Very much among the top handful of amateur golfers in the world and says he's keen to prove that he can compete at this level in what will be his US Open debut. It's a good job he had shots in hand playing the 17th hole of his second qualifying round, as the horn blew to suspend play during his backswing, resulting in a mishit into the hazard and a double-bogey. Oops.
Solid operator who is probably the most at-risk member of the successful US Ryder Cup side, by which I mean I don't think he'll make it to Italy. That may be a good thing as Marco Simone will favour longer drivers and ultimately he's done pretty well to achieve what he has while sacrificing distance. Two major top-10s last year are evidence of that but was hugely disappointing at the PGA and his ceiling just looks lower for this move towards a fairways-first approach. It will come in handy at some stage but not so much in a US Open despite staying on at Torrey Pines.
Late bloomer from the Netherlands whose DP World Tour form earned him a spot via their US Open qualifying series. Brilliant driver of the ball on his day but less than outstanding in all other departments, though has certainly shown a fondness for difficult courses at a much lower level than this.
Very promising Florida Gator who is the first Brazilian amateur to qualify for the US Open, the sort of sentence which should have you thinking 'well, yeah, obviously.'
Run to the last 16 of the Match Play was impressive enough to have some demanding a special Masters invite, which would've been a bit silly. Since then has struggled, including when missing the cut in defence of his British Masters title, and it'd be a big surprise were he to match last year's effort when leading at halfway on his long-awaited US Open return.
Threatened to win the Masters on debut back in 2014 having been fourth in the US PGA the previous year, but Rory McIlroy was right to express his bewilderment that Blixt could score while hitting it the way he did, and that's caught up with him. Nice to see him top his qualifier after a difficult few years but he's just not up to PGA Tour standard these days.
One of the form players of the spring, finishing 11th at Bay Hill, fifth at Sawgrass when on the wrong side of a huge draw bias and the victim of a harsh penalty, and then adding three more top-10s before a low-key PGA which was enough to secure his place in the world's top 50 and a US Open invite. Says he's playing the best golf of his life and will be absolutely buzzing to tee it up in his home state and at Brookline no less, where he first fell in love with the sport having been at the Ryder Cup as a child. Expect a lot of people to tap into that local angle and he could reward such faith if the putter comes to the party, which is more likely than has been the case at times.
One-time exciting prospect having come through Stanford and made his US Open debut back in 2010. Injuries have got in the way of this quality ball-striker, whose patience was rewarded with victory in last year's Korn Ferry Tour Championship. MC-MC in this but good chance to make the cut here if he can build on a dominant display in his Maryland qualifier.
Capitalised on some suitable opportunities early on in his rookie season but has since struggled on the PGA Tour, with just two top-40 finishes so far this year. Showed some grit to go birdie-birdie and win a five-man play-off for one US Open spot but missed the cut last year and odds-on to do the same.
Ended 2021 as one of the form players in the sport having won twice since the spring, and has since collected another two titles to race to four in little more than a year. Always had the potential and every inch the modern-day golfer, one who hits it far, whose iron play has improved, and who can be deadly on the greens. Makes for a formidable proposition and it was encouraging to see him improve on previous major performances when 20th in the US PGA. Glad to have him on-side antepost at 66/1, and while the advised 16/1 that he wins a major this year looks less good now two opportunities have passed, he's got two more good ones coming up.
Big name on the Dakotas Tour and they'll talk for hours about him at the Community Colleges of Spokane, especially now he's done this. Dreamland stuff for a player who has been professional for almost a decade but is yet to play a tour event of any description.
Eleven majors running without a top-10 finish and has started the year with 39th at Augusta followed by a missed cut at Southern Hill. Otherwise, there's loads to like about last season's PGA Tour Player of the Year, who has officially (in terms of world ranking points) won three times in less than two years but also has the Zurich Classic and the head-start TOUR Championship to his name, and is firmly established among the world's elite. Does everything well, his non-major form this spring reads 2-1-3, and has only these questions to answer: why does he keep underperforming in majors, and when will he find the solution? No surprise at all if the answers are 'randomness' and 'right now'.
