U.S. Open 2012: All Eyes On Tiger Woods At The Olympic Club

Much has changed in the game of golf since journeyman and virtual-unknown Jack Fleck’s once-in-a-lifetime playoff victory over Ben Hogan in the 1955 U.S. Open. Gone the way of the 3-wood “spoons” are the two-a-day 18-hole rounds, Saturday finales, and the lone hour that NBC allotted for TV broadcast of the Open’s final round.

Indeed, as NBC wrapped up its abbreviated coverage on that Saturday, the network pronounced Ben Hogan the winner of his record fifth Open title. Except that Fleck was still playing, and when the Iowan rolled in a clutch birdie putt on the 18th hole at The Olympic Club -- site of this week’s national championship -- he forced Hogan into an 18-hole playoff the hobbling legend was sure would never happen.

San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain may want to invite Dustin Johnson over to AT&T Park for a golf ball-smashing exhibition before every game he pitches. After joining DJ at home plate Wednesday night to launch a dinger into McCovey Cove 310 yards away, Cain tossed the first perfect game in the history of the S.F. franchise.

Johnson, who rolls into this week’s U.S. Open at nearby Olympic Club on the heels of a win at the St. Jude Classic in Memphis, Tenn., also threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the game and joked later about his toss, which didn’t quite reach the plate.

SAN FRANCISCO -- My grandpa would’ve loved this.

As I walked around The Olympic Club, soaking in the U.S. Open scene, all I could think was that my grandpa would’ve loved this. Other than the hills, of course, which quickly turn lively walkers into zombies wandering the desert in search of water. Taking in a U.S. Open, the first tournament I’ve been to, much less covered, is a life experience beyond words.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Tiger Woods looked calm and relaxed as he went through his final preparations ahead of the U.S. Open, a far cry from his constant battle with his swing at The Masters. For the most part, his golf swing looks sound, and he seems comfortable with where he’s at in the process. And who could blame him?

After all the struggles and frustration, things finally came together for Tiger on the back-nine at The Memorial. With Jack Nicklaus watching on, Woods put the dagger in to win his final tune-up before the U.S. Open. He did so in impressive style -- an impossible chip-in on the par-3 16th and three birdies in four holes are a solid way to build momentum.

Trying to predict a U.S. Open winner is more about luck than skill. At The Olympic Club, where bad bounces can lead to bad numbers and good bounces can lead to a winner, it’s even more difficult to pick a name out of the hat.

Yes, Tiger Woods won his last tournament. And yes, the European contingent is strong. But the real winner may be the golf course, which is well on its way to standing over a trembling field, posing in celebration having conquered the world’s best.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Without any expectations, 14-year-old Andy Zhang made his way through the U.S. Open qualifying process only to just fall short, losing in a playoff that would have automatically put him in the field. Instead, he found himself on the reallocation list -- essentially a waiting list of alternates. At fifth on the list, Zhang’s chances were still slim, but it did earn him a trip to The Olympic Club. There he was free to practice among the players he looks up to.

That fifth spot became the second as the U.S. Open handed out exemptions, and suddenly his chances looked better...still slim, but better. And on Monday, he got the call: Paul Casey withdrew from the tournament and Zhang was in if he wanted the spot. Little did Zhang know, his popularity was about to go through the roof.

Describing his younger self as one of the original tortoises on the PGA Tour, Jack Nicklaus took time out from a USGA ceremony on Wednesday honoring his first major title, the 1962 U.S. Open, to chide golf’s governing body for making it too easy for players to clog up the fairways.

“Today, I would assume at the Open, you have a two-shot penalty [for slow play]?” Nicklaus asked USGA executive director Mike Davis.

The USGA on Wednesday announced that it had named the winner’s gold medallion for one of its iconic golfers. The “Jack Nicklaus Medal” marks the first time since the inception of this country’s national championship in 1895 that the coin will bear anyone’s name.

“For more than six decades Jack Nicklaus has been one of golf’s greatest ambassadors, embodying golf’s timeless values and acting as a role model for generations of golfers and fans,” USGA president Glen Nager said during a ceremony celebrating Nicklaus‘ first U.S. Open victory, a 1962 playoff victory over Arnold Palmer. “He’s the quintessential U.S. Open champion.”

