2016 US Open: 5 dark horse golfers who could contend
By Brad Weiss
Oakmont Country Club will host the 2016 US Open, which gets underway on Thursday. The regular favorites should contend this year, but here are five dark horses who could sneak into the leaderboard.
The 116th US Open will kick off on Thursday, with defending champion Jordan Spieth leading a field that includes the best golfers in the world. Spieth, who became the youngest winner of an Open since Bobby Jones in 1923 last year, will be looking to win golf’s second Major of the year, after fumbling away the Masters in April. He will have to navigate a strong field to repeat as champion, and the course could play tougher than his competition.
Oakmont Country Club is hosting the US Open for the ninth time, and the first since 2007. That year, Angel Cabrera staved off Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk to win by one stroke. In the final round, Cabrera was one of only two golfers to shoot under-par. Nine years later, the golf course is still a beast, and could prove humiliating for some of the game’s elite.
Founded in 1903, Oakmont is the lone design by industrialist Henry Clay Fownes, and is the first golf course to be named a Historic National Landmark. Between the thick rough, which will be at its thickest this week, or the greens that play faster than black ice, the course can be a nightmare.
In a week where “par” could be a golfer’s best friend, it is easy to see why golfers like Spieth, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, and Dustin Johnson are the favorites to raise the U.S. Open trophy. However, there are a few golfers who could make some noise this week despite flying below the radar, and we take a look at five golfers who may come out of nowhere to make a run at the trophy.
Next: No. 5 Matt Kuchar