Not since the the storied playoff of 2008 has there been so much fervor over the U.S. Open in Southern California. The U.S. Open is being hosted in San Diego at Torrey Pines again. No, there will not be a rematch of Tiger and Rocco again, especially since Tiger is recovering from major health setbacks due to an accident earlier this year. This year’s tourney has plenty of other drama to keep it buzzing.
The Brooks versus Bryson Feud
Whether you follow golf closely or you just peep in occasionally during the golf season, you have most probably heard of both Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau. If you have been keeping up with the latest golf news, you know things have gotten ugly between both golfers, especially if you follow the headlines and digs dished out via social media. In essence, it’s a full blown feud in the eyes of sports media and other media outlets.
What it means so far is that the pair have not been set up to tee off with one another as many had anticipated. What it looks like is that DeChambeau has taken to video to deliver one of his latest blows, and Koepka has utilized the opportunity to shift the focus and spin the narrative in another direction during the U.S. Open Championship. At this point, in the final round, DeChambeau remains 2 strokes off the lead and tied for fourth, while Koepka is stuck somewhere in the middle of the pack tied for fourteenth place. The final numbers have yet to come in, but from the looks of it, DeChambeau appears to be the only one of the two in the running, and the feud can pick up where it left off until the next tourney comes around.
Hometown Favorites Schauffele and Mickelson
Any pro golf tournament that hits the West Coast, especially anything close or within the San Diego area, seems to stir up two hometown favorites. No matter what is at stake and where things stand, Lefty (Phil Mickelson) and Xander Schauffele always seem to come up in discussion and debate.
After struggling to scramble for make the cut, Lefty finds himself currently tied for 63rd place at +8 through six holes. That might sound like an issue, but I am sure that he has enough scrambling left in his game to inch up a few spots on the leaderboard before it’s all said and done. After all, he’s one of those players that will let loose like never before on the last day.
Schauffele is another story. He has demonstrated an uncanny ability to stay in the hunt for many tournaments recently. The 27 year old golfer is poised to play a promising round today and just might surprise us all with where he ends finishing this final round. We have yet to see and golf usually rewards its fans with some final round surprises.
Current Three-way Tie for First Place
Usually, you can expect some tough competitors to brave the heavy morning fog on the coastal course of Torrey Pines, but this year has us all a little thrown off. Not many off us expected to enter the final round of the U.S. Open this Sunday with three players tied for first place. The course will continue to test each player’s grit and mettle. There’s bound to be some final round falloff. Someone will lose their nerve and in turn lose their place in the running for taking home that grand prize. Or, perhaps we could witness some form of link to the past greatness of the Open at Torrey Pines like the playoff between Rocco and Tiger ages ago.
No matter how you see it. It is good to see the U.S. Open Championship back in San Diego and at Torrey Pines. All that is left is for us to see who comes out on top and what other thrills we will witness along the way to hoisting of that trophy. Hell, with just a few strokes off the lead, Rory McIlroy might be able to work his way into a fight for the lead throughout the day. That would make for a daring finish right there.
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