2011 U.S. Open: USGA Can’t Stop Low Scores

Editor’s note: I’m at Congressional Country Club this week covering the 2011 U.S. Open. Share your U.S. Open thoughts: Comment below or email me at armchairgolfer@gmail.com.

PLAYERS WHINING ABOUT THE U.S. Open setup is nothing new. It’s been going on for more than a half century. Horace Rawlins, winner of the inaugural U.S. Open in 1895, probably would have griped about the Newport Country Club had he not won. But the complaints at the 111th edition of the national championship are strangely different.

Congressional Country Club is way too easy. This is not a U.S. Open test, an unfair fight to the finish. Rather, it’s a different kind of bloodbath, a sea of red on the scoreboard resulting from an onslaught of birdies. As one person in the media center put it, the Blue Course is handing out birdies like they’re Halloween candy.

Defending champion Graeme McDowell admitted as much after his 69 on Saturday.

“I’ve been a little disappointed with the golf course the last couple of days,” McDowell said. “It wasn’t as firm and fast as I would like to have seen it. The storms on Thursday night really softened the place. So it’s not a true U.S. Open test out there, to be honest. There were some tough pins out there, no doubt. I’d like to see it tougher than it was.”

World No. 1 Luke Donald, who at 7 over for the championship is not exactly lighting it up, said the rough is not as difficult as at past U.S. Opens.

“It has that different feel,” Donald said of the course. “It almost feels like the Firestone or something.”

Firestone, as in the home of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Due to the rain and cooler temperatures this week, Congressional is playing much softer than expected. The greens are receptive to approach shots, and are not the rock-hard, dry, brownish putting surfaces seen at past U.S. Opens. Rory McIlroy and others are, in effect, playing darts.

The USGA said it can’t be helped.

“I think it’s the oppressive heat we had last week that started us off on this dynamic of weather that we’ve experienced,” said the USGA’s Tom O'Toole, “and then of course making sure that we maintain the health of those greens by hydrating them and raising the cut of our mowing, not rolling, and the number of times we’ve mowed and rolled. So we’ve done all those things to maintain the health of Congressional’s greens.”

In its previous three majors (two U.S. Opens and a PGA Championship), Congressional has yielded scores of 276, 278 and 281. The winning scores ranged from 4 under at the 1997 U.S. Open won by Ernie Els to 1 over at the 1976 PGA Championship won by Dave Stockton.

This week the winning 72-hole total will likely be much lower and could break the U.S. Open record of 272 set by Jack Nicklaus and tied by Lee Janzen, Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk. Rory McIlroy needs a 72 in the final round to eclipse the U.S. Open standard of Nicklaus and Woods, golf’s two greatest champions. But what McIlroy wants more than anything is his name on the large silver trophy.

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
Rory McIlroy Extends U.S. Open Lead to 8 Shots
Comeback Award Goes to Marcel Siem
2011 U.S. Open TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

Rory McIlroy Extends U.S. Open Lead to 8 Shots

Editor’s note: I’m at Congressional Country Club this week covering the 2011 U.S. Open. Share your U.S. Open thoughts: Comment below or email me at armchairgolfer@gmail.com.

THE CLOSEST PURSUERS BEGAN teeing off about an hour before 36-hole leader Rory McIlroy began his third round alongside Y.E. Yang at 3:50 p.m. McIlroy’s record-setting U.S. Open play over the first two days gave him a six-stroke advantage over Yang and a nine-shot cushion on six other players. The chase pack, if you could call it that, had a lot of ground to make up.

While Englishman Robert Rock and Spaniard Alvaro Quiros teed off on the 1st hole, Matt Kuchar and Sergio Garcia grooved their putting strokes on the practice green. Garcia worked on short ones, nudging three footers toward the cup using his claw grip. Kuchar, wielding a long putter, stuck a tee in the ground and stroked right-to-left breakers at it until departing for his 3:20 p.m. tee time with Kyung-Tae Kim.

The crowds on this overcast Saturday at the U.S. Open were large, enthusiastic and sometimes raucous. But not all were enthralled by the action. While Kuchar lined up his birdie putt at the 1st, one woman read a novel under a nearby tree. The book title: Suite Francaise, the bestseller by Irene Nemirovsky. The woman claimed to be a golf fan but quickly admitted she was “sort of” dragged to the event. She said she needed a reading break.

