US Open 2017: 10 bold predictions

3 of 10

Jun 4, 2017; Dublin, OH, USA; Bubba Watson tees off on the fifteenth hole during the final round of The Memorial Tournament golf tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

8. Bubba Watson performs the best in his grouping (with Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott)

Much like we talked about with Jamie Lovemark, there is a good chance that Bubba Watson is going to vastly enjoy the wide fairways and length of Erin Hills. Obviously the two-time Masters Champion is one of the biggest hitters off the tee on the PGA Tour. However, it’s not often that Watson gets to unleash his gifts fully. The 2017 US Open should afford him that opportunity as he’ll be able to pull out the driver and really attack the course with his length.

Watson ranks 11th in driving distance this season on the PGA Tour, which is far from shocking. When you couple that with the fact that he has two top-10 finishes in his last three events, he seems to be in prime position for a strong showing this week. That’s not necessarily bold, however. What is a bold prediction would be to say that he’ll out-perform the two people he’ll be playing with on Thursday and Friday: Adam Scott and 2017 Masters champ Sergio Garcia.

There are a number of people who are high on Garcia coming into this tournament, but I’m worried about his lack of playing of late. He hasn’t been exceptionally active since winning at Augusta, which I don’t think bodes well for him. Then there’s Scott, who just simply hasn’t been playing all that well overall of late. While Watson’s season hasn’t been great, he should finish better than the two guys he’s playing with, despite them having the “bigger” name coming into the second major.

Home/US Open Golf