2017 US Open preview: The Major has a new home

The US Open steps into the unknown once again this year as Erin Hills makes its debut as a host and the USGA will be hoping that the course will be received more positively than the last debutant – 2015’s Chambers Bay.

Two years ago the greens were ‘like broccoli’ according to some players and Gary Player skewered the set-up calling it one of the worst he had ever seen for a Major championship. This year, in the rolling farmlands in the heart of Wisconsin, the USGA are confident the course will produce a tough test and a worthy winner and that the conversations afterwards will be on how well the course played rather than how lousy it was for a national championship.

2011 US Amateur Competitors who will tee it up: 

While Erin Hills makes its debut as a US Open venue there will be at least three players who have played it before in competition. Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Emiliano Grillo all teed it up at the 2011 US Amateur and are all fully exempt for the year’s second Major.

Kelly Kraft won the title while Spieth advanced to the quarter finals. Other notables from the 2011 tournament include 2015 US Amateur winner Bryson DeChambeau, European Tour winner Peter Uihlein and US PGA Tour winner Harris English. Just like Kraft, they will all need to get through qualifying to earn their spot in the US Open field.

Hale Irwin is the oldest ever US Open winner. He was 45 years old when he defeated Mike Donald in a play-off to win at Medinah in 1990.

1895

The US Open began in 1895 with just 11 players competing in a 36-hole stroke play tournament at Newport Country Club in Rhode Island. England’s Horace Rawlins won with a 173 total, two shots clear of Scotland’s Willie Dunn. Rawlins won $150 and Dunn received $100.

Play-off

The US Open remains the only Major that retains a full 18-hole play-off the following day should there be a tie at the end of 72 holes. The last play-off was back in 2008 when Tiger Woods famously downed Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines. Prior to that, Retief Goosen won in a play-off with Mark Brooks at Southern Hills in 2001. Dating back to 1901 there have been 32 US Opens settled in a play-off.

The USGA received 9,485 entries for this year’s US Open. The full field of 156 is whittled down through local and then sectional qualifying.

US OPEN FORMBOOK

Sergio Garcia ripped up the script to become a Major champion for the first time at this year’s Masters, aged 37, and in doing so continued the run of first-time Major winners dating back to Jason Day at the 2015 US PGA Championship. We take a look at the form of some of the game’s big-hitters heading into this year’s US Open.

 

Dustin Johnson missed The Masters through injury but returned to action a month later with a runner-up finish at the Wells Fargo Championship. Curtis Strange (88-89) was the last player to win back-to-back.
Phil Mickelson still hasn’t won since his 2013 Open Championship triumph at Muirfield. He's been runner-up six times in the US Open – the only Major he needs to complete his career Grand Slam.
Rory McIlroy is newlywed and suffering from niggling rib injuries that forced him to miss the PGA Championship. His new TaylorMade clubs and ball may take some getting used to – his switch to Nike equipment in 2013 saw him win only once that year in Australia.
Adam Scott has been relatively quiet since he won The 2013 Masters. His game is trending nicely after a T9 at Augusta and then a T6 at The Players.
Jordan Spieth is having an up-and-down year. He won at Pebble Beach but his demons from the 12th hole at Augusta got the better of him again as he wound up 11th. Missing the cut at The Players isn’t the best preparation for the next Major.
Jason Day signed off with a final round 80 at The Players but bounced back with a runner-up finish in Texas. Slowly starting to find his form after a sluggish start to 2017.
Justin Rose will have to combat the disappointment of losing out to Sergio at Augusta. The 2013 US Open winner at Merion will need to be on top of his short game at Erin Hills.
Sergio Garcia is still riding the crest of a wave as the newly-crowned Masters champion. Can let it all ride out and be aggressive now he has a Major in the bag.


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