Moments later Zach Johnson arrived at the 1st green and sank a birdie to get to 2-under par. Johnson gave the stroke back at the long par-3 3rd when his hybrid fell short of the green and he failed to get up and down for par. Meanwhile, playing partner Brandt Snedeker got a sand-save par by sinking a slippery 10-foot putt.

Then along came the leader, Rory McIlroy. The Irishman flared his tee shot into the right-hand rough at the 466-yard par-4 3rd. A man in the gallery taunted McIlroy as he walked to his ball. “Go get that Green Jacket, Rory! Go get that Green Jacket!”

Yet there were far more cheers than jeers. From the other side of the fairway came this chant: “Let’s go, Rory!” Then clap, clap … clap-clap-clap. The boisterous cheer repeated as the 22-year-old walked to his golf ball. He may not be Tiger Woods, but young McIlroy does seem to be building an American fan base, slowly, surely.

McIlroy wisely took his medicine, punching his ball out of the rough and onto the 3rd fairway. He followed with a little wedge shot that skipped to within two feet of the hole, another smart par save, another hole closer to his goal. Bunkered at the 4th, he nearly holed his sand shot for a birdie.

Rory McIlroy was on his way. No one was going to catch him on this day. Nor was anyone going to close the gap.

When the round ended a few hours later, McIlroy had increased his lead to eight shots over Y.E. Yang by firing a 3-under 68, a record-setting performance on a soft and defenseless Congressional course. (There’s a lot of red on the scoreboard. There were a bushel full of rounds in the 60s on Saturday, including 65s by Jason Day and Lee Westwood. It doesn’t feel like a U.S. Open.)

At this U.S. Open, McIlroy is like a Ferrari among Volkswagens. Now he’s one day closer to taking the checkered flag.

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
Comeback Award Goes to Marcel Siem
Y.E. Yang Is Hanging Around at 137
Rory McIlroy Beats Up ‘Neighborhood Bully’
2011 U.S. Open: 36-Hole Records and Other Notes
2011 U.S. Open TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

2011 U.S. Open: Comeback Award Goes to Marcel Siem

Editor’s note: I’m at Congressional Country Club this week covering the 2011 U.S. Open. Share your U.S. Open thoughts: Comment below or email me at armchairgolfer@gmail.com.

RORY MCILROY WASN’T THE only player to post a 66 in the second round of the U.S. Open. Tying McIlroy for low score on Friday was Marcel Siem, a 30-year-old German who plays on the European Tour. Siem looked like he was all but finished at Congressional Country Club after an opening 79. Pack your bags. Check for flights to Munich.

Siem’s opening round started badly. He hit a spectator (with his golf ball) and made a double bogey. Then he three-putted. He lost his confidence and said that playing in the U.S. Open was “pretty frightening.” But Siem did not give up. He told the Marriott staff to hold his room just in case. “It’s a nice balcony room,” he said.

Siem watched part of McIlroy’s second round on television and realized a good score was possible with the soft course conditions. Then he went out and did it. Siem recorded seven birdies and fired 33 on both nines for the 66 that rocketed him up the leaderboard. With his 13-shot improvement, he made the cut on the number, 146, 4-over par.

“That means a lot to me,” Siem said. “Everybody was always talking about U.S. Open, and … it was always a dream for me. So I’ve played a U.S. Open now, making the cut …. When I go back to the hotel and call my girlfriend and my parents, I think I’m going to be really, really happy.”

Siem is currently 1 under for his third round and 3 over for the tournament. He’ll be around all weekend, staying in that nice balcony room at the Marriott.

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
Y.E. Yang Is Hanging Around at 137
2011 U.S. Open: Rory McIlroy Beats Up ‘Neighborhood Bully’
2011 U.S. Open: 36-Hole Records and Other Notes
2011 U.S. Open TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

2011 U.S. Open: 36-Hole Records and Other Notes

Editor’s note: I’m at Congressional Country Club this week covering the 2011 U.S. Open. Share your U.S. Open thoughts: Comment below or email me at armchairgolfer@gmail.com.

RORY MCILROY’S THURSDAY AND FRIDAY run at Congressional Country Club set or tied a handful of 36-hole U.S. Open records.

McIlroy’s 36-hole total of 131 (rounds of 65 and 66) is the lowest 36-hole score in U.S. Open history.

