U.S. Open Championship Power Rankings
OAKMONT, PA- SEPTEMBER 26: General view of the church pew bunkering on the third hole at Oakmont ... More Country Club, site of the 2007 US Open on September 26, 2006 in Oakmont, Pensylvania. (Photo by)
The playing of the 125th United States Open heads to Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. Known for it's difficult set up, this will be the 10th time it's hosted the event with no winner who has ever shot lower than five under par over the course of four days. Patience will be tested this week with extremely fast greens, challenging bunkers, sloping fairways, and of course some of the deepest rough you will ever find.
Whoever wins this championship will need to be skilled around the greens, hit a high percentage of fairways, have the strength to advance the ball out of the rough if needed, and perhaps most importantly, keep their cool mentally.
5. Collin Morikawa
(Photo by)
Collin Morikawa may not fit the mold of a bomber, but he brings elite consistency off the tee and one of the best iron games in the sport.
Closing out tournaments has been his Achilles' heel lately, and the pressure to win again is beginning to build.
To capture his third major, he may need to do it in an unconventional way—perhaps by getting into the clubhouse early and posting a score that puts pressure on the field.
Either way, he'll need to be at the very top of his game, because unlike others on this list, he doesn't have the luxury of distance off the tee to fall back on.
4. Jon Rahm
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Rahmbo got this first taste of real major contention in some time as he was tied for the lead on Sunday at Quail Hollow, but the back nine slipped away from him. Just as quickly as he entered the conversation, he exited it—with a string of untimely bogeys and doubles.
Now, he'll be on a mission to get back in the mix, and the way he's driving the ball suggests he can. In fact, you have to go all the way back to January 19th to find the last time Jon Rahm finished outside the top 15.
He still has something to prove if he wants to be mentioned again among the very best in the world—and that journey starts with chasing a second U.S. Open title this week.
3. Rory McIlroy
(Photo by)
2025 started off as the year of Rory. He completed the career Grand Slam with his first green jacket, and followed it up with impressive wins at Pebble Beach and TPC Sawgrass. However, he enters the U.S. Open after a less-than-stellar performance (T-47) at the PGA Championship—particularly disappointing given it was at one of his favorite courses, Quail Hollow.
That said, I don't think it's time to panic. Rory remains the best driver of the golf ball in the world, and if you want to contend at Oakmont, your driver better be a weapon.
It's understandable to have a bit of a letdown after achieving one of golf's toughest milestones, but I believe Rory is ready to refocus and get himself back into contention.
2. Bryson DeChambeau
(Photo by)
The reigning U.S. Open Champion is well-positioned to defend his title this week. He's been in contention going into Sunday in both of the first two majors this year, and there's no reason why he can't do the same at Oakmont. His distance off the tee will give him shorter approaches into greens that are firm and fast. And if he does miss a fairway, he's one of the few players in the field with the sheer strength to not only escape the rough, but still reach the green with authority.
I haven't even touched on his short game yet. He's gained strokes putting in his last five events, and gained strokes around the greens in his last four. Bryson is more than just a golfer—he's a content creator. He recently gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to play Oakmont on his YouTube channel. The full video is a must-watch, showcasing some great prep work between Bryson and his caddie, Greg Bodine.
With two U.S. Open titles already under his belt, there's no reason to doubt that he could add a third this week.
1. Scottie Scheffler
(Photo by)
There's no player with a more complete game right now than world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. At the U.S. Open, where making as many pars as possible is key, Scheffler excels more than anyone else. Leading the PGA Tour in key stats like SG: Tee-to-Green, SG: Approach, and SG: Total, it's clear why he's the best in the world. His putting, once seen as a weakness, has improved significantly—he's now ranked 27th in SG: Putting.
Scheffler has proven time and again that he thrives on challenging courses, with wins at places like Muirfield Village, Augusta, Bay Hill, and Sawgrass. Add his recent victory at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow to the mix, and you have a player who is undeniably head and shoulders above the competition. I don't see that changing this week at Oakmont.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
18 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Mass in the past: Josh Hines-Allen and his Jaguars teammates slim down in hopes of turning up
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Josh Hines-Allen tipped the scales like never before in 2024. The seventh-year pro beefed up to 285 pounds at the behest of first-year (now former) Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, whose 'mass kicks ass' motto was a mainstay during the offseason and in training camp. It was catchy — and ultimately consequential.
