Sport

SA six aim for US Open glory

Brad Morgan

11 June 2008

The US Open tees off on Thursday with six South Africans in the 156-man field. Tiger Woods is the hot favourite to add to his 13 major victories but, as Trevor Immelman proved at the US Masters, he's not unbeatable.

Immelman will be joined by fellow South Africans Tim Clark, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Rory Sabbatini and first-timer Richard Sterne at Torrey Pines for the second major of the year.

Traditionally, US Open courses are known for their unforgiving nature, with most of the field invariably finishing over par for the four rounds. Torrey Pines, however, should produce a very different result, but it will be the longest course in the history of the US Open at over 6 850 metres. No doubt, it will also be set up in a testing manner that the golfers have not seen before.

Torrey Pines winners

Tiger Woods has won the Buick Invitational six times on the course, while world number two Phil Mickelson has three wins at Torrey Pines and grew up playing on it. Trevor Immelman captured the Amateur Public Links Championships on the same course and Ernie Els was crowned world junior champion there in 1984, so a number of the big guns know what it is like to win in San Diego.

The Buick Invitational record score is 22-under-par 266, shared by George Burns and Tiger Woods. The last time the US Open was won with a similar score was … never.

Woods' 12-under-par 272 at Pebble Beach in 2000 is the US Open record. So, given the course record, the selection of Torrey Pines to host this year's event is a seismic shift in the world of golf, but the set up might render that suggestion wrong.

Woods will be entering the tournament having struggled with a knee injury that has kept him from walking 18 holes since the US Masters in mid-April. Mickelson, meanwhile, has been getting in plenty of practice at Torrey Pines.

South African challengers

Trevor Immelman, after his stunning victory in the Masters at Augusta, missed two cuts and then finished tied for 30th at The Memorial.

However, in his most recent outing at the Stanford St. Jude Championships, he was back on song, forcing his way into a playoff after a poor first round. Victory went to Justin Leonard, but Immelman no doubt felt a sense of relief at finding his form again. His timing is impeccable.

Two weeks before Immelman's second place, Tim Clark, a runner-up in the 2006 US Masters, took second at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. His form has wavered during the course of the season, but his Colonial result suggests he could make his mark in San Diego.

Sabbatini's strong start

Rory Sabbatini started 2008 strongly, finishing 17th at the Mercedes-Benz Championship, second in the Sony Open, and tied for third in the Buick Invitational, but his form has since fallen off dramatically.

In three of his last five tournaments he has missed the cut, and in the nine events he has played since his strong start, his best result is a tie for 27th in The Players Championship. Clearly, he hasn't been on top of his game, so a title challenge from Sabbatini appears unlikely, but he is the kind of player that cannot be written off.

US Open rookie Richard Sterne hasn't had the type of season he enjoyed in 2007 thus far, although he did capture the Joburg Open; he has played solidly as opposed to spectacularly and is currently ranked 32nd on the European Tour Order of Merit, compared to his 14th place finish last year.

It would be a surprise if he is among the front-runners in his first shot at the US Open, but in six starts on the PGA Tour this season he hasn't missed a cut. He also opened his account in the majors with a solid tie for 25th at the US Masters. Maybe he shouldn't be counted out, despite his rookie status.

Former champions

That leaves Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, both of them former US Open champions, to complete the South African challenge.

Els is the highest ranked of South Africa's players at fourth in the world, but his form in the USA has been patchy. He has missed four cuts in eight events but, at the same time, he also recorded victory in the Honda Classic in February and ended tied for sixth in The Players Championship last month.

How he will play in the US Open is anyone's guess. Els has consulted with swing coach Butch Harmon in the lead-up to the event, hoping to iron out any kinks the swing guru might pick up.

Els, writing on his website, said the Torrey Pines course will play firmer than when the Buick Invitational takes place at the beginning of the year. It will thus present a different challenge.

Surprisingly, the 1994 and 1997 US Open champion has played at Torrey Pines once only, in the Buick Invitational in 2005 when he finished tied for sixth.

Goosen's form

Retief Goosen, the US Open winner in 2001 and 2004, has been on a prolonged run of poor form by his standards. His world ranking has fallen to 37th, and while he hasn't missed many cuts, he hasn't challenged for many titles.

In the USA, Goosen's best showing so far in 2008 has been a second-place finish in the World Golf Championships-CA Championship. He tied for 14th in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and shared 17th in the Masters, but none of his other results have bettered 33rd position.

He has fared far better in European Tour tournaments, only once finishing outside the top 20 in eight events, but the US Open takes place in the USA. Sunny San Diego should, at least, remind him of home.

It is difficult to gauge what to expect from Goosen. History, though, shows that he has the ability to produce his best when the going gets toughest. His two US Open wins are proof of that.

Recent champions

Speaking of history, while Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are the favourites to lift the title, the USA hasn't produced the US Open winner since 2003 when Jim Furyk was crowned champion.

South Africa's Retief Goosen was the 2004 champion. In 2005, New Zealand's Michael Campbell was the winner, followed by Australia's Geoff Ogilvy in 2006, and Argentina's Angel Cabrera in 2007.

South Africa's six golf stars would love to make it five years on the trot without an American victory.