SAN FRANCISCO -- All was quiet on the back-nine at The Olympic Club on Wednesday morning, with a heavy fog enveloping the course as spectators began to file in. It was, in essence, the calm before the storm -- only two groups were on the course, one of which happened to be on the back-nine. The quiet, however, was interrupted by a constant question: “Where’s Tiger?”

It was a game of chase: Spectators swarming the back-nine, knowing Woods began his practice round, but unsure of which direction to head. “He’s on 12,” one marshal would say. “If you head over to 13 you can catch him.”

SAN FRANCISCO -- There aren’t many instances where Oregon football coach Chip Kelly goes relatively unnoticed, or plays second fiddle, but Wednesday morning was one. As Tiger Woods, Patrick Cantlay and Casey Martin meandered around Olympic Club for a U.S. Open practice round, Kelly followed closely behind, part of the entourage trailing the group. As all eyes focused on Tiger, Kelly was able to almost seamlessly blend in, laughing and holding conversation while strolling around the difficult Lake Course.

The reason Kelly was there is simple: Casey Martin, Tiger’s old Stanford teammate and current head coach of the University of Oregon golf team, scored a practice round with Tiger. Both are Nike guys, obviously, and the grouping was a natural fit -- Cantlay, an incredibly talented amateur, rounded out the threesome, as well.

All Tiger Woods needs to do to walk away with his fourth U.S. Open title this week is to put on the same type of ball-striking exhibition he did at the Memorial Tournament earlier this month. So sayeth none other than the guy Woods seeks to surpass on his way to the overall majors record, Jack Nicklaus.

“If Tiger plays like he did at the Memorial, he’ll be tough,” Nicklaus told the Monterey Herald on Tuesday. Woods’ performance in the Sunday finale at the Memorial included what Nicklaus described as “the most unbelievable, gutsy shot I have ever seen.”

Despite being the top-ranked golfer in the world, Englishman Luke Donald has yet to capture his first major. The same goes for fellow friends and competitors Lee Westwood, Justin Rose and Ian Poulter. All four men are among the top-30 players in the world, yet none have gotten over the “major bubble.” Can that trend change this week at the Olympic Club?

It’s been a rough stretch for English male golfers in the majors. In fact, the last native-born English gent to win a major was Sir Nick Faldo at the 1996 Masters over 15 years ago. This is not to say any of the best golfers from that region don’t have the talent -- they all very clearly do -- but there certainly seems to be a barrier these players must overcome if they plan on breaking the streak.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Brutal. Impossible. Bordering on unfair. These and any number of similar phrases could be used to describe The Olympic Club, site of the 2012 U.S. Open. And they wouldn’t be wrong: The course, set up to the USGA’s typical unforgiving standards for the second major of the year, is the “toughest test in golf” for a reason.

But it’s hard to get a feel for just how difficult the course is until seeing it in person. Flyovers, videos and still shots simply don’t do it justice. The undulations -- both on fairways and greens -- are extreme. The course layout is somewhat unconventional, likely to throw players off. And the small details -- the way greens funnel down into less-than-straightforward chipping areas and fairways that punish the wrong shot selection -- are, in a word, devilish.

If you’re expecting a lot of chit-chat among three of the biggest names who’ll try to tame the Olympic Club on Thursday and Friday, Tiger Woods intimated that you’ll be sorely disappointed.

“I don’t think we’re going to talk about a lot,” Woods told reporters Tuesday about the marquee U.S. Open threesome that will reunite him with former Ryder Cup teammates Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson for the first two rounds. “This is a major championship. We’ve got work to do.”

The 2012 U.S. Open is just one day away from starting, and Tiger Woods is the early favorite to win the entire tournament at the Olympic Club. But will he be the leader early in the tournament? The early odds on which golfer will lead at the conclusion of Round 1 have Woods at 10/1, the best odds for the opening-round leader.

Bovada has all the odds for the clubhouse leader after Round 1. Here are some of the notable golfers beyond Woods:

At 14 years old, most golfers aren’t ready to tackle one of the sport’s major championships, but Andy Zhang isn’t like most teenagers. He is presumed to be the youngest competitor in U.S. Open history when he takes the course on Thursday, according to Golf.com. However, Zhang did show his age on Tuesday when he asked caddie Chris Gold if it would be all right for him to get autographs before he took the course for a practice round.