Missed every cut on the PGA Tour this year save one, when 14th at the Masters, as he tries to secure membership for the first time in his young career. Will no doubt continue to take inspiration from sister Minjee, winner of the women's equivalent at the start of the month, and they did triumph just weeks apart from each other last summer (Min Woo first). Has a future at this level but right now struggling.
Big eye-catcher at times earlier this year but hasn't managed a top 10 since way back at the start of the PGA Tour season, so has been a bit disappointing. That's also a good word to sum up his US Open record, which shows 11 starts, four missed cuts, and just one top-30 finish, an appalling return for one of his class. Has said he's not keen on the standard USGA setup and unlikely he finds Brookline sufficiently to his liking to get competitive.
In as an alternate and will vault straight to the top of some simple form charts, because he's played three US Opens and finished 17th, 12th, and 21st. Unreasonable to expect anything close to that despite some recent improvements but does add a bit of welcome depth to the top Swede market.
Tee-to-green machine who beat Will Zalatoris in a play-off for the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year, a long-awaited breakthrough. Patches of form since but failed to capitalise on some atypically good putting lately and that perfect storm at Torrey Pines, where his power is hugely advantageous and he also happened to putt well against a bad-putting opponent, will be hard to forecast if indeed it does circle back around.
Came through a play-off to earn his place in the field but not necessarily enjoying the best of runs in college at the moment and some big scores probably await.
Won the Open in 2019, part of a two-win season, but hard to argue against the fact he's in the form of his life right now, at least in terms of consistency. Could've won three or four times this year and the fact he's failed to end a drought stretching back to Portrush is troubling, but we all know by now he's a big-time performer who might just end his career as a multiple major champion. Sure to have plenty of Irish support here and an obvious each-way player given the strength of his approach play, the fact he has led this championship before, and, well, everything he's been doing for several months now.
Beast of a ball-striker who has finished inside the top 30 of his last six DP World Tour events and reminds me a bit of Jordan Smith, who bagged a major top-10 when in similar form in 2017. Still wet behind the ears and only made his first major start last summer, when down the field, but no doubt has the ability to press the accelerator over the coming months and potentially secure his first tour win.
Maine Amateur champion who is a junior at the University of Connecticut and, aged 20, surprised himself in qualifying.
Sparkling winner of the Masters last April and walked taller as he added two more titles either side of Christmas. Plenty of good signs since including better-than-most Masters defence despite injury troubles, which seemed a bit better when third in the Byron Nelson but perhaps aren't totally behind him. Finished down the field in the US PGA and only seen briefly since then, having been disqualified from the Memorial for using a non-conforming club. Nevertheless entitled to respect as he's made his last 16 major cuts outside of the Open and has been inside the top 30 in seven of his nine US Open appearances.
Into his sixth year as a professional and has gone through plenty, overcoming a serious back injury, making headlines for his compassion following an incident in the Open de Argentina, and gaining a reputation for being one of the longest hitters in the sport. That incident saw Matthews distracted by a noise made by a fan with Down syndrome and he handled it brilliantly, so it's great to see him now on a path to the PGA Tour despite mixing the quality that saw him win the Astara Golf Championship with a load of missed cuts. Played the US Amateur here in 2013.
Phenomenal putter who has started to produce consistent results this year, perhaps coming to realise that he can do that by being solid rather than spectacular in all other departments. You'd think his problems off the tee would hold him back here but did make the cut in the 2015 US Open before becoming the player he is today. It took me longer than it should've to work out whether he should be above or beneath Matt McCarty in this alphabetical list please send help. Oh, another who played the US Amateur here without making an impact.
Scottsdale resident who has played some good stuff on the Korn Ferry Tour this year, having only turned pro in 2021. Very early days.
Won the US Open in runaway fashion back in 2011, bouncing back from his Masters meltdown just a couple of months earlier. No doubt he had his ideal conditions that week but it was still one of the best performances this championship has witnessed, if not quite in the Woods-at-Pebble-Beach class. Subsequently suggested that the US Open isn't necessarily ideal with just one other top-10 from 2012 to 2018, but has figured it out more recently with ninth, eighth and seventh in his last three, including when bang in he mix last year. Makes too many cheap errors to have total faith in when conditions are this demanding, but arrives as one of the most consistent members of the elite and with every chance if he can match last month's hot start in the PGA. Signs his maligned iron play is improving and warmed up nicely in Canada.
