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Interesting blog, covering all the main points. If this championship is anything near as exciting as the last few majors then we're set for plenty of entertainment. Really hope one of our boys wins it though!

Would be good to see a piece with ´óÏó´«Ã½'s writers' predictions for the week
too..... :)

Think Tiger might do it this week. First time I've genuinely fancied him for a major for ages. He played great at the Memorial.

Justin Rose to win.

This will be a fascinating tournament I hope Tiger does win cause i think the golfing world wants to see him back on form and to show that he truly is and can be the greatest golfer of all time.

I think it's good everyone is leaning towards Tiger, as it looks like people are quieter on the Donald front. If the greens are playing fast, as suggested, and a good short game is required, plus the course favouring a fade (RH), this could be Lukes week. Playing solid golf at the right time.

as a bg Mclroy fan would love to see hm do well but with the need to cut a lot of tee shots fear for hm makng he cut.. hope i wrong.

Interesting piece Rob. The course has a chilly story also.

There may be a curse on the 54-hole leader at The Olympic Club. In each of the four previous U.S. Opens, the third-round leader finished the tournament in second place. Three of the four: Ben Hogan in 1955; Arnold Palmer in 1966; and Tom Watson in 1987; never won a major championship again. After finishing second at the Lake Course in 1998, Payne Stewart won the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, but died in a plane crash later in the same year. Spookey..!!

My three for victory at massive odds are;
Jason Day-----Keegan Bradley-------Louis Oosthuizen.

like to see the English boys do well this week. Westwood would be a popular win.

Duff man for the win.

I'm not sure that setting up one of the hardest courses ever is all that attractive.

If 2 over is a good score for the 1st 6 holes - surely they should be giving them another two strokes at them? It is only a par 70 afterall.

I personally think the USGA have some kind of masochistic view to 'their' tournament and want it to be the hardest course of the year. They can get away with this because it is a major and people want / have to play the event- but clearly no regular tour event would have a set up like this as guys wouldn't enjoy playing there and wouldn't bother turning up again.

Lets see how many 'good' tee shots don't leave guys with a look at the green, or how many 'good' approcahes don't hold the green. These are the things that frustrate players and generally they mean a poor set up, not a tough set up.

A tough set up should require accurate, and perhaps long, shot making - but it should be fair and reward good shots and good decision making. Lets see if that is the case at Olympic.

As for a winner. I think this could be Luke's event, if he gets himself involved in the 1st 2 days. Not a massive course and one that will require many up and downs over the week.

This could finally be Westwoods week, purely for the fact that it's not a birdie filled course, his putting issues are well documented, but if the test of the course is to find fairways and greens in regulation, with par being a good score, then it could be setup for him.
Think Tiger may struggle if the driver is needed, it can be his achilles, hope not as the game wants him in contention, always interesting if he's in the mix.
Best of the americans could be Duffner, good luck to all though, would love to play this course.

Is there any coverage on the ´óÏó´«Ã½?

Any chance of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ website showing the tee times? Only a simple request but can't find them anywhere. The ´óÏó´«Ã½ site really can make it hard to find what you want these days!

@13

/sport/0/golf/13737256

Tee Times

a surprise here guys Laird to win get your money on before you regret it, he is well worth a punt and is knocking on the door.

Gonna plump e/w for Kucher, Kaymer and Choi. But I really hope Westwood or Donald can do it. They still dont get the respect they deserve without that major throphy on the mantelpiece

I think Tiger will be hard to beat this week but if anyone does beat him I think it will be another European. I have a feeling that Justin Rose could be one to watch this week...



Who does everyone else think will come out on top this week?

Good blog Rob, the only thing missing was the stat that the highest winning score for a US Open here is -3, and I believe the average works out around even par,

Prior to the Masters I felt the Bubba Watson would have a good week based on his early season form and the fact he'd made the cut at Augusta on his previous 3 visits, this time round I have similar feelings about Lee Westwood (note that I started 2012 thinking he was destined for victory at Augusta) who came in the top 20 here in 1998 and will relish the test tie to green but I do worry about his putting, however the feeling won't leave me that he will get that major monkey off his back in the next three weeks, either this week or at Lytham or Kiwah.

My other one's to watch would be Furyk & Stricker who, like Westwood, played well in 1998 here, and also Harrington, who I mentioned on Iain's blog mistakenly thinking his 5 year exemption was up this year, which it isn't, but it is next year so given his world ranking the next 14 month's are crucial to how his career moves on as he approach's his 40's. He will definitely like a tough test and he has played well this year without ever being a factor in tournaments.

Pity we have to put up with the iousy american coverage.

Not an interesting choice, but I just have a little feeling about the Brits on this one. Donald and Westwood - both accurate and in Donald's case, a strong scrambler. Good points made above about Westy's putting - I don't know enough about the course and layout to understand how big an achilles heel (or entire leg?) that might prove to be.

On the masochism of the course @ 10 piehutt - I know what you mean and definitely agree to a fair degree, but the sadist in me likes the idea of watching these guys have to contend with conditions which are deliberately designed to be unreasonable - it's as much a test of mental strength as anything, which I think Majors need to be.

There are at least 25 players that are all capable of winning this event so to pick a name is virtually impossible - but the over-riding factor is that it has to be a great putter which rules out Lee and probably Rory as he is too streaky - whose the best putter on the tour?

I think an outsider will claim victory this week, maybe Rose, although a big-hitting American journeyman is probably a good bet. Is Branden Grace playing this week? If so I think Grace and Paul Lawrie could be high-placed Europeans.

Best putters bring to mind players like Stricker and Furyk, although neither seem to have consistency needed to win around a course like Olympic.

For US opens, the winner has to be a straight driver and great putter. Steve Stricker comes to mind.
The heart says Westwood but I agree with others, will his putting and scrambling stand up to the test?
It is going to be a fascinating tournament. +2 after 6 holes is a good score? What? Personally I like the worlds top players to be really tested, as long as it's fair. Makes us amateurs feel a lot better!
Pity the tournament clashes with Euro 2012 but I don't think I'll cry into my pint(s) about it, spoilt for choice!

Predictions,

Luke +18 after 1st round then shoots 3 rds in the 60s to finish in top ten.

Lee best tee to green player in the field but takes 37 more putts then Phil.

Garcia misses 1 inch putt on 18th to win.

Padraig going well till he has a quintuple bogey on the par 3 15th.

Rory on the cut mark with 2 holes to play in 2nd rd, decides he would prefer a game of tennis bogeys last 2 and jumps on plane to Denmark.

Some barely known American leads after 3 rds is in last group on Sunday and shoots +8.

American Tv shows 7 hrs coverage 6 hrs of which is on Tiger.Tiger then misses cut allowing us to see some coverage of rest of field.

Phil gets into about 8 positions on golf course per round and manages to stick it to the flag everytime prompting everyone back in studio to say" no one else in the field could do that".

Poulter shall complain about something.

Duffner becomes the next 1st time winner of a major and I collect a few pound Monday.

Is there any coverage on the ´óÏó´«Ã½?

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The chances of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ having this on TV is like Hitler being welcomed back with open arms, in Poland....

Have to say I was a little disappointed with the ´óÏó´«Ã½ website headline for Andy Zhang making the tournament:

Boy, 14, in for injured Casey

Couldn't they have put 'youth' or 'teenager'? Using the term 'boy' is very disrespectful for one who has attained such an achievement at his age.