Preview: Eight Aussies tee up at 2015 US Open, but can any of them win?

The Australians aren’t in the best form ahead of the 2015 US Open at Chambers Bay.

In what is one of the most anticipated US Open’s in living memory because of the uncertainty of how this one will pan out, it’s surprising we’re not very optimistic about Australian chances this week.

Eight Australians will be teeing it up at Chambers Bay in the 2015 US Open but none of them are exactly brimming with confidence and great form.

Adam Scott will arrive on course with Steve Williams back on the bag. Scott hasn’t had a top-10 finish since the Cadillac Championship in March – can a caddie make that much difference to his game? Williams is no ordinary caddie though and with slowish greens predicted and lots of room on the fairways, Scotty me be a better chance than what some are predicting.

It’s been nine years since Geoff Ogilvy won the US Open at Winged Foot. At the time it was considered an upset as Ogilvy held on to usurp Phil Mickelson and Colin Montgomerie. But few would have expected that Ogilvy would be playing at the 2015 US Open with just that one major victory.

After his top-10 finish at the PLAYERS Championship, John Senden was easily Australia’s most in form golfer. But Sendo has missed a cut and finished T46 and T57 in his next three starts which doesn’t bode well for getting into contention this week.

Australia’s highest ranked golfer Jason Day has having a rough patch. Two missed cuts in his last two tournaments (including a round of 81 at the PLAYERS Championship) that Day has attributed to a health issue that is sapping his energy. Reports indicate he’s feeling good and raring to go and if we’ve learned anything about Day over the years, is that he steps up for the big tournaments.

Australia’s best chance this week appears to be Marc Leishman who showed he can thrive on a links golf course with a fine performance at last year’s Open Championship. Leishman’s form has been a little up-and-down this year but a top-5 finish at the Memorial Tournament last week should carry over to a good result this week.

Marcus Fraser, Cameron Smith and Kurt Barnes all earned their spot in the tournament via qualification in different parts of the world. Cameron Smith is a young star on the rise and will be playing his first major this week but if any of these guys end up playing on the weekend they’ll consider it a success.

One thought on “Preview: Eight Aussies tee up at 2015 US Open, but can any of them win?

  • At least an honest appraisal rather then a sycophantic one. Kurt Barnes would love to play 4 rounds. Huge talent whose career CV has been disappointing. Marcus Fraser seems to have adopted the David Smail / Peter Senior business model of not much silverware but plenty $$$ in the bank. Here’s hoping that some Aussies are challenging on the weekend. Scott, Day, Leishman & Senden all have the ball striking capabilities to be on the leaderboard at any given time. On a personal note, I’ve backed Tom Hoge at $26 for a top 10.

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