Top-five finishes in the same two events as Beau Hossler this year, and without doubt at his most dangerous when power isn't everything. Stuff you know about golf that you shouldn't: Lucas Glover plays without a glove, and Troy Merritt plays without a rib.
Arrives having spent last week doing a pretty decent impression of Donald Trump Jr at Centurion, where I've really no idea how he played because the website had no scoring on day one. Wait! It's there now, as I type, on day two, which means someone just forgot to turn it on for the start. What a game. Anyway, back to Mickelson and the only way his career arc can get any more absurd is for him to win the US Open at long last and complete the grand slam. Nine years since he threatened to do so but you'd have said similar things about his US PGA prospects last year. Remember that?
Fifth most popular member of One Direction who bagged a US Open top 10 last year but has generally struggled since. Some better signs lately and already a winner, as he was first to post the 'wow this rough is thick!' video.
One of those you feel comfortable entering into Google as you're not exactly going to be met with details of other characters with the same name. He's an amateur playing out of Ohio State, the big G tells me, and a very good one at that.
Now based on California and playing OK in the US this year, without getting anywhere close to his 2018-19 peak. Record in this is fine but 13th last year was his best in 11 tries and he's never looked a US Open winner in the making.
Persistent Korn Ferry Tour contender this year who is ranked first in scoring average and is on his way to the PGA Tour as a result. Qualified last year and was 11th after round one at Torrey Pines, where he's since gone on to finish an excellent 11th in the Farmers Insurance Open, and appears to have a very nice future ahead of him.
Aussie who has been mistaken for Cam Smith owing to a similar hairdo. Played very poorly on an invite at the Memorial and confirmed at Centurion that he has a big number in him. Aussie PGA win back in January was mightily impressive – he was 11 shots too good for a decent field at that level – and offers a hint as to his potential, but this isn't when we'll see another.
Defied slow start to finish fourth last year and held every chance before that chaotic back-nine. That was his first notable contribution to a US Open and it might be the major that suits him the least, which isn't to say he won't defy that handicap just like he defied a lack of links experience to capture a Claret Jug. Out of form right now but that's largely to do with his short-game which means a turnaround is possible, as he's still hitting his irons well. US Army haircut, killer instinct.
Bossed his qualifier and anyone who can shoot 12-under over two rounds at the Olympic Club, a former US Open host venue, can certainly play. That's been in evidence throughout his college career at Pepperdine during which he's picked out the Chronicles of Narnia as his favourite books. That's funny, because Scott Piercy loves The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, especially that bit where they reach the end of the very flat earth.
PGA professional at Grand Canyon University Golf Course who showed up for a while on day one of the US PGA last month. Made the cut in the US Open at Olympic Club a decade ago and has generally posted competitive scores at tour level, averaging a very respectable 72.18 in 28 appearances spread over the last 27 years.
Rewarded for a string of solid performances with third place in the Nelson, where he had a great chance to win, and has kept ticking over nicely since then. Generally at his most effective on old-fashioned, tree-lined courses but no impact in majors so far.
Wayward talent who has had his troubles off the course, some of them self-inflicted, some of them not. Qualifying for this marks a continuation of some encouraging form this spring, and at least keeps him away from High School graduation ceremonies for a week.
Has found his comfort zone late in his career and is dangerous on shorter or more technical courses, as he showed when potentially ending his PGA Tour career with seventh place in Texas. MC-MC-MC in the last three US Opens and fact he averages under 290 yards off the tee is a very simple explanation as to why he's generally struggled in this.
No relation to popular twitter operator @NagelsBagels but has his own stories to tell, having reportedly given up the sport before qualifying for this (and making the cut) in 2018. Has continued to grind since then, albeit with limited reward, and that's been the story of the career of a player who didn't pick up a golf club until his late teens. Good on him for making it back here.
World number one amateur who was right in the mix at halfway in the Sony Open at the start of the year and seemingly has plenty to offer. Solid form in native Japan since missing the cut in the Masters and the one the other amateurs all have to aim at.
