Woods injury leaves US Open field wide open

American players look to bring home crown at Torrey Pines

By: Jared Jackson

Posted: 6/11/08

Staff predictions:

Kellen Holtzman:

Winner- Phil Mickelson

Dark Horse- Brandt Snedeker

Jared Jackson:

Winner- Phil Mickelson

Dark Horse- Sergio Garcia

Hart Holloman:

Winner- Adam Scott

Dark Horse- Boo Weekley

The middle of June is here and the weather has turned extremely hot, which can only mean one thing for golf fans: the 108th US Open is upon us.

Starting this Thursday, a field of 156 golfers ranging from the world's best to mere club professionals and amateurs will take to the tee at the South Course of Torrey Pines in La Jolla, CA, located outside of San Diego.

The hope is to become one of the immortals by winning one of golf's four majors.

While professional golf's other three majors each stand as a difficult test of the game, the US Open has simply become the most difficult of the four majors in recent years.

The South Course at Torrey Pines isn't exactly a walk in a park either.

Built in 1957, the South Course at Torrey Pines has always been among the nation's hardest courses. This year the course will play at 7,643 yards which is 379 yards longer than the previous record holder of the US Open.

The chances of an under-par winning performance seem unlikely given the scenario of the course yardage and likely foggy conditions the players will face--but while most previous US Open courses play to a par of 70, the South Course at Torrey Pines will play to 71.

So who will the winner be on Sunday? Well, it will take a long hitter who has a solid combination of a short game and putting to match. Sound familiar?

When it comes to majors, Tiger Woods is usually the answer to the question posed above, but Woods is battling back from knee surgery that took place about eight weeks ago after his runner-up finish at the Masters.

In fact, Woods did not play his first full round since the surgery until June 4.

According to Woods, he has trained hard during his eight-week layoff including taking full swings with every club in his bag.

However, it's worth mentioning that Woods won the Buick Invitational held at the Torrey Pines in January, albeit a "tamer" course.

If Tiger isn't in the mix, then Phil Mickelson is the next big name to look to in terms of winning the US Open. While "Lefty" has never won the tournament, he owns four career runner-up finishes and knows Torrey Pines South Course as well as anyone in the field. Couple that with his long driving off the tee and brilliant short game and Mickelson should be around to the very end.

Adam Scott, a legitimate title contender, will be paired with Woods and Mickelson in the first two rounds. The United States Golf Association [USGA] is trying something new by pairing the top 12 together in sets of three for the first two rounds.

Of course, there are numerous golfers who could win the US Open and it is usually who you would least expect. The last five winners were Jim Furyk, Retief Goosen, Michael Campbell, Geoff Ogilvy and Angel Cabrera.

Notice a trend?

Jim Furyk was the last American to bring home what is considered the US national championship. The four-year drought is the longest without a US-born champion since the first two decades of the tournament.

While it speaks well globally for the game of golf, you can bet it doesn't sit well with American golfers who want the "US" to return to the US Open.

With such a great field at the 108th US Open, it's more or less of a coin flip as to who will win but if the drama on Sunday plays out like it usually does, golf fanatics are in for a treat.

With the tournament being broadcast in the "prime time" hours for most of the country, this could end up being a tournament to remember.

As for my picks, I'm going with Phil Mickelson to take home the championship with Sergio Garcia as my dark horse.

This writer can be contacted at sports@theeastcarolinian.com.