McIlroy is the first player to reach 13 under at the U.S. Open. He broke the previous record of 12 under par shared by Gil Morgan in 1992 and Tiger Woods in 2000.

McIlroy was the fifth person in U.S. Open history to reach double digits under par. He performed the feat in the fewest number of holes, 26.

McIlroy’s six-stroke cushion ties the largest 36-hole lead in U.S. Open history, which was set by Tiger Woods at Pebble Beach in 2000.

McIlroy, 22, is believed to be the youngest 36-hole leader in 97 years. Walter Hagen led the 1914 U.S. Open after the second round at the age of 21.

The Cut

The 36-hole cut was set at 146, a 4-over total on the par-71 championship layout. The low 60 players plus ties (including all within 10 shots of the lead) advance to the final two rounds.

Notable players who missed the cut include two-time U.S. Open champion Ernie Els, 2007 U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera, 2006 U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy, 2003 U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk, Paul Casey, Stewart Cink, Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose, Hunter Mahan, Adam Scott, Ian Poulter, Nick Watney, Trevor Immelman, David Toms, Francesco Molinari, Aaron Baddeley, Camilo Villegas, K.J. Choi and Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Third Round Tee Times for Leaders

2:50 PM Brandt Jobe (-1), Ryan Palmer (-1)

3:00 PM Davis Love III (-1), Heath Slocum (-1)

3:10 PM Robert Rock (-1), Alvaro Quiros (-1)

3:20 PM Kyung-Tae Kim (-1), Matt Kuchar (-2)

3:30 PM Brandt Snedeker (-2), Zach Johnson (-2)

3:40 PM Sergio Garcia (-2), Robert Garrigus (-2)

3:50 PM Y.E. Yang (-5), Rory McIlroy (-11)

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
Y.E. Yang Is Hanging Around at 137
2011 U.S. Open: Rory McIlroy Beats Up ‘Neighborhood Bully’
2011 U.S. Open: A Rock and a Hard Place
2011 U.S. Open TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

2011 U.S. Open: Rory McIlroy Beats Up ‘Neighborhood Bully’

Editor’s note: I’m at Congressional Country Club this week covering the 2011 U.S. Open. Share your U.S. Open thoughts: Comment below or email me at armchairgolfer@gmail.com.

RORY MCILROY HAS POSTED some astonishing numbers at the midway point of the 111th U.S. Open Championship. McIlroy’s 65-66 for 131 sets a 36-hole record. He leads the tournament by a whopping eight shots.

“I don’t really know what to say,” McIlroy said. “It’s been two very, very good days of golf. I put myself in a great position going into the weekend.”

You’re not supposed to do this to U.S. Open courses. Not the Blue Course at Congressional Country Club, not any of them. U.S. Open courses are the biggest and baddest golf courses around. They’re the neighborhood bully, that cruel dude in school everyone feared because he made a sport of hurting people with his fists. The bully was an intimidator, an evil force to be respected and, if possible, avoided.

But on Friday afternoon as the enormity of McIlroy’s 36-hole tear sinks in, it’s as if young Rory sized up the Blue Course and said to himself, “I can take this bully.” On Thursday afternoon playing alongside Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, the Irish tour pro extracted six birdies from Congressional on his way to a bogey-free 6-under 65 and a three-shot lead.

In Friday’s second round, McIlroy picked up where he left off on a course that was softened by rain on Thursday night. He made two birdies and an eagle on the outward nine to card a 4-under 32. After a string of four consecutive pars, he reeled off three birdies in the next four holes to go 7 under for his round and 13 under for the tournament. No one had ever reached 13-under par in the 111-year history of the U.S. Open. Not even Tiger Woods.

The neighborhood bully was on the receiving end of a serious thumping, and the crowd loved it. They cheered and cheered and cheered. The young lad had knocked Congressional down, stomped all over it and taken all the lunch money it had stolen through the years. No doubt, our hero Rory would donate the recovered funds to the Haiti relief effort.

But just when we thought that big, bad Blue Course was down for the count, bloodied and completely humiliated, it reached out and tripped McIlroy on the way to the clubhouse celebration. Rory stumbled at the last hole, making a double bogey, the first blemish on his scorecard in two days.

The bully will be waiting for him tomorrow. You can count on it.

“I know more than probably anyone else what can happen,” McIlroy said. “So I’ve got to stay really focused and try and finish this thing off.“

To be continued.

