brooks Koepka has also spoken up with clear frustration, saying that the LIV chatter is putting a dark cloud over the U.S. Open. In contrast to McIlroy and Koepka, Phil Mickelson has joined the LIV Tour with full-support after bashing the PGA for their “obnoxious greed”. Mickelson is set to play this weekend and is one of the big-name PGA players to defect to the LIV Tour. So, it goes without saying that his interviews will be focused more on this decision than it will be his performance this weekend. However, Lefty isn’t expected to light the world on fire at the U.S. Open, so the LIV chatter may be his only appeal for interviewers.
Weather, Predictions, Tee Times & Payouts
Expert predictions have rolled in based on research, statistics, and playing styles. However, these predictions might be blown away, quite literally, by the 15-20 mph winds expected to arrive on Thursday. According to the weather forecast in Brookline, this wind will start on Thursday and hold steady at around 15 mph through Sunday. Will this be a PGA repeat? That’s up to Mother Nature. And with the LIV Tour’s eye-popping payouts, the USGA has bumped up the U.S. Open purse to a record-setting $17.5 million — $3.5 million to the winner.
Tee Times (Featured Groups)
7:18 AM: C. Morikawa, J. Piot, J. Rahm
7:29 AM: J. Spieth, A. Scott, M. Homa
7:40 AM: R. McIlroy, H. Matsuyama, X. Schauffele
1:14 PM: J. Thomas, V. Hovland, T. Finau
1:25 PM: B. Koepka, C. Smith, S. Scheffler
1:36 PM: M. Fitzpatrick, W. Simpson, D. Johnson
1:47 PM: P. Mickelson, S. Lowry, L. Oosthuizen
*All Times ET
Betting Odds: R. McIlroy (+1100), J. Thomas (+1200), J. Rahm (+1300), S. Scheffler (+1300), C. Smith (+2000), J. Spieth (+2200), X. Schauffele (+2200), P. Cantlay (+2500) | Full Betting Odds
The 1913 U.S. Open Nod
You’ll also hear the 1913 U.S. Open referenced about a thousand times this week, and for good reason. An amateur golfer walked across the street to Brookline and did the unthinkable, altering golf history and showing that in golf, anything is possible. If you want to learn more about what will surely be a huge topic this weekend, you can read about it here.
Additional Storylines
SI: USGA Says It Could Shut Out LIV Golf Players in Future Events
Golf Digest: USGA Sets U.S. Open Purse at Record High for Men’s Majors
CBS Sports: Swirling Winds May Create Difficult, Uneven Conditions at U.S. Open
Golf.com: What NBC Will — And Won’t — Cover in Phil Mickelson’s U.S. Open Return
Photo: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images