Taking Stock of the Biggest U.S. Open Storylines After the PGA Championship
By Alexander Vafeas, Sports@CJC
With the dust from the PGA Championship finally settled, it’s time to take a first look at golf’s third major of the year, the U.S. Open. Xander Schauffele earned his first career major victory at the PGA in Louisville. Could another first-time major winner emerge at Pinehurst? Here are the biggest storylines to watch with the U.S. Open now just two weeks away.
Scheffler’s Situation
After what was the strangest major tournament in recent memory, Scottie Scheffler will turn his focus to trying win his third career major. The world’s No. 1 golfer managed to notch his 10th top-10 major finish after being arrested before his second round and missing his full-time caddie Ted Scott — who attended his daughter’s high school graduation — on during the third round of the tournament.
Scheffler, 27, was arrested early in the morning May 17 while trying to drive around the scene of a fatal accident as he attempted to enter the gates of Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, home to this year’s PGA Championship in Louisville. He faced four charges, including felony second-degree assault on a police officer on suspicion of dragging an officer with his car while arriving at the tournament.
Scheffler initially was scheduled to be arraigned May 21, but his hearing was then postponed to June 3. However, Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell announced Wednesday that prosecutors were not moving forward with the case, and that all charges were dropped.
“Based upon the totality of the evidence, my office can not move forward in the prosecution of the charges filed against Mr. Scheffler,” O’Connell said. “Mr. Scheffler’s characterization that this was a big misunderstanding is corroborated by the evidence.”
Scheffler’s focus now can turn exclusively to the course, where the two-time Masters winner is eyeing his first U.S. Open title. Scheffler’s best Open performance was in 2022, when he tied for second — one stroke behind winner Matt Fitzpatrick — in Brookline, Massachusetts. He finished third last year at the Los Angeles Country Club.
Hovland Returns to Form
Before the season, Viktor Hovland was tabbed as a golfer who should be in contention to win his first major, yet a rough January through April left much to be desired.
Hovland is coming off a career-defining year in which he posted three victories, including the 2023 Tour Championship, and two top 10s in majors (T-2 at the PGA; T-7 at the Masters). In 2024, however, the Norwegian has struggled to start the season, finishing T-36, T-62 and a missed cut at the Arnold Palmer, Players Championship and the Masters, respectively.
Despite the sluggish start, Hovland seems to have returned to form with a third-place finish at the PGA in Valhalla. The 26-year-old shot four rounds under par (68-66-66-66) to finish the tournament 18-under.
Taking into account a reported reunion with former swing coach Joe Mayo, Hovland should find himself contenting for his first major at Pinehurst No. 2.
An Outlook on the Gators
This year’s U.S. Open will feature multiple Gators in the field, headlined by 15-year pro Billy Horschel.
Horschel is fresh off his second career top-10 finish at a major, shooting 7-under at the PGA Championship capped off by a final-round 65. The former Gator (2006-09) has had a resurgent season in 2024 with four top 10s and a win at the Corales Puntacana Championship.
Current UF sophomore Parker Bell will also be in the field after making it through final-round qualifying at the Dallas Athletic Club last week. Bell has been a staple in Florida’s lineup this season notching four top-10 finishes this spring. Bell shot 3-under in the 36-hole qualifier and survived a seven-man playoff to make it into the U.S. Open.
His teammate, junior Ian Gilligan, will attempt a similar feat, as he will vie to qualify at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland, next week.
A number of other former Gators — including 2023 NCAA champion Fred Biondi, Ricky Castillo, Camilo Villegas, Chris Nido, Ryan Celano and Brett Stegmaier — also will be trying to earn their way into the Open field via next week’s qualifiers.
Could We See Another Wyndham Clark?
Last year’s U.S. Open champion, Wyndham Clark, came into the tournament at +7000 odds, which put him in the same realm as Corey Conners (+7500) and Tom Kim (+8500). Could we see another surprise in Pinehurst? Here are three golfers in the +6000 to +10000 range who could make a run at the Open.
* Keegan Bradley: Bradley has had a sneakily good season, headlined by a runner-up finish last weekend at the Charles Schwab. The 37-year-old also has top-25 finishes at both the PGA Championship and the Masters this season. Despite his recent success, Bradley currently sits at 100-1 odds to win his first major at the Open. Bradley also finished fourth the last time the U.S. Open was Pinehurst in 2014. Expect the 2023 Ryder Cup snub to continue his upward trend in major and be in contention come final-round Sunday at Pinehurst.
* Corey Conners: Connors has had a solid season, making 14 straight cuts and six top-25 finishes. The value from Connors comes from his play style. Pinehurst No. 2 is suited to golfers with good accuracy off the tee and approach to the green, both elements in which Conners excels. He is second among eligible PGA Tour pros in strokes-gained approach to the green (any approach shot that starts more than 30 yards from the edge of the green) and 22nd in driving accuracy. These strong points in his game make Connors a great value pick at his +6000 price.
Stock Up or Down?
* Xander Schauffele: Stock Up.
Schauffele proved that he has the mentality required to win a major after his wire-to-wire victory in Valhalla. With the weight of winning a major off his shoulders, he should be considered a true major contender for years to come.
* Bryson DeChambeau: Stock Up.
For the second time this season, DeChambeau was a contender on Sunday in a
major championship. One has to assume he will continue to contend in the U.S. Open, a tournament he has won before (2020).
* Thomas Detry: Stock Up.
Detry arguably had the biggest bump, thanks to his PGA Championship play, outside of Schauffele. The 24-year-old finished T-4 and earned an exemption for this year’s U.S. Open. He moved up 17 spots in the FedEx Cup standings to No. 54 after recording his third top-five finish of the season.
* Wyndham Clark: Stock Down.
Going into the PGA Championship, Clark had the seventh shortest odds to win,
but the reigning U.S. Open champ struggled in Louisville, going 4-over and missing the cut.
* Shane Lowry: Stock Up
Lowry reminded everyone that he has what it takes to win major championships
after a T-6 finish. The Irish national has been on a tear this season with four top-10s and a win at the Zurich Classic. Lowry is now No. 10 in the FedEx Cup standings this season.
Posted: May 29, 2024
Category: Covering the U.S. Open
Tagged as: 2024 U.S. Open, Billy Horschel, Covering the U.S. Open, Parker Bell, Sports@CJC
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