Assuming that the likes of defending champ Martin Kaymer and former winners Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose are already on your team-sheet for this week’s US Open Championship, europeantour.com picks out five outsiders to consider for your Fantasy Race to Dubai team at Chambers Bay.
Graeme McDowell
Player Profile
As a winner of a West Coast US Open already, 2010 Pebble Beach victor Graeme McDowell’s game has looked back on an upward curve in recent times after a quiet period punctuated by becoming a father for the first time. The Northern Irishman, known as something of a links specialist having honed his craft at Royal Portrush, has three finishes inside the top 12 at The Open, a victory in the Scottish Open, two top tens at the Dunhill Links and clearly the creativity and a golfing brain to potentially match Chambers Bay’s diverse test.
Brooks Koepka
Player Profile
Peter Uihlein won the US Amateur Championship at Chambers Bay five years ago and although he might not be here this week – his best buddy is. Brooks Koepka, who also played that week half a decade ago but failed to make the match play stages (along with the likes of Russell Henley and Masters champion Jordan Spieth), will no doubt have picked the brains of his triumphant compatriot and close friend Uihlein in the build-up to the US Open and a return to Washington state. Koepka isn’t an unknown when it comes to the US Open either; if you remember he finished tied fourth at Pinehurst 12 months ago, while a tied third finish last week in Memphis on the US PGA Tour shows the Floridian is in decent nick coming into the week.
Louis Oosthuizen
Player Profile
He might have been struggling with a neck injury in recent times, but Louis Oosthuizen is back golfing this week and certainly worth keeping a close eye on. The sweet swinging South African’s last nine starts on The European Tour – a period stretching back to late summer last year – read thus: 15-6-14-6-7-2-6-19-5 with consistency and a silky smooth technique being the bedrock of his game. Oosthuizen, of course, won his only Major so far in The 2010 Open Championship on the hallowed Old Course at St Andrews so isn’t averse to a linksy-style test.
Alex Noren
Player Profile
After battling tendonitis in both wrists over the last year or so, Alex Noren has been in imperious form so far this season having made 12 cuts from 12 events played. In his last start on The European Tour in his home country two weeks ago, the Swede tamed what was a windy and wild Malmo layout to win the Nordea Masters, so is clearly equipped with the tools – and form – needed for what will be a raw test of golf on the Pacific coast at Chambers Bay. Other top ten finishes in Qatar, at the Scottish Open, The Open and the Dunhill Links offer further proof of his prowess in the wind and on firm and fast golf courses.
Miguel Angel Jiménez
Player Profile
You get the feeling that with the varied and characterful test presented by Chambers Bay this week, the eventual winner is going to need to be made up of a number of key ingredients: perhaps a sizeable chunk of experience, a dash of coolness, a calm head and a large helping of creativity and flair. Miguel Angel Jiménez has all of the above. The ever-popular Spaniard finished joint runner-up on the West Coast of America 15 years ago in his best US Open Championship performance, when Tiger Woods romped home at Pebble Beach in California, and could be set to do well this week in Seattle. The 21-time European Tour winner already has two runner-up finishes to his name this season so could this be the week he makes history in finally breaking his Major Championship duck?
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