The U.S. Open gets underway this week beneath a Liv Golf-shaped cloud. Nonetheless, a stellar field is set to compete at The Country Club in Brookline.
This week sees the 122nd edition of the U.S. Open take place on the outskirts of Boston at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Being one of the oldest country clubs in the United States, the 140 year old club will be hosting its 4th U.S. Open.
The Country Club is a historical venue and is infamous for the 1999 Ryder Cup, otherwise known as the ‘Battle of Brookline’. This past event marked a turning point in golfing civility, as USA made a miraculous comeback to victory, causing an uproar of raucous galleries and fanatical supporters.
Read more: Why This US Open Might Be The Rowdiest Golf Event Ever Held
With all the controversy surrounding the LIV Golf Tour, it will be interesting to see what kind of reception the likes of Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson receive this week. There is a chance of some real hostility amongst certain members of the golfing fraternity.
A Classical Championship Test Awaits This Week
Founded back in 1882, The Country Club is about as classical a test as you can get in the game of golf. And it is expected to test every aspect of a player’s arsenal.
Click here to view Golf Digest’s drone flyover footage of each hole
Although the course is relatively shorter than recent U.S. Open venues, the greens certainly live up to the test, as they rank second behind Pebble Beach as the smallest green complexes in recent U.S. Open history.
Players will have to contend with plenty of blind shots, small greens and dangerous hillocks throughout their round, making pinpoint iron-play an essential strength this week.
Read more: Breakdown of The Country Club
2022 U.S. Open Championship Expert Picks
With a tremendous field featuring the best professionals in the world, the third major of 2022 should be an epic ride. However, certain players have shown flawless recent form, indicating a stellar performance at this week’s flagship event.
Rory McIlroy
This man enters this week on a heater after a victory title defence at the RBC Canadian Open last week. Rory is definitely in a fantastic mental and physical position to pick off his next major and add some more shine to his trophy collection. Being the humble player he is, I think most of us would love to see Rory close it out this week.
Will Zalatoris
With seven starts in majors, Zalatoris has put on a display in these prestigious tournaments – with a pair of runner-up finishes among four top 10s. The youngster sets his eyes on victory this week in search of his first major win. Ranked one of the best ball strikers on the PGA Tour, Zalatoris fits the profile for major championship status.
Justin Thomas
JT looks to go back-to-back at majors as he comes off his second such title at the 2022 PGA Championship. Justin leads the tour in bogey avoidance, making him a weapon at an old school layout. The young athlete has been positioning himself to prevail for some time now. 2022 might just be his year.
Cameron Smith
This guy is definitely someone to look out for. Being a big-stage performer, the five time PGA Tour winner sets his sight on his very first major victory. With a masterful short game and excellent tee-to-green statistics this season, this ball strikers will be hard to beat if he finds himself in contention over the weekend.
Previous U.S. Open Winners
Jon Rahm steps up to the task of defending his U.S. Open title this week. Below is a list of U.S. Open winners, as well as their winning score.
2021
Jon Rahm (-6)
2020
Bryson DeChambeau (-6)
2019
Gary Woodland (-13)
2018
Brooks Koepka (+1)
2017
Brooks Koepka (-16)
2016
Dustin Johnson (-4)
Read more: History of winners at the U.S. Open golf tournament