Old-school ball-striker in the Boo Weekley mould, who came close to winning on the PGA Tour when third at the Valspar. Might happen for him one day but likely at a shorter course and comes here lacking major experience, having only played in one, missing the cut in the 2015 US Open. Will probably need a bigger week on the greens than he's usually capable of if he's to make any kind of impact.
Front-running winner of the Genesis Invitational, a real coming-of-age performance just a couple of months after turning 23. MC the following week forgivable and hasn't been worse than 35th since, with two solid major efforts among this run. Driving it brilliantly right now and really doesn't have a major weakness now he's improved around the green, so it's onwards and upwards with no limit on his scope. Like the fact he experienced what it's like to play alongside Tiger Woods over the first two rounds at Augusta and no surprise if he is able to see things through to Sunday in a major soon enough. These next two will both suit.
Jetted home to take part in the Scandinavian Mixed and fared pretty well there. Returns to the US seeking to improve upon a miserable US Open record which finally produced a top-20 finish in his latest appearance at Winged Foot. Anything like that will do.
Won his first DP World Tour title in his native South Africa earlier this year when gifted help by Dean Burmester. Seen sparingly since.
Sea Islander who has slowly progressed through the ranks and isn't all that far off keeping his card for next year. That's despite being way down both the driving distance and accuracy stats, a dangerous combination at this level, though he does make up for much of that with some quality iron play and a neat-and-tidy short-game. Some indications that he's getting there as he signed off the Nelson with a bogey-free 64 before qualifying for this, and had previously gone well in Mexico where he sat third at halfway. Major debut and expectations must remain low.
Eagle-birdie finish to capture the British Masters saw him finally draw a line under a nasty episode in 2019, when he behaved disgracefully on a flight home from the US. Career rightly hit the skids while that was resolved and it'll be interesting to see whether he can press on from the Belfry, with my suspicion being that he peaked when making the 2018 Ryder Cup side. Driver would be a big worry here.
Justified his decision to sign for LIV Golf by stating that he'd always planned to ride off into the sunset at around the 40 mark, and spend more time on his beloved farm. That suggests he may not have many more chances to double his major tally and while his record demands respect, his form this year has been poor.
Twin brother of Korn Ferry Tour player Jeremy and is making his own way in Europe, where he's been a regular threat during this rookie campaign. Lots to be positive about back in Europe.
If every golfer's dream is to stand on the final tee of a major needing par to win, then every golfer's nightmare must be to make double-bogey and miss a play-off. That's what Pereira did at last month's US PGA, when finding water off the tee as things quickly spiralled out of control. Gained a lot of fans with the manner in which he handled that and really impressed by the fact he's played well in both subsequent starts. Makes him one of the form players coming in and if he can get the putter working again then anything is possible.
Somehow stole the Dutch Open from Ryan Fox, first benefitting from that rival's seven at the final hole, and then making a string of unlikely putts to first stay in the play-off and then win it. Had been coming in many ways and no doubt he's a class act at DP World Tour level, where over his last two starts he's been virtually flawless from tee-to-green.
Opened with a round of 66 and stuck at it for a while when last playing in this, albeit at a Winged Foot course which heavily favoured players of his skillset. This might too and has always had the talent, as shown in the Masters and the US PGA. Form lately hinting at a return to the levels shown when winning either side of Christmas and freshened up by some time at home, so one who could outperform his odds.
Beat Austin Greaser to win the US Amateur but hadn't been close to making a cut in five PGA Tour starts this year, until playing a bit better in the no-cut LIV Golf Invitational thing.
Steady progression continued with top-10 finish in the PGA Championship, having bagged a first PGA Tour win last July and went on to earn a Masters debut with a run to the quarter-finals of the Match Play. Notable that while he misses a few cuts, when he makes the weekend he makes it pay and that's a good quality to have. At his best doesn't have a weakness and we saw that with a balanced display at Southern Hills.
Has emerged from brother Michael's shadow over the last five or so years, winning a low-key event and briefly threatening to establish himself inside the world's top 50. Not so good lately but scrambled his way to 15th at Colonial and can always pop up under suitable conditions. He won't have them here, though.
Arguably the standout story from qualifying, as a 57-year-old who last played in a US Open back in 2014. Only entered this year because his son was putting his own entry in one day and dad Fran thought 'why not?' Will have his wife on the bag for what's a home game, having been born an hour away, so it's a fabulous tale, a sporting tale, a tale with soul. "It's the last one I'll ever play," he told Golf Digest. Brilliant stuff.
