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2010 U.S. Open Preview
2021-06-18
Ever since Tiger Woods’ legendary performance at the 1997 Masters, he has been the heavy favorite in every major in which he’s played. However, with Woods struggling to regain his customary dominant form since his November car accident and revelations of marital indiscretions, the tide has begun to turn in golf. For the 2010 U.S. Open, the title of favorite must be bestowed on his rival, Phil Mickelson.
Mickelson heads into Pebble Beach with a sense of urgency he has perhaps never felt. For him, there are numerous things on the line. First and foremost is the opportunity to win the title that has forever eluded him, often under painful circumstances. Mickelson has finished second a record five times at the U.S. Open and although he has never sealed the deal, says that he has historically played some of his best golf in his nation’s tournament. With his 40th birthday the Tuesday of U.S. Open week, he knows that his window of opportunity is closing, and golf betting is thinking the same.
A win at the U.S. Open would provide Mickelson with another career first: the number one ranking in the world. He is closer than ever to achieving this, with chances in his last three tournaments to mathematically supplant Woods, the world number one for a staggering 261 consecutive weeks.
Mickelson comes into Pebble Beach with significant momentum after his emotional win in The Masters in April, regarded by many onlookers as his finest performance ever. Although he has not won since, he has shown flashes of brilliance while striving to have his game peak for the U.S. Open. He was in position to win his first post-Masters tournament at Quail Hollow and it took the round of the year by Rory McIlroy to pass him. He made a charge in the third round at The Players Championship, showing his ability to go low at any time. His missed cut at Colonial proved to be a mere aberration as he followed it up with a solid tie for fifth place this past week at The Memorial, which would have been much better if not for some untimely missed putts. Despite the lack of wins, Mickelson provided himself with an infusion of confidence, happy with the state of his game while promising to sharpen his customary stellar putting in time for Pebble Beach.
This is a stark contrast to Woods, whose game is a great unknown right now, having only completed two tournaments since November and still showing significant rust from his lengthy layoff. In addition to the turbulence within his personal life, his swing coach recently quit, leaving only Woods himself to find the answers to a golf swing that looks nothing like the one responsible for his past dominance. Compounding problems is a neck injury that forced him to withdraw from The Players Championship last month. Although he completed all four rounds at this week’s Memorial, he stopped short of saying the neck was 100% recovered. This could prove to be problematic with the torque required to hit from the customary long rough of a U.S. Open, a place Woods may find himself frequently given his recent wayward driving. All of these factors reveal that winning a tournament of this caliber is a tall order for Woods, even after taking his pedigree into account.
Mickelson seems to have begun to thrive off Woods’ presence in tournaments. With Woods out of the game at the beginning of the year, the golf world expected Mickelson to seize control. Although he didn’t right away—in large part due to his wife’s ongoing battle with breast cancer—he asserted his presence at The Masters, Woods’ first tournament of the year. He was steady throughout and proved to be undaunted even by Woods’ furious attempts at a comeback. The intimidation factor once presented by Woods has certainly lost some of its edge on Mickelson.
There are many other factors working in Mickelson’s favor this year. He has had tremendous success at Pebble Beach, previously winning three times at the annual P.G.A. tour stop there. Already a fan favorite, he can expect to receive a significant boost from the fans as a California native himself. Many of the cheers that once would have gone to Woods will undoubtedly be directed Mickelson’s way.
One of Mickelson’s greatest golf attributes, his prodigious distance, will come in handy at Pebble Beach. Since Pebble isn’t one of the longer courses in the U.S. Open rotation, Mickelson can hit 2 iron or 3 wood off the tee and still have relatively short approach shots. He will be hitting these clubs as far as many players hit their driver while reducing the probability of hitting into the penal U.S. Open rough.
The U.S. Open always seems to come down to who can make the most putts. Mickelson made one clutch putt after another in April at The Masters and can feed off the memories and confidence from that unforgettable week. Expect to see him make a putt at the 72nd hole on Sunday to win the U.S. Open that has long eluded him.
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Lee Westwood a Favorite at this Year’s U.S. Open
2021-06-18
Looking for two players to place atop the list of favorites for next week’s U.S Open? Look no further than the top two finishers at the season’s first major, The Masters. Although Phil Mickelson prevailed in that event and must be considered the overall favorite, don’t be surprised to see Lee Westwood holding the trophy come Sunday, and Golf betting is watching.
Amidst all the attention given to golf’s two preeminent superstars, Mickelson and Tiger Woods, the truth is that Westwood has been the most consistent player in the world of late, especially in the big events. He has been knocking on the door in majors for years now, finishing in the top three in four of the last eight majors contested, twice finishing one shot out of a playoff—at the 2008 U.S. Open and 2009 British Open. The U.S. Open performance was especially sensational given that he was playing in the final group with Tiger Woods and had to contend with the external frenzy that accompanied his improbable victory on one healthy leg. He also played in the final group with Mickelson at this year’s Masters and had a respectable final round amidst all the pro-Mickelson sentiments. Westwood’s ability to focus on his own game and stay in contention on Sunday shows that he will not be moved by the pressure inherent of the U.S. Open, often described as the most mentally taxing of the four majors. Given the difficulty of the course setups, mistakes are bound to happen. Westwood’s steely resolve allows him to mentally recover from mistakes and not compound them, which as all keen people in golf betting know is his weakness.
Westwood is also a proven winner, having won 31 times around the world, including 20 on the esteemed European Tour, which should silence any concerns about his ability to close a tournament. He has shown the ability to sustain this consistency throughout the course of an entire season, winning the vaunted European Tour Order of Merit in both 2000 and 2009. He is habitually in contention and the fact that he hasn’t broken through yet in a major is nothing more than a testament to how difficult they are to win. As stated before, his overall consistency lends credence to the belief that one of the big ones will eventually go his way. After all, it’s not uncommon for it to take longer than expected for a player to break through. It’s easy to forget that for a long time, there were similar fears about Mickelson. His numerous close-calls had many in the media wondering if his day would ever come. Not only has he broken through, he now has four majors to his credit. Thus, Westwood’s previous habit of coming up just short shouldn’t be a negative in handicapping his chances at the U.S. Open. As we have seen, if a player continually puts himself in a position to win, it should be expected that the day will come when everything goes right and they break through.
The aforementioned consistency possessed by Westwood doesn’t merely apply to majors of the past but also to his play thus far this year and current form. A pillar of consistency, he already has seven top-10 finishes in tournaments this year. His last tournament on American soil, The Players Championship, proved that he was not suffering from any Masters hangover. He led the so-called “fifth major” through 54 holes and wound up with a tie for fourth place. He is playing in this week’s PGA Tour event in Memphis so don’t expect any rust come next week.
Westwood can also draw positive memories from the 2000 U.S. Open, the last time it was held at Pebble Beach. Although he didn’t win, he tied for fifth, his highest finish to that point. His game is a very good fit for Pebble Beach, where a premium is placed on ballstriking, one of Westwood’s strengths. His combination of distance and accuracy promises to serve him well.
It can be argued that Westwood is the safest pick. Whereas some of the other elite players can be erratic, the world’s third-ranked player is the picture of consistency. Players often say before majors that their only goal is to have a chance going into the final round. Westwood’s track record has shown that he will very likely have a chance going into Sunday at Pebble. The only question is whether or not he will win.
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