The Round Table: Can anyone stop Scottie at the U.S. Open?
Each week we ask our panel of writers, PGA members and golf industry experts to weigh in with their views on the hot topics of the day.
Scottie Scheffler won the Memorial on Sunday for his 5th win this season, all of them with elite fields and big purses. Is there any reason he’s not your pick to win the U.S. Open this week at Pinehurst?
Jim Deeks, Fairways Magazine (@jimdeeks): I truly hate to be boring, but no, I can’t think of why Scottie wouldn’t be my choice. Unless he’s sleep deprived from diaper changes and midnight baby-rocking. But I’m also feeling good about our Canadian contingent… one of these guys HAS to break out soon. Are any of them familiar with Donald Ross greens?
Michael Schurman, Master Professional / Hall of Fame Member, PGA of Canada: No one in their right mind would bet against Scheffler. His game is solid in every department, especially his mental game. I hope everyone is sitting down for this next bit. He has some of the best footwork on the PGA Tour until impact. After that, I’m still studying. He rarely makes costly mistakes.
Hal Quinn, Freelance Writer, Vancouver: Well, he did hit one OB on Saturday. But, when I told a pal and added he had that triple and a double, he asked: so, what happened? I had to say, well, he held his 4-stroke lead. Maybe just the law of averages, or the Golf Gawds smiling on some other guy on Sunday, will give the field a break. Other than that, right now his distance control is just freaky so he may just free up a bit of family time Fathers’ Day afternoon.
Peter Mumford, Fairways Magazine (@FairwaysMag): You can attach a lot of superlatives to Scottie Scheffler’s game but the most critical is he rarely makes a mistake, either in shot selection or execution. Combine that with his even-tempered demeanour – have you ever seen him rattled? – and you almost have a perfect robot for U.S. Open competition. Nobody else even comes close.
Pinehurst No.2 has very little rough but has huge waste bunkers with tufts of wire grass. The greens are hump-backed, super fast and treacherous if the ball gets near the edges. Putting is at a premium as it usually is at all U.S. Open sites. Which player has a game best suited to the course that might give Scheffler a battle?
Deeks: My guess would be Collin Morikawa. He has great finesse with his short game, and his temperament seems very cool and patient, which is critical when so many apparently perfect shots on Ross greens can slowly fall away, leaving a treacherous uphill come backer.
Schurman: I like longshots this week. A course like this allows a broader list of challengers. I’m going with Austin Eckroat and Denny McCarthy from the USA and Tommy Fleetwood as a non-American.
Quinn: Old Don Ross would have been gobsmacked (folks were quite regularly gobsmacked back in the day) had anyone told him that one day his #2 classic would play at 7,543 yards and a par of 70. That tells us all we need to know about today’s balls and club faces. So, getting as close as possible to hit into those treacherous greens will be key. Scheffler hits too many fairways to make any tourney fun, but a guy like Rory hits it so far that he may have a chance. Same goes for Hovland and Aberg. If it stays dry, old Ross will be spinning faster than a Scheffler wedge shot.
Mumford: Pinehurst No.2 is playing really long, and the greens are already borderline according to defending champion Wyndham Clark. Length, patience and off-the-charts great putting will be key. Clark has the tools to repeat as does Brooks Koepka. Collin Morikawa showed last week at Memorial that he can handle a really tough course. If his short game skills are A+ this week, he could be in the mix too.
While the U.S. Open is the biggest event in golf this week, there are other compelling storylines to follow. Which one has caught your interest?
Deeks: I truly hate to be shallow, but what’s the story with Rory and Amanda Balionis? Is it is, or is it ain’t? The other issue that’s unfortunately got my interest is, what’s up with Brooke Henderson? She’s clearly off form. I hope it’s just a blip, and not a trend.
Schurman: For the first time in the past five or six years, the competition is finally the news. LIV has settled down, Scheffler has had all charges dropped, and there isn’t a lot of controversy. One noticeable story is the end of Tiger and Phil and the emergence of so many top-level young players. I don’t recall a time when so many potential winners arrived at the same time. Scheffler is jumping out from the ‘pack’ but every week he is challenged by someone new, fresh and young. As always, the course will be the story as it should be. After all, this is the US Open.
Quinn: The rank-and-file members of the Tour seem to be finally finding their voices to vent their complaints about the designated no-cut payoffs to the upper echelon. That salve to the best of the best to try to blunt the LIV assault isn’t sitting well with the majority of players or fans. That storyline will play out for a long time even if there is some sort of ‘sleeping with the devil’ compromise.
Mumford: The PGA Tour leadership met with the PIF brass last week to try to further the Framework Agreement. Based on what’s been reported, it’s hard to believe there ever can be a deal that satisfies all interested parties. There are at least four sides to this: PIF and LIV, DP World Tour, PGA Tour elites and PGA Tour lower ranked players. Not to mention golf fans and sponsors, tournament hosts and broadcast partners. This is a dog’s breakfast developing in real time.