Fabulous winner last year when everything aligned at a course which means so much to his career and indeed his personal life. Still needed two long putts on the final two greens to see off Louis Oosthuizen but had been a bit unlucky earlier in the round and was without doubt a worthy winner. Main issue is that his three worst performances this year have been in the three biggest events (55th PLAYERS, 27th Masters, 48th US PGA) but was on the wrong side of the draw in the latter and his form either side has been good. Short-game has clicked, too, so providing the wayward driving performance he produced at Muirfield Village isn't a sign of things to come, he'll likely make a stout defence and could do as Brooks Koepka did and win this back-to-back.
Signs at the PGA (34th) and Charles Schwab Challenge (seventh) that his ball-striking struggles might be turning around but was poor at the Memorial. Short-game can keep his head above water at that level and has a very solid US Open record, twice leading at halfway and finishing with a flourish for a top-20 at Torrey Pines. Quite like the idea that he rocks up at the next LIV event thinking he can do whatever he likes and then sees ex-PGA Tour rules guru Slugger White coming over the hill. 'Oh for f...'
Another amateur qualifier having finished second to Mouw, both of them being the sons of golfers. Dad, you have a lot to answer for. Anyway, Reiter has had a taste of PGA Tour golf having played in what's now The American Express three times, and the 63 he shot in the middle of three missed cuts shows what he can do.
Took a while (in modern terms, i.e. a few months) to find his feet on the PGA Tour but now look at him go, with six top-20 finishes in a row prior to a bogey-free breeze through qualifying. Four of those were top-10s to take his tally for the season to six, and he's very much on his way to the upper echelons of the sport. Finished 13th at the US PGA with a negative strokes-gained putting figure but that club is usually reliable, while his iron play has been elite over the past month. No limit whatsoever to what he can achieve and reminds me a lot of his good friend and mentor Justin Thomas.
Somewhere between the forgotten man of his college class (reached quarter-finals of US Amateur here as one of the favourites) and those like Justin Thomas who've gone on to win majors. I think we sometimes overlook the fact that most really good amateurs don't just fail to win on the PGA Tour, they fail to reach the PGA Tour. It's very, very hard, and Rodgers is still here, keeping his card, earning his chances. Hopefully it happens for him one day, because he's a lovely player and fights the good fight.
Fighting hard to remain relevant having missed out on last year's Ryder Cup side and generally struggled since winning the Farmers Insurance Open in 2019. Since then he has still managed four top-10 finishes in 13 majors and was 13th at the US PGA, so there's no doubt he has it in within to find his game when he most wants to. Indeed three of his last seven top-10 finishes have been at the very highest level and there are worse each-way or first-round leader plays all things considered.
Former US Amateur semi-finalist who was a teammate of Brandon Wu at Stanford but is still searching for his own path to the top of the sport. Volatility underlined by his burst of birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie to burst clear in his qualifier before bogey-bogey finish when the job had been done. Could still have a very bright future.
Flying Finn came from seven back to win the Porsche European Open by two and seal a US Open berth for good measure. That final-round 64 on a brutal course was in keeping with a streaky profile and at his best is a deadly iron player who can light up the greens. Not up to this standard, though.
Made the last 16 of the US Amateur here and has since established himself as a feature among the professional elite, entering the top 20 with second place in the 2018 Open and remaining there ever since. That Carnoustie effort was already his third major top 10 and he's added six more since, his all-round game and perhaps even his demeanour helping explain why he's so adaptable. Winning is the issue and he probably hasn't done enough of it on balance, but once again did everything well for 13th in the US PGA and is impossible to find fault with otherwise. US Open record reads an absurd 5-6-3-5-7 and there will be those patient enough to keep going at short enough odds. Remember, he was shorter last year and has technically won twice in the interim.