Zhang was grouped with Bubba Watson, winner of the 2012 Masters Tournament, and Aaron Baddeley. As Golf.com also writes, Zhang began the day on the ninth tee and sent his first ball sailing into the rough and the trees. He asked for a mulligan, and as Watson’s caddie remarked:

With just two more days left until the start of the 2012 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco on Thursday, Tiger Woods remains the betting favorite to win the tournament. His 6/1 odds lead the field, ahead of the likes of Lee Westwood (10/1), Luke Donald (12/1) and Rory McIlroy (14/1).

Woods is vying to tie Willie Jones, Bobby Anderson, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus for the most career U.S. Open wins. He will have to contend with an especially difficult course, not to mention a large field of talented golfers. Woods tees off 10:33 a.m. ET on Thursday in a group with Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson.

The 2012 U.S. Open will get underway on Thursday at The Olympic Club. The tee times and groupings for the opening rounds were released last week and, as to be expected, some of the groupings are significantly more intriguing than others. Let’s take a look at some of the more notable groupings and see how interesting they seem. We’ll go through the highlights, wave by wave.

The first wave off of the first tee is decidedly underwhelming, with little star power to speak of. Two of the groupings are somewhat notable, however.

The U.S. Open is annually one of the hardest tests in golf on one of the biggest stages in the sport, and the 2012 rendition at Olympic Club will be no exception. While boasting 500+-yard par 4’s and even pushing the 300 yard mark on a par-3, the Club’s par-5 16th has become the longest in U.S. Open history: measuring in at a whopping 670 yards.

Many players are already commenting on the enormity of the hole, including former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen.

If anticipation wasn’t high enough already for the 2012 U.S. Open tournament, a new and exciting feel-good story has been inserted into the narrative of the Grand Slam event. Following Paul Casey’s withdrawal from the tournament on Monday, a very intriguing alternate was awarded the berth.

14-year-old Andy Zhang -- a native of China who has lived in the United States since he was 10 -- will become the youngest entrant to ever play in the U.S. Open.

Every major championship has one or two prevailing story lines that seem to take center stage, often even before the first group tees off on Thursday morning. Usually the “hot player” of the month or year receives the most attention, followed by the “struggling veteran” or the “up-and-commer”. Combined, these storylines make up what almost always becomes a stellar golf tournament than fans will remember for years after the fact.

In the case of this week’s 2012 U.S. Open, fans will not be without their fair share of storyline options to follow.

The prestigious U.S. Open tournament will get underway on Thursday at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. A stacked field of the world’s best golfers will be competing to take home the trophy in the second of four annual Grand Slam events.This will be the 112th U.S. Open in history, and the history of the tournament is obviously a storied one.

All previous winners of the U.S. Open are guaranteed a spot in the tournament, as well as all golfers who completed 72 holes in the 2011 edition. For most others, they were required to win a regional tournament in order to qualify for a berth in the U.S. Open. Many amateurs who have fulfilled the amateur requirements will also be participating.

Dustin Johnson entered the Top 10 of the 2012 World Golf Rankings this week after winning the FedEx St. Jude Classic over the weekend. Johnson jumped 10 spots in the rankings to become the 17th different player to appear in the Top 10 this year. He replaced Martin Kaymer, who fell to No. 12 overall.

The rest of the Top 10 remains unchanged. Luke Donald holds on to the top spot heading into the 2012 U.S. Open. He has held onto the spot for three consecutive weeks now.

The 2012 U.S. Open gets underway on Thursday, but before then golfers are hitting the course in San Francisco for their final preparations. This year, The Olympic Club -- located just south of downtown San Francisco -- plays host to the tournament and promises to put the world’s best through their paces over the course of four grueling days.

Looking for everything you need to know about the tournament? Look no further.

No player has ever won a PGA Tour event the week before the U.S. Open and the Open itself. A lot is made of this every single year, especially when the guy who wins the tournament before the Open is a contender. In this case, the tournament before the Open was the FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis, and the winner was a familiar face on major Sunday, Dustin Johnson.

Unsurprisingly, someone mentioned this to Johnson after his win in Memphis. His response was as predictable as the question itself.