Woods, Mickelson are favored, but everyone is a contender
Close to a hundred media personnel from five continents bustled through the mission control-like media room at Pebble Beach Golf Links early Wednesday. Around them, live coverage of the World Cup aired on huge T.V. sets, but few stopped to watch.
Though it was only a practice day for the U.S. Open, all focus was set on the world’s best golfers, whose storylines alone are making the 110th running of our national championship one to remember.
Pacing the angelic course, with its humbling fairways and speed-trap greens, one could almost taste the impending drama set for this weekend.
Will Phil Mickelson solidifies his place as the world’s best golfer on the same links where he made his professional debut 18 years ago? Will his wife, Amy, and kids make an appearance?
Will Tiger Woods rekindle the magic of his 2000 U.S. Open win at Pebble Beach and rejuvenate his career?
Will another up-and-comer hoist the trophy as Lucas Glover did a year ago?
Will 60-year-old Tom Watson turn back the clock again with another impressive run in a major?
Then there is double-heart transplantee Erik Compton, who qualified for the Open at a 36-hole sectional capped by a three-hole playoff.
Where does the list end?
Each of the 156 players is out to pen their own storyline: winning the toughest major on America’s toughest course.
“It would mean a lot to any player, myself included,” Mickelson said when asked what winning the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach would feel like. And later: “I think it’s the best U.S. Open setup that I’ve seen.”
“It seems a bit like the home of the U.S. Open in the States,” Padraig Harrington said.
“This place brings back some wonderful memories to me,” said Watson, referring to his legendary chip-in on No. 17 to clinch the 1982 Open.
You get the feeling?
It seems silly to predict a winner given the reputation of both the tournament and venue. The majority of oddsmakers have pegged Woods the favorite followed by Mickelson. It’s the safest bet.
But even Woods was quick to note anything is possible when the U.S. Open comes to Pebble Beach. It will not happen again until 2019.
Last year, Glover won the tournament in a downpour at Bethpage Black for his second victory in six years on Tour.
“It’s getting awfully quick out there,” Woods said of the greens. “And if they don’t put any water on these things come Sunday it’s going to be very interesting.”