Plenty made of his angry exit from the PGA Championship, but I think we should give him a break. His life has changed in a very short space of time, having gone from non-winner to major champion and world number one. So when he's stuck on the wrong side of the draw in a major and gets a bad bounce after fighting hard to keep his name in the mix, slamming a club into his bag seems more like evidence that he is indeed much calmer than most people to me. Anyway, PGA disappointment aside, the standout player of the season seeks his fourth win having been seventh in this last year. He was born in New Jersey so might get a little extra support for all Texas is now home, did once shoot 59 on the PGA Tour here in Massachusetts, and lost a tight quarter-final at the US Am nine years ago. Anecdotes aside, he probably still rates the benchmark granted a better set of tee-times.
'The Indiana native' is how you describe Schenk at second mention by law, and this old-school operator has done his Hoosier friends proud without yet winning on the PGA Tour. Probably will do in the Barracuda or the Barbasol or the 3M Open or something like that at some stage, but not here, not now.
Red-hot form of late on the DP World Tour with three top-10 finishes in a row. Two of those depended heavily on the putter but he's done everything well at times and at a lower level than this, he's generally capitalised on his best periods of play. That's worth bearing in mind back in Germany next week and perhaps beyond, but here he's likely to be out of his depth.
Biggest disparity you'll ever see between good looks and good dress sense, regularly arriving at the golf course as though someone has dressed him for an experiment or demonstration. Played well at the start of the year such as when fourth at Riviera and had gone close in 2021, notably when missing a very short putt to take the Wyndham Championship, but lately not so good. That said, ranked second in strokes-gained approach last time and has got to grips with US Opens late in his career.
Flourishes of real quality on the PGA Tour have been too few and he struggles off the tee, which will be a problem. Nevertheless is a solid iron player who topped a competitive qualifier in Georgia to earn this major debut, and a chance to earn his place on the list of famous Chases: Chevy, the one off of Paw Patrol, and him from series three of 24.
Made that famous comeback from eight down to win the Amateur Championship and still reaping the rewards, but shot 81-85 in the Masters and recently withdrew from the Memorial, which is troubling because why would you do that. Before that made no impact in the Lytham Trophy so expect a couple more big scores and an early departure.
One of a very small group of golfing saxophonists but there's enough promise in his sporting career to keep music on the back burner. Qualified for last year's US Open (MC) and did so again in Dallas, where he came through a play-off to add another Alabama alumni to the tournament, having played college golf with Davis Riley. Might be one we hear a good deal more of in future.
Qualifier who has struggled for a couple of years now having once shown a degree of promise. PGA Tour profile says he 'loves finding farm-to-table restaurants in new towns' which is a very specific piece of information. Perhaps this explains his motivation to qualify – Farmstead Table is just down the road and 'blends French technique and new world innovation in a classic American country kitchen' according to its website. Try the grilled swordfish skewer, served with orzo and roasted root vegetable salad, spinach pistou, and crispy sunchokes.
Ten years since he took advantage of a gift from the USGA, who took this tournament to a course which favoured accuracy more than just about any I can remember. That saw Simpson win when Furyk and McDowell might have to underline the point and he's gone on to add a PLAYERS Championship and several Ryder Cup appearances in a splendid career. More recently, back from injury and with some signs of encouragement, without getting his approach play and putting properly dialled in. Two major top-fives in 43 starts and only a couple more top-10s, which says a lot: he'll probably make the cut but probably won't be involved beyond that.
Big-hitting Australian who has played pretty much all over the world now, but returned home to win for the first time in five years back in February. Used to be one from whom folks expected something but needs to kick on now having struggled when playing in Europe in the past. Power is at least a real asset in this tournament regardless of where it's played and hopes are pinned on it carrying him through to the weekend.
Threatened to become a PGA Tour winner last summer but is in the midst of a miserable season, with just two top-20 finishes and a string of alarming displays. Has dropped a hundred places in the tee-to-green stats and unless scraping through his Dallas qualifier proves a turning point, it'll be off to Korn Ferry Tour Finals later in the year. Free shot at this on his major debut but it'll be a result if he leaves feeling good enough about his game to find it again this summer. Diagnosis: Missed cut.
This year's best example of just how maddening this sport can be. On the one hand, all is rosey in the Smith world: he won the Tournament of Champions from Jon Rahm, and then added The PLAYERS Championship, with his family in town to roar him home. So far, so good. But since then, he's then produced his two best-ever displays of approach play, both in major championships, but had to settle for third place at Augusta and 13th at the PGA. Most galling might actually be the latter, because he was the standout player in the field from tee-to-green, again a career-best, but ranked 76th of 78 with the putter. Usually known for his short-game, a dream start to the year has turned into 'what might have been', but he doesn't have to wait long for another crack at it and clearly demands huge respect.
