U.S. Open 2019: Preview and predictions

The pick

Rory McIlroy made this decision a hell of a lot tougher with his performance at the Canadian Open this past weekend. If you follow along with these previews, you know he’s been my pick for a lot of tournaments over the past couple of years and he’s playing phenomenal golf at the moment so it’s hard to pick against him right now. With that being said, however, I do have to resist that urge once again, even though I think he’s got a great shot to win.

The same could be said for Dustin Johnson. He knows how to win at Pebble Beach, even if the last U.S. Open here didn’t finish up so well for him. He was my pick at the PGA Championship and gave it a good run, but came up short again. I really like him on this course and he should be in contention most of the time, but I can’t go with him winning.

Then, of course, there’s Tiger Woods. Tiger is always going to be the biggest story whenever he’s playing and him returning to the site of one of his biggest triumphs is a great story. Winning a U.S. Open at a course where he dominated 19 years ago would be amazing, but his performance at the PGA Championship has me questioning whether or not he can handle the conditions.

All of the other guys I mentioned would be a lot of fun. Cantlay is becoming one of my favorite players and is exciting to watch. Fleetwood would be great. Fowler winning his first one would be fantastic. Spieth getting another major would be a nice boost. I’ve been a big supporter of Matsuyama for years and would like to see him win one. I might even root for Mickelson if he’s near the top on Sunday, and that’s not something I ever thought I’d say. But at the moment, there’s just one guy that stands out.

And the winner of the 2019 U.S. Open is…

Brooks Koepka.

How am I supposed to pick against this guy right now? He prides himself on being ready for major championships and just keeps winning them. Sure, it’s a bit of a copout pick as he’s the No. 1 player in the world and the two-time defending champion, but until someone steps up and beats him at the U.S. Open, he has to be the pick. He puts himself in position to win and then just doesn’t look back. He’s a dynamite closer that doesn’t make a lot of mistakes and that’s what you need to win a U.S. Open. That’s why he’s won two in a row and is one of the favorites to win a third.

Koepka wins the 2019 U.S. Open at 6-under. Book it.

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