The real 2007 golf season begins again for bettors this week, as all the best golfers try to find their game for the prestigious U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.
Heading into most majors, the names on the tip of everyone's tongue are Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Woods as always is the favorite at +200, followed by Mickelson at +800. Both former major winners would probably like to forget what happened at last year's U.S. Open held at Winged Foot. Mickelson looked primed for his first U.S. Open title before completely falling apart on the 72nd hole and handing the tournament to Geoff Ogilvy.
Woods never had a chance to make one of his late charges or final-round stands after failing to miss the cut in a major for the first time in his career. Mickelson could be battling more than his bad memories of Winged Foot this weekend, thanks to a wrist injury he suffered two weeks ago. While practicing his chips before the first round of the Memorial Tournament, Mickelson injured his wrist and was forced to skip the U.S. Open warmup. According to reports Mickelson should be ready to go this weekend, but when it comes to wrists and golf you can never be too sure.
This is the eighth time that the U.S. Open will be played at Oakmont. It's been more than a decade since the last time the Open was played there in 1994. That year Ernie Els defeated Loren Roberts and Colin Montgomerie in a Monday playoff to win his first major championship. Els is a definite contender to repeat at Oakmont, but there will be plenty of competition aside from Tiger and Mickelson.
Vijay Singh has never won the U.S. Open, but with two tournament wins already this season there is no reason he can't climb back to the top of the leaderboard this weekend. Masters champion Zach Johnson was also forced to withdraw from the Memorial a few weeks ago due to a nasty bout of strep throat, but he should be back in top form by this weekend and in search of his second major win this season.
Even though the winner of the tournament that precedes the 2007 U.S. Open has never gone on to win the major, don't count out Woody Austin who won the St. Jude Championship last weekend. Austin put together a masterful final round last Sunday, shooting a remarkable 62, and if he can match that level of play at Oakmont he could make history at Oakmont.
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