The U.S. Open is just days away, and some of the world’s best players have already convened at the prestigious Pinehurst No.2.
Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka are all well-fancied heading into the third major of the year – and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a big name land America’s most prestigious title on Sunday.
But, with amateurs and several less-fancied names set to tee it up at Pinehurst, a surprise package could emerge.
Here, The Golfing Gazette has taken a look at five outsiders who could catch the eye this week.
Aaron Rai
Englishman Aaron Rai qualified for the U.S. Open at Cherry Hill Club in Ontario, Canada and will be the third Midlands-based player present at Pinehurst for this year’s event.
Rai currently sits 73rd in the OWGR and has two top tens to his name in 2024.
However, after finishing T4 at the Byron Nelson, T39 at the PGA Championship and T14 in the RBC Canadian Open, things are certainly trending in the right direction for the 29-year-old.
A massive outsider but someone to certainly keep an eye on.
Adam Hadwin
Adam Hadwin produced an excellent performance at last week’s Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village.
The Canadian finished third on four under, four shots adrift of eventual winner Scheffler, who staved off Morikawa in the final round.
After missing the cut at the Canadian Open, Hadwin was in need of a top-ten finish at Memorial.
The world number 35 has shown he can compete with the best in recent weeks, and he could continue his good form into the year’s third major championship.
Shane Lowry
Shane Lowry endured a final round to forget at the Memorial, carding a 13-over 85 to play his way firmly out of contention.
However, the Irishman’s iron play looks well-tuned heading to Pinehurst – and his exquisite short game could be well-suited to the tricky run-off areas.
Whoever takes the U.S. Open title will have to scramble well, and the Irishman’s chipping could prove to be extremely useful.
Furthermore, his T6 finish at the PGA Championship will give Lowry reason for optimism.
Tony Finau
Despite being a successful PGA Tour player for several years, Tony Finau is rightfully considered an outsider for the major championships.
And, until the American lands a major title, he cannot be considered among the elite players.
The 34-year-old has been in close proximity to the leaderboard in his three most recent starts. Finau placed T18 at the PGA Championship, T17 at the Charles Schwab and T8 at the Memorial. Now, the challenge is to push those within the top five.
Finau could yet again quietly emerge on the leaderboard this week.
Justin Rose
A substantial outside shot for this week’s title is 2013 U.S. Open winner Justin Rose.
Looking past his recent performance at the Memorial, the Englishman made a charge at the PGA Championship and looked somewhere near his best at Valhalla.
Another critical factor that could see Rose contend is his know-how in the most challenging major of the year.
His 2013 win at Merion was a grind – and something similar will be required this week. It’s not entirely out of the question that for an experienced head to contend at Pinehurst No.2.
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