Everything You Need To Know About This Year's US Open

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Everything You Need To Know About This Year's US Open

When and Where?

In case you’ve been a) living under a rock, or b) playing too much golf to watch any TV or check the newspaper lately, the US Open is this weekend (June 16-19)!

The US Open will be broadcast on FOX for the second straight year and can be live-streamed on Fox-Sports1. You may remember Fox’s re-entry into Golf broadcasting at last year’s Chambers Bay as being polarizing...to say the least. Many golf fans were frustrated by the onslaught of new technology that made the event appear "gimmicky". On the other hand, other golf fans were enthralled with the new gadgets such as a camera car that can motor up to 20 mph; 4K cameras; ariael drones; and "virtual immersive graphics" that will display yardage, wind and even “green shadows.” Fox went so far as to place a microphone in the bottom of every hole! For the network, it was all about bringing the golf fan out of their living room, as close to the event as possible-immersion was the goal. But the newness of it all took some more conservative golf fans aback.
We’ll see, this year, how the reception for Fox’s technology differs.

The Course

This will be Oakmont Country Club’s ninth US Open, and first since 2007. No course has hosted more Opens than this Pittsburgh-area track. Although this course has been hosting the world’s biggest tournaments since its opening in 1903, it’s still no cupcake. St. Mark Golf Club member, Dr. Dick Skay, claims Oakmont is “the single hardest course I’ve ever played, and that was with the rough down. A single digit handicapper there would be the equivalent of a scratch-golfer anywhere else.” And the numbers back it up. The combined winning score of the eight previous US Open champions is 9-over par.

Holes To Watch

#1
Talk about first-hole jitters. This behemoth par-4 starting-hole, at 482 yards, is the course’s #1 index and is the start to an opening 3-hole stretch that is without a doubt the toughest in championship golf.

#3 & 4
The iconic “church pew” bunkers line the middle of this out-and-back hole formation. In order to play these

consecutive holes at even par, you're advised to skip church for one more Sunday. However, this beautiful sand/fescue formation is arguably the most beautiful hazard in all of golf, and is just one of 210 bunkers on this doozy of a golf track.

#8
The longest par-3 is US Open history. This year, it will be playing an outrageous 288 yards. As Paul Goydos said in 2007, it’s the only hole in championship golf where you can play a closest-to-the-pin and a long-drive on the same hole! The hole’s distance this year lies smack-dab in the middle of the tour’s average driving distance stats, meaning some players may have trouble even reaching the green! This hole alone should make you glad you’re watching it all unfold from the comfort of your living room, and not with a Driver or 3-wood in hand.

#17
This hole is the most popular viewing point for spectators roaming the grounds. Reason being, it’s a drivable par-4. At 313 yards, it’s barely longer than the par-3 eighth. However, with bunkers surrounding this speckle of an elevated green (one of which is called “Big Mouth”), this hole can just as easily yield a tournament killing quadruple-bogey as it can a virtuous eagle.

Favorites To Win

Oakmont has undergone a remodel since its last US Open host in 2007, adding more bunkers and eliminating many trees. However, this course is still one of, if not the hardest in the country. There is an average of 12 bunkers per hole, "magic rough" that makes your ball disappear upon entering, holes that stretch a country mile, and green that run 15-16…for the members.
The eventual champion this Father’s Day will have to posess mental fortitude to accept the winning score may very well be over par. He will have to be precise off the tee, and the hottest player on the greens. Just as in any other US Open, the eventual champion will have to be the best player on the golf course for four straight days.

Here now are the full Vegas odds for this year’s Open:

Jason Day: 13-2
Rory McIlroy: 7-1
Jordan Spieth: 8-1
Dustin Johnson: 12-1
Rickie Fowler: 25-1
Justin Rose: 25-1
Phil Mickelson: 25-1
Henrik Stenson: 30-1
Adam Scott: 30-1
Branden Grace: 30-1
Hideki Matsuyama: 30-1
Matt Kuchar: 30-1
Bubba Watson: 40-1
Danny Willett: 40-1
Patrick Reed: 40-1
Sergio Garcia: 40-1
Brooks Koepka: 40-1
Paul Casey: 60-1
Louis Oosthuizen: 60-1
Zach Johnson: 60-1
Brandt Snedeker: 60-1
Charl Schwartzel: 60-1
Martin Kaymer: 60-1
Lee Westwood: 60-1
J.B. Holmes: 60-1
Daniel Berger: 60-1
Kevin Chappell: 60-1
Jim Furyk: 80-1
Billy Horschel: 80-1
Marc Leishman: 80-1
Matthew Fitzpatrick: 80-1
Russell Knox: 100-1
Kevin Kisner: 100-1
Charley Hoffman: 100-1
Bryson DeChambeau: 100-1
Jason Dufner: 100-1
Justin Thomas: 100-1
Webb Simpson: 100-1
Jimmy Walker: 125-1
Graeme McDowell: 125-1
Danny Lee: 125-1
Byeong Hun An: 125-1
Shane Lowry: 125-1
Bill Haas: 125-1
Luke Donald: 125-1
Kevin Na: 150-1
Keegan Bradley: 150-1
Rafael Cabrera Bello: 150-1
Ryan Moore: 150-1
Chris Kirk: 150-1
Brendan Steele: 150-1
Harris English: 150-1
Emiliano Grillo: 150-1
Chris Wood: 150-1
Jason Kokrak: 150-1
David Lingmerth: 200-1
Jamie Donaldson: 200-1
Ernie Els: 200-1
Scott Piercy: 200-1
William McGirt: 200-1
Retief Goosen: 200-1
Soren Kjeldsen: 200-1
Smylie Kaufman: 250-1
Angel Cabrera: 250-1
Bernd Wiesberger: 250-1
Patrick Rodgers: 250-1
Patton Kizzire: 250-1
Alex Noren: 250-1
Robert Streb: 250-1
Kevin Streelman: 250-1
Lucas Glover: 250-1
Andy Sullivan: 300-1
Kyung-Tae Kim: 300-1
James Hahn: 300-1
Anirban Lahiri: 300-1
Kiradech Aphibarnrat: 300-1
Cameron Smith: 300-1
Jon Rahm: 300-1
Peter Hanson: 300-1
Andrew Johnston: 300-1
Romain Wattel: 300-1
David Toms: 300-1
Jaco Van Zyl: 300-1
Gregory Bourdy: 300-1
Thomas Aiken: 300-1
Daniel Summerhays: 300-1
Spencer Levin: 300-1
Geoff Ogilvy: 500-1
Lee Slattery: 500-1
Maximilian Kieffer: 500-1
Matteo Manassero: 500-1
Yuta Ikeda: 500-1
Hideto Tanihara: 500-1
Derek Fathauer: 500-1
J.J. Henry: 500-1
Jim Herman: 500-1
Justin Hicks: 500-1
Tom Hoge: 500-1
Sunghoon Kang: 500-1
Carlos Ortiz: 500-1
Tim Wilkinson: 500-1
Aaron Wise: 500-1
Gary Stal: 1000-1
Steven Bowditch: 1000-1
Jeff Maggert: 1000-1
Derek Bard: 1000-1
Soren Hansen: 1000-1
Sebastian Soderberg: 1000-1
Jason Allred: 1000-1
Charlie Danielson: 1000-1
Andres Gonzales: 1000-1
Nick Hardy: 1000-1
Sam Horsfield: 1000-1
Andrew Landry: 1000-1
Billy Hurley III: 1000-1
Rob Oppenheim: 1000-1
Dicky Pride: 1000-1
D.J. Trahan: 1000-1
Kevin Tway: 1000-1
Aron Price: 1000-1
Yusaku Miyazato: 1000-1
Toru Taniguchi: 1000-1
Denny McCarthy: 1000-1
Scottie Scheffler: 1000-1
Miguel Tabuena: 1000-1
Jeev Milkha Singh: 1000-1
Austin Jordan: 2000-1
Travis Howe: 2000-1
Mikael Lundberg: 2000-1
Frank Adams III: 2000-1
Mark Anguiano: 2000-1
Matthew Borchert: 2000-1
Kent Bulle: 2000-1
Sam Burns: 2000-1
Christopher Crawford: 2000-1
Gregor Main: 2000-1
Matt Marshall: 2000-1
Michael Miller: 2000-1
Kyle Mueller: 2000-1
Chase Parker: 2000-1
Andrew Pope: 2000-1
Tyler Raber: 2000-1
Richard Schembechler II: 2000-1
Wes Short Jr.: 2000-1
Ryan Stachler: 2000-1
Justin Suh: 2000-1
Ethan Tracy: 2000-1
Patrick Wilkes-Krier: 2000-1
Thitiphun Chuayprakong: 2000-1
Matthew Baldwin: 2000-1
Derek Chang: 2000-1
Brandon Harkins: 2000-1
Zach Edmonson: 2000-1
Kevin Foley: 2000-1
Mike Van Sickle: 2000-1

Posted: 6/14/2016 11:13:20 AM by Max Reinhardt

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