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
2011 U.S. Open: A Rock and a Hard Place
2011 U.S. Open: Day One Belongs to Rory McIlroy
2011 U.S. Open TV Schedule and Tournament Notes
2011 U.S. Open: A 16-Year-Old Player and Other Notes
2011 U.S. Open: ‘Big Blue’ Ready to Challenge Field of 156

2011 U.S. Open: A Rock and a Hard Place

Editor’s note: I’m at Congressional Country Club this week covering the 2011 U.S. Open. Share your U.S. Open thoughts: Comment below or email me at armchairgolfer@gmail.com.

SOME PEOPLE WOULD DO almost anything to play in the U.S. Open. For Robert Rock, winner of last week’s BMW Italian Open, it was a $14,000 trip he won’t soon forget.

Rock had visa paperwork problems in London. By the time that got sorted out, there were no direct flights to Washington, D.C. Instead, Rock boarded a flight to Newark, New Jersey, and then hired a driver for the trip down I-95 to Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. Rock slept along the way and teed off at 2:19 p.m. on Thursday without the benefit of a practice round. He had never seen the Blue Course, except on TV.

No problem. Put him down for a 1-under 70.

How did the Englishman explain it? “I don’t know, really,” he said. “I’m playing okay at the moment.”

When asked how much sleep he got, Rock said, “Not a lot. I could do with some more, if you don't mind.”

Currently, Rock is even par for his second round and 1 under for the tournament.

Course Conditions

Now the “hard place” referred to in the above title, which is Congressional Country Club, although Rory McIlroy is making it look almost ridiculously easy at the moment.

Weather: About a quarter of an inch of rain fell Thursday night. A shower or storm is possible from noon to early afternoon. Highs in the mid 80s.

Green speeds: This morning’s green speeds averaged almost 14 feet on the USGA Stimpmeter, and are expected to slow down slightly to the mid 13s by midday.

Rough: The closer-in first cut of rough (3 ¼” and 3 ¾” on the long and short approach-shot holes) along the fairway was mowed late Thursday afternoon. The further-out longer second cut was not mowed.

Friday course yardage: 3,565 yards out; 3,769 yards in for 7,334 total yards.

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
2011 U.S. Open: Day One Belongs to Rory McIlroy
2011 U.S. Open TV Schedule and Tournament Notes
2011 U.S. Open: A 16-Year-Old Player and Other Notes
2011 U.S. Open: ‘Big Blue’ Ready to Challenge Field of 156

Y.E. Yang Takes Early Lead at Congressional

Editor’s note: I’m springing out of my armchair to spend the week at Congressional Country Club covering the 2011 U.S. Open. Share your U.S. Open thoughts: Comment below or email me at armchairgolfer@gmail.com.

THE 10TH IS A FRIGHTENING hole on Congressional’s Blue Course, a 218-yard par 3 that crosses a small lake. Few would choose to start their U.S. Open here, but many have no choice. For Y.E. Yang, the clubhouse leader after a 3-under 68, it was the perfect start. While others have nervously dunked their golf balls in the water (Phil Mickelson, for one), Yang smacked a 5-iron hybrid and watched it fly toward the green.

“It was a very straight, honest hit, and it landed quite well,” Yang said. The 2009 PGA Championship winner sank the putt for a birdie and was off to a round during which he birdied all four par 3s, a first in his career.

Carding five birdies and two bogeys, Yang put together nines of 3-under 33 and even-par 35 for his 68. The softer conditions resulting from overcast skies and cooler-than-normal temperatures helped the cause. It won’t get any easier, he said.

Yang believes his experience as a major winner can help him the rest of the way. “I know the feeling, and I know that it’s a little more of everything in a major than it is in other tournaments, so it’s easier for me to cope with that kind of pressure or expectations. It definitely has some kind of psychological advantage.”

Louis Oosthuizen and Ryan Palmer finished with 2-under 69s. A half-dozen players have completed play at 1-under 70, including defending champion Graeme McDowell, Stewart Cink and Davis Love III.