Washington Post
18 minutes ago
- Washington Post
US Open '25: DeChambeau's sand save an all-time memory at golf's most punishing major
It only feels right that the reigning titleholder at the golf championship that, at least in theory, anyone can win is the player who leans into the role of the sport's most relatable everyman, Bryson DeChambeau. And it only feels right that at the U.S. Open — a tournament built to humble and punish the best in the game as much as celebrate them — DeChambeau earned his title by hitting a shot that virtually no man can hit. A plaque now sits outside the bunker on the 18th hole at Pinehurst No. 2, enshrining the spot where DeChambeau placed his name in the history books with what he called 'the shot of my life' — a 55-yard blast from the sand to 4 feet with the trophy hanging in the balance on Sunday at last year's Open. Defense of the title begins Thursday at Oakmont, getting ready to host its record 10th U.S. Open and a course with a longtime reputation for being as difficult as they come. All of which seems to suit the 31-year-old pro golfer/social media star just fine. His first U.S. Open title came in 2020 at Winged Foot, the course best known for producing the 1974 'Massacre at Winged Foot' along with Phil Mickelson's meltdown in the trees and trash cans more than 30 years later. Then, last year, that bunker at Pinehurst. What would golf's everyman say to his millions of YouTube followers who someday might encounter their own version of the 50-yard bunker shot, widely recognized as one of the most difficult in the game, even under normal circumstances? 'The best piece of advice I give them is, just practice in weird, unique situations for maybe an hour a week, 20 minutes, whatever,' DeChambeau said. 'But try to be different and don't just hit the same stock shot every time.' All the major championships have their own personalities. The Masters produces roars through the pines during back-nine charges on Sunday. The British Open is a brittle links-style test where players have to think differently about getting from Point A to Point B. America's golf championship has a reputation for forcing the best players to suffer like the rest of us. As a result, the list of 'greatest shots of all time' at the U.S. Open is a short one: — Ben Hogan's 1-iron on the 72nd hole that helped force a playoff at Merion in 1950. — Arnold Palmer's lash with driver to the first green at Cherry Hills in 1960. — Jack Nicklaus' 1-iron that hit the flagstick on No. 17 at Pebble Beach in 1972. — Tom Watson's chip from the rough on the same hole 10 years later to beat Nicklaus. — Tiger Woods' 12-foot putt at Torrey Pines in 2008 to force a playoff he eventually won over Rocco Mediate. And now, there is DeChambeau's bunker shot. 'When he took this big swing, the amount of confidence that you have to have to hit it that close to the golf ball and not accidentally catch too much ball and send it on top of the clubhouse, it's a very fine line,' said NBC golf analyst Smylie Kaufman, whose biggest brush with pressure came when he played in the final group Sunday at the 2016 Masters. 'They work every single day, every week at these facets of the game in hopes they will have an opportunity to try it,' said Notah Begay, also of NBC. 'I think one of the most overlooked things about professional golf is all the calculation that happens on the fly in evaluating certain shots, which way the grass is lying, where the ball's going to land, and on top of all the normal things.' Maybe the biggest irony is what the U.S. Open officially sells itself as, versus what always ends up happening. More than 10,000 players signed up to qualify for the U.S. Open which is, officially, open to any professional, or amateur with a handicap of 0.4 or lower. There will be good stories to tell among those who went through qualifying to make the 156-man field : a 17-year-old high schooler from Georgia, a dentist in Indiana who used to caddie at Oakmont. The cold facts: The last man to run the gauntlet of local and sectional qualifying to win the title was Orville Moody in 1969. (Lucas Glover went through sectional qualifying only when he won in 2009.) By the time the sun starts going down on Sunday, the tournament almost certainly will come down to a handful of players who virtually all golf fans have heard of. Though Scottie Scheffler is playing the best right now and Rory McIlroy recently won the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam, it's plausible to think that DeChambeau captures the attention of more of those fans than anyone. He recently surpassed 2 million subscribers on his YouTube channel. He is making golf feel like everyman's sport, posting videos in which he makes a hole-in-one with a wedge shot over his house, plays with off-the-rack clubs to see how they stack up and tries to beat a scratch golfer while playing left-handed. All of it sounds nutty, but it all goes back to that piece of advice he offered when asked how to replicate the improbable under impossible circumstances — i.e., a 50-yard bunker shot with the U.S. Open on the line. 'Once you get a stock shot down and you're comfortable with it, go have some fun,' DeChambeau said. 'Do a chipping contest with your amateur friends and throw it in the bunker from 50 yards, or throw it in a bush and see if you can get out. Stuff to that extent has suited my game very well.' ___ AP Sports Writer Ben Nuckols contributed to this report. ___ AP golf:
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Gauff beats Sabalenka to win French Open title
Coco Gauff had only won one previous clay-court title - a WTA 250 event in Italy four years ago [Getty Images] Coco Gauff won the first French Open singles title of her career by fighting back to beat world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a rollercoaster final played in testing conditions. American second seed Gauff claimed a 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-4 victory after a tense battle between the WTA Tour's two leading players. Advertisement It is the second Grand Slam victory of the 21-year-old's career, adding to the US Open title she won in 2023, also by beating Belarus' Sabalenka. Gauff recovered from a difficult start where she trailed by a double break, eventually finding her rhythm and benefiting from a huge number of mistakes from 27-year-old Sabalenka. "This hurts so much. Congratulations to Coco - she was a better player than me," said Sabalenka, who was also bidding for her first Roland Garros title. A stiff breeze played havoc with serve in the opening two sets, leading to the pair exchanging 12 breaks in an entertaining if not high-quality affair. Advertisement Gauff, who lost in the 2022 final, settled quicker in the deciding third set to move a break up and kept her nerve to serve out victory. She had to survive another break point before winning her second match point, falling to the clay on her back when Sabalenka pushed a forehand wide. With her parents Candi and Corey dancing euphorically in the stands, Gauff shared an affectionate hug with Sabalenka before running off court to celebrate with her family. From tears of pain to tears of joy - Gauff's redemption Gauff's previous appearance in the French Open showpiece, when she was still a teenager, ended in her covering her head with a towel as she sobbed uncontrollably on her chair. Advertisement It was the defining image of her defeat by Iga Swiatek, but she vowed to come back stronger - and she has. Three years on, Gauff returned to the final as a Grand Slam champion, having fulfilled the potential promised by winning the 2023 US Open. A productive clay-court swing, taking her to the Madrid and Rome finals, meant she arrived in Paris considered as a sounder bet than defending champion Swiatek. Only Sabalenka, who beat her to the Madrid title, had performed better and it was therefore unsurprising the top two seeds met again with the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen at stake. The tricky conditions met neither woman was able to play their best tennis, but Gauff showed indefatigable spirit and will to win. Advertisement Like three years ago, there were more tears for Gauff - this time they were ones of joy.
