Breakfast Ball #23: Golf's Toughest Test Goes to Pinehurst

It’s major week! Keep an eye out on our twitter for my picks for the championship tomorrow.

In This Week’s Newsletter:

US Open Preview: Pinehurst’s Storied Past Adds a New Chapter

The Pinehurst resort was founded in 1895 when James Walker Tufts purchased 5,500 acres of land for $1.25 per acre ($46.66 in today’s money). Today, the resort is home to ten golf courses, and the surrounding area has become a Meccah of golf with courses such as Pine Needles, Tobacco Road, and Southern Pines within a 30 minute drive. Pinehurst No. 2 is the most famous course in the area, having hosted three US Opens, a PGA Championship and a Ryder Cup. It will also host five US Opens in the next 23 years including this year. The US Open is supposed to be the toughest test in golf, and Pinehurst has been trusted to provide it.

The course was originally designed by Donald Ross and a large renovation by took place in 2010. Ross is known for turtleback greens that are highest in the centre and fall off on each side, meaning that approach shots must be placed in the correct parts of the green or they will roll off. All rough was removed from the course in the 2010 renovation by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. This means that shots that roll off the green can end up 20 yards away from the putting surface due to the turtleback greens and the short grass around them.

Another key part of the 2010 renovation was an increase in the width of all fairways by 50%, making it easier for players to find the short stuff off the tee. If you read or listen to any previews this week about the tournament, you will likely hear the phrase “second shot golf course”. This is the reason. Players tend to find fairways off the tee, and the tournament is won with tough approach shots to turtleback greens that punish you if you are not accurate.

The main question for Pinehurst No. 2 this week is simple: can a US Open course without thick rough actually challenge today’s professionals?

Last year, Los Angeles Country Club was not a satisfactory setting for the toughest test in golf. Two players shot rounds of 62 on day one, which tied the lowest ever round in a major championship (a mark equalled by Shane Lowry and Xander Schauffele at this year’s PGA Championship). The last time the US Open was held at Pinehurst in 2014, only three players finished under par. Let’s hope for more of that carnage this week.

US Open Preview: Who are some European Dark Horses that Could Make Noise in Pinehurst?

Look folks. Scottie Scheffler is built to win this tournament. He is by far the best approach player in the world, and even if he makes a rare mistake, he is the best player in the world in strokes gained around the green in the last 3 months.

But we still want to enjoy the golf, right? Watching greatness is certainly fun, but who are some European players to keep track of this week that could break into the top 20 or even the top 10?

🇸🇪 Tim Widing (300/1 to win, 9/1 top 20)

If you haven’t heard of Tim Widing yet, you will soon. The 26-year-old is currently leading the points list on the Korn Ferry Tour (KFT) and has secured enough points to guarantee himself a place on the PGA Tour next season. He won the final qualifying tournament at Woodmont Country Club last week and with the PGA Tour in his sights, this could be the week he breaks onto the world stage.

🇪🇸 David Puig (300/1 to win, 17/2 top 20)

David Puig is a young Spanish golfer with a huge future ahead of him. After graduating from Arizona State University in 2022, he immediately joined LIV Golf, but has seen most of his success on the Asian Tour. Four top 10s including a win this year gave him the confidence he needed to win US Open final qualifying at Lake Merced last week. He just had his best finish of the season on LIV yesterday with a T3, and finished in T39 at the US Open last year.

🇮🇪 Seamus Power (300/1 to win, 6/1 top 20)

Seamus Power is a difficult nut to crack. His last six results have been as follows: CUT-T12-CUT-T16-CUT-T27. Following a trend in this segment, he also won his final qualifying tournament to get to Pinehurst. He has shown flashes of fantastic golf this year, mixed in with some rounds that have not been up to par. A T27 in this week’s signature event at The Memorial was a good way to prepare.

🇫🇷 Victor Perez (250/1 to win, 5/1 top 20)

Two weeks ago Victor Perez would not have been in this conversation. However, a third place finish in the Canadian Open followed by a T12 in The Memorial has pushed him into consideration here. However, in four US Open starts, Victor Perez has yet to make the cut. This is his first year playing on the PGA Tour full time, and it seems he has found his feet on US soil. I like him to make the cut and make a push for the top 20.

Scottie Scheffler Wins his 5th Title of the Year at The Memorial; Linn Grant Takes Advantage of Soderberg’s Collapse in Sweden

Scottie Scheffler became the first player since Justin Thomas in 2017 to win five events in one year on the PGA Tour with a win at The Memorial tournament. Entering the final day with a four shot lead, Scheffler shot a 2-over 74 to win by one stroke over Collin Morikawa. Scheffler: “I think we all got a few screws loose to play this game professionally and basically just battling week-in, week-out. I think that's really part of the fun of it, and so I'll look back fondly on today, you know, being the battle that it was.”

Matt Fitzpatrick, Ludvig Åberg, and Sepp Straka were tied for the top European player in T5, six strokes behind Scheffler. Scottie Scheffler didn’t have his best on Sunday but it was enough to win another title, the first with his newborn son present.

Folks - if you watch anything today, make it the ending of the Scandinavian Mixed (there is a brief video of the closing action here and there should be a full highlights package uploaded by the DP World Tour on their page here). The Scandinavian Mixed is a unique tournament where the men of the DP World Tour and the women of the Ladies European Tour play alongside each other on different tees in a joint tournament.

Pre-tournament favorite Sebastian Soderberg had three top tens in his prior four starts, including two tournaments where he entered the final round in the lead. Here, he came into the final round eight shots ahead of the field and eleven shots ahead of Linn Grant. He had a very, very difficult Sunday. After rounds of 63, 66, and 66 in the first three days, he shot a 77 to lose by one stroke. This included a double bogey on the final hole with a 180 degree lip out from a one foot putt.

It was extremely painful to watch. It will take him a while to get over this one. Congrats to Linn Grant on the win however, as she won on the DP World Tour for the second time.

Other News & Results on Tour:

• Mexican Carlos Ortiz won for the first time at LIV Golf Houston, 1 shot ahead of Poland’s Adrian Meronk 🇲🇽 

  • Sergio Garcia finished in 5th as Martin Kaymer’s Cleeks GC won their first team title

• Jon Rahm withdrew from LIV Houston with a foot injury and is questionable for the US Open 👎️ 

  • A cut turned into an infection which ruled him out on Saturday afternoon; it is likely he should get it cleaned up in time for the major

Coming up this week on Tour

• The US Open takes place at Pinehurst No. 2!

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