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
2011 U.S. Open: ‘Big Blue’ Ready to Challenge Field of 156
2011 U.S. Open TV Schedule and Tournament Notes
2011 U.S. Open: Play the Groupings Name Game
2011 U.S. Open: A 16-Year-Old Player and Other Notes

2011 U.S. Open: ‘Big Blue’ Ready to Challenge Field of 156

Editor’s note: I’m springing out of my armchair to spend the week at Congressional Country Club covering the 2011 U.S. Open. Share your U.S. Open thoughts: Comment below or email me at armchairgolfer@gmail.com.


























“BIG BLUE” WAS A NICKNAME coined for IBM back in the 1960s and 1970s. This week the nickname fits the Blue Course at Congressional Country Club, site of the 111th U.S. Open Championship. It’s a big, hairy, manly golf course that will test the skills of 156 of the world’s best golfers when they tee off on Thursday.

I’ve read about Congressional, seen it on TV, and heard plenty of chatter about it today on the PGA Tour network while I was driving to Bethesda. But until a few hours ago I had never set foot on the championship layout. I arrived on site in the mid afternoon and a short while later hiked all 3,872 yards of the back nine, which plays to a par of 35.

It was a perfect afternoon, about 80 degrees. Following are my notes on the golf course and a few other stray thoughts on the eve of the championship.

No. 10 is a 213-yard par 3 that features the course’s largest lake, which fronts the green. I didn’t get a good look at this hole, but I’d say it’s far from an easy start to the back nine.

No. 11 is a 494-yard par 4. A pond guards the right side of the green. The hole was deserted, so I crossed the fairway and walked down the left side to get an up-close look at the graduated rough. The first cut is a few yards wide and not long at all, a collar of sorts. The second cut, which is five to seven yards wide, looks to be about three inches deep. The last cut is the nastier five-inch variety.

The rough didn’t look that bad to me—but then I don’t have to play out of it. Several players have praised the course setup, including the rough, so I figure it’s not as wicked as in the past. The gallery ropes are set far off the fairways, which means that crooked drives won’t benefit from relatively playable lies in trampled rough.

No. 12 is a 471-yard par 4, a tight driving hole that doglegs lefts. This one looked tough to my eye. Narrow and curving.

No. 13 is a 193-yard par 3 with a two-tiered green. It doesn’t appear to be that difficult from the tee. Yet when you reach the putting surface you can see the potential challenges. The pin locations will make all the difference. Many of the greens, in fact, are tiered and undulating. They’re only going to get harder and faster as the week progresses.

No. 14 is a 467-yard straightaway par 4. From the tee the fairway looks only slightly wider than a cart path. There are openings into some of the greens, like at the 14th, but it’s going to be difficult to bounce the ball in on many holes because of rather severe slopes.

No. 15 is a straightaway 490-yard par 4. The fairway looked generous compared to the 14th. Four fairway bunkers guard the right side.

No. 16 is a 579-yard reachable par 5. No. 17 is a 437-yard par 4, and where I caught up with Rory McIlroy and company. At least one player teed off with an iron.

“This is going to be a great finishing hole.”

That’s what I overheard one spectator say about the 18th. I agree. It’s a 523-yard par 4, much of it downhill on the approach shot. The drive doesn’t look that difficult. The second shot is another story. Club selection will be crucial because a small lake wraps around the left- and back-side of the green. I predict there will be lengthy player-caddie discussions on the 18th fairway as they stare down the hill at the smallish green.

The front side, which I haven’t walked yet, measures 3,702 yards and plays to a par of 36. The course totals: 7,574 yards, par 71. It’s the second longest U.S. Open course. Torrey Pines played slightly longer in 2008.

So who can win on “Big Blue”? Will it take a bomber like Dustin Johnson? Can a short hitter with a golden short game get it done?

I’ve heard some say world No. 1 Luke Donald (a short hitter) can’t win here. That’s true if he makes too many visits to the rough. But, whether a short or long hitter, I think the winner will have to be great on the greens this week. That’s always the case at the U.S. Open.

That guy will be easy to spot. He’ll be the one with the lowest score.

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
2011 U.S. Open: Play the Groupings Name Game
2011 U.S. Open TV Schedule and Tournament Notes
Donald Would Swap No. 1 for Mickelson’s Record

(Photo credit: Keith Allison, Flickr, Creative Commons license)

Donald Would Swap No. 1 for Mickelson’s Record

Editor’s note: I’m springing out of my armchair to spend the week at Congressional Country Club covering the 2011 U.S. Open. Share your U.S. Open thoughts: Comment below or email me at armchairgolfer@gmail.com.