In-form (hence, in the field...) Swede who has a bit about him but is very hard to predict, and has never been in waters this deep.
Winner of this in 2015 when given a helping hand by DJ, on a course which spoke to his creativity and at a time when he was soaring. Otherwise, his US Open record amounts to very little and it's easy to see why it would be the least suitable of the four, albeit every change in venue presents a new challenge of sorts. No doubt his game has been good enough to go and win another major for large chunks of this season, particularly six to eight weeks ago, and only have to forgive a poor week in the Memorial. Again, not sure that's an absolutely ideal place for him despite a decent course record so would give the benefit of the doubt in terms of the state of his game, without necessarily expecting big improvement on a string of modest performances in this.
Inconsistent sort who won three times early in his PGA Tour, always against the odds, but is now more than eight years into a winless run. Quality of his iron play and the fact he occasionally throws in a brilliant putting performance means he might at some stage grab a fourth title but will be just as determined to make the cut here, having been born in Massachusetts. No doubt delighted to have qualified and did so tenaciously, making birdie at his final hole to avoid a nerve-wracking play-off, before finishing fourth at Colonial. Used to drink a dozen Dr Peppers a day but is now far more likely to steal all your avocados. We wish him well.
Won in Colombia last year before coming through Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School, and is enjoying a solid season as his career begins to take shape. Hails from Fort Worth, Texas so no doubt desperate to play Colonial one day but for now it's all eyes on a US Open debut, having had his first try on the PGA Tour back in February (and fared pretty well). Lots of good golf lately but did go from leading by one to losing by six after a final-round 77 on the KFT last month. Shakin Stevens! wrote the local scribes, presumably.
Pinched the Honda thanks to a brilliant finish and a bit of help and supplemented that with ninth at Sawgrass and third, losing out by a shot, in the RBC Heritage. Patchy profile overall and has since struggled, his long-game going missing and the putter now unable to salvage things. Won't be for me but I'll say this: the Honda Classic is often a good guide to majors, and Straka is a player who can go from awful to outstanding in a very short space of time. That's a good profile for one at a very big price.
Straight-hitting former winner of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, that time he beat my 80/1 shot by making every single putt (57, I believe, though it may have been 58) from 10 feet and in. Great times for me and the entire Lovemark family. Stuard meanwhile gets another US Open spin having come through qualifying at Springfield, where he's tried seven times, and succeeded seven times. One of golf's low-key OMGs.
Two-time Japan Tour winner last year who will now be playing in his first major, having come through Final Qualifying in his homeland. We've seen nothing of him bar 57th of 77 players in the ZOZO Championship last year but I can tell you that he's 29, he turned professional in 2015 having studied at Chuogakuin University, he started playing golf when he was five, he's 173cm tall, and his blood type is A.
Thrasher who putts to a high standard and has been battling his way through to weekends recently. Played really well in his qualifier, 10 birdies and one bogey seeing him sail through, and power tends to be of extra importance in the US Open. Still likely to make a few too many mistakes.
Two-time PGA Tour winner who does everything well but nothing spectacularly and probably needs a shorter, simpler course to be properly competitive. Finished as the low amateur in the 2009 US Open when carding a second-round 65, the lowest round by an amateur in any major championship. Later went on to top the World Amateur Golf Rankings but the pro game is very different and his solid effort in his only subsequent US Open start came at Pebble Beach, where he's very comfortable. Up against it here.
'At last doubled his major tally' was my natural starting point here but I wonder whether that underestimates how hard majors are to win. Maybe it does, but there's no doubt this awesome talent, one of the finest iron players you'll ever see and with every shot in the book, is a worthy addition to the multiple majors club. This latest one was opportunistic, a gift even, but he flushed his way through that final round and there are few finer sights in this sport than seeing JT twirl the club after dispatching a ballsy approach shot right over the flag. One of my favourites, that's for sure, to the extent I can let him off for failing me a few times between those two PGA wins set five years apart. No excuses now – buoyed by Southern Hills, he should be a more consistent presence on major leaderboards, and he seemed to enjoy another look at Brookline en route to Canada, where he spoke brilliantly as one of the leading voices on the sport's best circuit.
