I know there is an abundance of sport on this weekend but England have already proved they will fail on the big stage in the football and Royal Ascot looks set to be a wash out, so why not tune into the US Open golf at Oakmont for the next four days? Many of the big firms are trying to get hold of your money by offering up to 8 places, and with many of the favourites having a life crisis or out of sorts there could well be another Danny Willett hovering in the field to give you a 66-1 winner come Sunday.
The US Open, which was won last year by Jordan Spieth, with Martin Kaymer taking the crown in 2014, has traveled to Pennsylvania this year, with the Oakmont course one of the most demanding on the PGA Tour. Therefore lets discount any known chokers (I really do not want to but this unfortunately rules of Dustin Johnson), any players with a current weak mental game (After his final round collapse during the Masters I will be putting Jordan Spieth in here, only time will heal those wounds) and anyone with issues off the course (probably 80% of the field seeing as the Tour is an extension of Wife Swap). That leads us nicely onto Tiger Woods, it does seem silly to even mention him, will he ever come back? However his success rate in the US Open is a constant reminder of how good he actually was. Get well soon Tiger.
The last time the tournament was played here Tiger was in his prime. In 2007 he finished second to Angel Cabrera, who won the tournament on a final round of just one under par. In fact the first round leader was only two shots under par. Therefore putting will once again remain high on the agenda for the eventual winner and it could end up being a case of if you are winning post Round Three you may be better to cash out, one poor shot could set you back five on the green when nerves are heightened so make sure you take advantage of any offers.
Of the leading favourites I think the only one worth punting on is Jason Day (13-2). Day is a superb putter and providing he hits the greens he should prove well at this course. As mentioned previously Jordan Spieth (9-1), who did land the Dean and DeLuca Invitational last month, may find it tricky to put his Masters collapse behind him just yet, Dustin Johnson (16-1) is in good form but is yet to show any sort of stamina on the Major stage, Rickie Fowler (25-1) is finding it hard to make a cut, and Rory McIlroy (7-1) is too busy trying to work out how to get out of his latest engagement to give his game any thought. Rory and Rickie are playing together for the first two rounds, this could well spur the youngsters on, so keep an eye on this tee off time. Of the old guard Phil Mickelson (28-1) played well last weekend, he has the temperament and skills to land this title, which would secure his grand slam of Major victories. Ignore him at your peril.
Of the English team I think it would be asking too much of Willett (33-1) to repeat his Masters success, therefore I would plump for Justin Rose, back issues permitting. Rose has played well on this course before and comes into the tournament fresh. Rose won his maiden Major in this event three years ago and is currently 25-1.
One of my favourite players would have fallen into one of the avoid categories last year (reportedly his wife left him for Tiger Woods) however Jason Dufner has physically shaped up once again and has been playing well. The Dufster made the cut when the tournament was last here, finishing 62nd, and was fourth in this event 2012 and 2013. That all combines to make his 80-1 price quite fanciable. Another of my favourites is of course Adam Scott and although he has been quiet of late this course should suit him. Scott, who lies at 28-1 in the market, has a fair record in this tournament, finishing in the top ten for the last two years. The only thing that puts me off is that he missed the cut in 2007 when the Major was last played at Oakmont but hopefully the postives outweigh this one negative.
My final pick is another player who has two top ten US finishes to his name in 2014/5 - Brandt Snedeker. Snedes, who is 55-1, was 23rd when we were last at Oakmont, and he recorded a top 20 finish last weekend.