WORLD NO. 1 LUKE DONALD has a sensible perspective when it comes to the statistical ranking that says he’s the king of golf. The system rewards consistency, but it’s no substitute for wins, especially major wins. Donald arrives at this week’s U.S. Open still in search of his first major victory.

“Certainly being No. 1 is a great achievement,” Donald said, “but if you ask me if I would swap that for Phil’s record, sure, I would love to take his majors and the number of victories he’s had.

“But I’ll continue to feed off all the good things that have got me to No. 1,” he added, “and hopefully I can add to my victories, too.”

Other than a little more media attention and recognition from the public, Donald’s life hasn’t changed dramatically since he became No. 1 by defeating former top-ranked golfer Lee Westwood at the BMW PGA Championship. He’s been too busy to notice.

Well, Ralph Lauren called. And Greg Norman texted Donald. “Things like that don’t happen every day,” he admitted.

Donald likes the setup at Congressional, including the graduated rough, which he said is more manageable. The course plays long, but he doesn’t think only bombers have a chance to win. He’s ready to compete and hopes to contend on Sunday.

“I’ve been doing that a lot lately,” he noted, “and there’s no reason why I can’t do it this week.”

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
2011 U.S. Open: Play the Groupings Name Game
2011 U.S. Open TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

(Photo: Courtesy of Polo Ralph Lauren)

2011 U.S. Open: Play the Groupings Name Game

Editor’s note: I’m springing out of my armchair to spend the week at the 2011 U.S. Open. Beginning on Wednesday I’ll be at Congressional Country Club covering the year’s second major. Share your U.S. Open thoughts: Comment below or email me at armchairgolfer@gmail.com.

I’VE BEEN STUDYING THE Thursday and Friday groupings and can’t help thinking one of these guys is going to win this thing. Seriously, though, I like the way the USGA puts together the 52 groupings. A lot of thought goes into them, whether it’s a marquee grouping or the lesser-known players.

Following are some of the groupings that stood out. Some I’ve named. Some, well, I need help, if you’re willing. (Also feel free to rename the ones I’ve named. I’m not saying they’re good names.)

Lawrence Welk (a one, and a two, and a three …)
Luke Donald, England; Lee Westwood, England; Martin Kaymer, Germany

Men of a Certain Age
Ernie Els, South Africa; Davis Love III, Sea Island, Ga.; Jim Furyk, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

How Swede It Is
Henrik Stenson, Sweden; Johan Edfors, Sweden; Fredrik Jacobson, Sweden

Three Amigos
Miguel Angel Jimenez, Spain; Sergio Garcia, Spain; Alvaro Quiros, Spain

M&M’s
Matteo Manassero, Italy; Francesco Molinari, Italy; Edoardo Molinari, Italy

Campbell’s Funky Soup
Fred Funk, Ponte Vedra, Fla.; A-David Chung, Fayetteville, N.C.; Michael Campbell, New Zealand

Southern Comfort
Jonathan Byrd, St. Simons Island, Ga.; Bill Haas, Greenville, S.C.; Webb Simpson, Charlotte, N.C.

Men of a Certain Age (Part 2)
Steve Stricker, Madison, Wis.; Retief Goosen, South Africa; David Toms, Shreveport, La.

Masters Class
Charl Schwartzel, South Africa; Trevor Immelman, South Africa; Zach Johnson, Cedar Rapids, Iowa


NAME THESE GROUPS
Your turn: I left the really hard ones for you.

Rickie Fowler, Murrieta, Calif.; Ian Poulter, England; Hunter Mahan, Colleyville, Texas
Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland; Dustin Johnson, Jupiter, Fla.; Phil Mickelson, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
Padraig Harrington, Ireland; Angel Cabrera, Argentina; Stewart Cink, Duluth, Ga.
Matt Kuchar, St. Simons Island, Ga.; Paul Casey, England; K.J. Choi, Korea
Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland; A-Peter Uihlein, Orlando, Fla.; Louis Oosthuizen, South Africa
Ryo Ishikawa, Japan; Anthony Kim, Los Angeles, Calif.; Y.E. Yang, Korea


Bodog has Lee Westwood as the favorite at 11/1. World No. 1 Luke Donald is listed at 12/1. Phil Mickelson is 14/1 and Rory McIlroy is 16/1.

−The Armchair Golfer