Won the US Junior Amateur in 2018, following in the footsteps of Will Zalatoris, Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods and earning a crack at the follow summer's US Open, in which he made the cut. Remains a big talent and made a clutch birdie to come through an eight-for-three play-off.
The PGA Tour's nearly-man du jour, having played 330 events without yet winning. For that he's earned $16,740,629 so as you can see he's another poor waif set for a life spent on the never-never. PGA Tour profile says he would've been an actor had he not been a golfer, which gives us something of an open goal, doesn't it? All together now... BEST SUPPORTING, IS IT? *Winks at camera*
Enjoyed a fabulous late-summer run in 2021, picking up his first PGA Tour win and making it all the way to East Lake. Not so good lately and three years spending dancing around 50th place in the world probably give us a reliable idea of where he stands in the game. Best US Open effort came at Winged Foot before narrow missed cut last year and were he in better nick, you'd give him a good chance to be the best South African after a couple of his compatriots warmed up in a London exhibition.
Consistent ball-striker who generally lacks that hidden something on Sundays, which makes his eagle to win the Saudi International all the more memorable and, all other issues aside, one of the highlights of the year so far. In broader terms he's still a PGA Tour maiden but you can only admire Varner's consistency: this is his seventh year on the circuit, and he's been above-average (i.e. returned a positive strokes-gained total figure) in each of the previous six, with this promising to be among his better campaigns.
High-class amateur who won The Junior PLAYERS Championship from Akshay Bhatia a few years ago. More recently, showed maturity beyond his years to go bogey-free in Final Qualifying, and it seems harsh that he's nicknamed 'The King of the Second Place Finishes' at the University of Texas. That qualifying effort was redemption for last year, when he found he had 15 clubs in his bag. For golf newbies, email Ian.Woosnam@StillRaging.com for more on that rule.
Two top-10 finishes under contrasting conditions over the last couple of months and notable that his putting, often a weakness, has been very good in each of his last two starts. Always had bags of talent and we saw it in patches when 23rd at the US PGA. Might take a while to really believe he's got the long putter figured out but we know his tee-to-green game can be of the highest class and that difficult conditions hold no fears.
Popular winner of this in 2019 when he showed how far he'd come by playing a spectacular, tournament-defining pitch across the 17th green at Pebble Beach. Winless since but rather than revealing he's suffering the kind of post-major hangover we have seen before, his malaise has been more to do with fitness problems which saw him experiment with his swing and ultimately suffer. Now back to full health it seems and results are improving, with several eye-catching tee-to-green displays during the first part of the season. Consistency still a problem.
The latest off the conveyor belt and you know the drill by now: young American with excellent college career behind him, breezed through Korn Ferry Tour, and looked as though he'd been born for it (and with a full beard) when quickly making his mark on the PGA Tour. Five top-three finishes without winning this season and right now is the best driver in the sport, so it really ought not to be too long before he gets off the mark. Doing so in a major is difficult – ultimately that was underlined in the US PGA – but not impossible, and hailing from New York, there's a lot to like. Certainly wouldn't be put off by a modest US Amateur display at Brookline, as he was 16 at the time.
Likely to be sitting at the bottom of these profiles for as long as they let me write them, having already amassed five top-10s from his first nine majors, twice finishing runner-up. The most recent of those came at the US PGA last month and for all he was the epitome of class after losing a play-off to Justin Thomas, he'll know deep down how good an opportunity he missed. Remember, while all the focus was on Mito Pereira, Zalatoris did three-putt the 16th and missed a relatively short putt in extra holes, too. Still, onwards and upwards for one of the best tee-to-green operators in the sport, whose putting inadequacies disappeared in both the Masters and the PGA. Must again have a big chance here and has some experience of the course from the 2013 US Amateur, which was too soon in his career for expectations to have been high. Watch out Sir Nick Faldo's Welwyn Garden City/Orlando delivery of Zalatoris, which makes him sound a bit like a dinosaur. Zalatoris that is, not Sir Nick.