The US Open, probably more than any other tournament, is dominated less by the names who are teeing it up and more about the storylines that occur. While The Masters is known more for the highest quality of golfers playing in the tournament and the Open Championship is known for the history of the game of golf, the US Open's identity is carved by the headlines that are written. In lieu of a traditional Wednesday Preview, I have decided to predict some of the headlines from each round.
Thursday:
Who?! - No names at or near the top of the leaderboard get people scrambling towards Google to figure out who these players are. Several people will ask "can they actually win this?" No. The answer is no, but for one day these players will be known by the entire golfing world.
No Tiger - At least in the morning, the conversation will be dominated by the lack of Tiger Woods in the field. It's honestly not fair, because there are a lot of great players in a fantastic championship, but Tiger will always be the topic of conversation until someone else like him comes along.
Phil In Position - Phil Mickelson won't be on the first page of the leaderboard at the end of Thursday, but he won't completely implode, either. With all eyes on Phil for the week, wherever he is at any given time will be news.
Friday:
Who?! Part 2 - A few no names remain near the top of the leaderboard, but now they are, at least, a little higher up in the World Golf Rankings. Names like Steve Alker, who won on the Web.com Tour last week, and Hyung Sung Kim of Korea, or Thongchai Jaidee, the veteran from Thailand, sit near the top. Not exactly names that slip off the tongue, but not complete no names, either.
Phil Makes Cut: Needs To Rally - Lefty neither does anything poorly nor anything well in the first two days, and he makes the cut by two strokes. That will put him about 6 shots behind the leaders, meaning he needs to have a big Saturday round in order to put himself into position on Sunday.
Big Names Miss Cut - Number one player in the world, Adam Scott, will pack his bags and head home early. So, too, will Ryder Cup veterans Zach Johnson and Ian Poulter, past US Open Champion Graeme McDowell, and Stanford golfer Cameron Wilson.
Saturday:
No Grand Slam - Phil Mickelson finds himself too many shots back on Saturday to make a conceivable run for the championship. The plus side is that Lefty won't be picking up a seventh runner up. Also part of the grand slam conversation, Bubba Watson finds himself too make shots back, meaning we will go 84 years without a Grand Slam Champion.
Older Players Looking For Glory - Jim Furyk, Thongchai Jaidee, and Miguel Angel Jimenez are among the players over 40 who find themselves withing shouting distance of the leader heading into Sunday. All three have great stories - Jaidee looking for Thailand's first major, Jimenez looking to be the oldest champion ever, and Furyk looking for a major 11 years after his lone major triumph.
Can Japan Win A Major? - Hideki Matsuyama finds himself in the final group, trying to bring home the first major championship for the country of Japan. Matsuyama contending causes Japan to stay awake in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday, hoping to finally watch one of their own raise the trophy.
Kooch In Control - Matt Kuchar has a one shot lead heading into Sunday, where he finally looks to win his elusive major championship.
Sunday:
Kuchar Collapses - Matt Kuchar heads to the back 9 on Sunday with the lead, but late bogeys sink his chances as he finishes two shots back of the champion.
Finally! Japan Has A Major! - Hideki Matsuyama makes a few key birdies and avoids the big numbers and wins the US Open, the first major for the country of Japan and second major for Asia as a whole. Matsuyama wins the US Open at the age of 22, causing many to predict wins in bunches for the young gun.
Champion: Hideki Matsuyama
Winning Margin: 2 Strokes
Winning Score: One Under Par
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