If history holds, here's your possible 2016 U.S. Open winners (hint: not Spieth)
Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott look to be in prime position to take the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont after solid play in Rounds 1 and 2
By
Kyle Porter
•
2 min read
OAKMONT, Pa. -- The good news for Jordan Spieth is that he didn't go the way of Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson at the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont. Spieth got his grind on during a second round on Saturday in which temperatures heated up and greens baked out at tough, slogging Oakmont.
Spieth shot a 72 in his first round on Thursday and Friday and another 72 on Saturday for his second round, which leaves him at 4 over, eight strokes back of leader Dustin Johnson who sits alone at the top at 4 under through 36 holes.
Now for the bad news: If history repeats itself this week at Oakmont -- and with Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia atop a major leaderboard, that's no guarantee -- then Spieth has no chance to win his second straight U.S. Open.
Here is why.
9 of the last 10 #USOpen champions were T3 or better through 36 holes. 19 of the last 20 were T6 or better.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) June 18, 2016
That's not a good stat for Spieth, who is currently T35. So who has a real shot at winning? Let's take a look at a few guys in (we'll stretch it a little bit here) the top seven on the leaderboard who have staying power (if Gregory Bourdy or Scott Piercy win, more power to them).
Dustin Johnson (-4, 1st): The leader in the clubhouse after 36 at this year's tournament. It's his to lose (which might not be the best thing for him).
Sergio Garcia (-2, T3): Sits T3 and just two back after two rounds. How impossibly amazing would an 18-hole playoff be between Sergio and Dustin?
Shane Lowry (-2, T3): You might not have heard of him, but Lowry won the Bridgestone Invitational last year and is an emerging big-time player. I would not be surprised at all to see him hold a trophy on Sunday evening.
Jim Furyk (-1, T7): Furyk is sort of sneaking around right now at 1 under, just three back of Johnson. He knows what it takes to seal the deal at Oakmont. I'm just not sure he can withstand a 36-hole barrage from Johnson.
Lee Westwood (-1, T7): Westwood somehow shot a 72 during Saturday's second round even though it took a number of long putts at the end to do it. He's looking for his first major win.
So that's it. Either we're bucking 20-year history and someone from outside the top seven (like Adam Scott or Louis Oosthuizen at T7) will win it, or we will get a no-name winner like Bourdy, Piercy or Daniel Summerhays. It's not the greatest major leaderboard ever, but the storylines of the top guys could not be more compelling.
