So how does a double eagle that puts you into the lead, not be known as the shot of the tournament? Well, when the eventually champion hits a 40-yard hook, from the trees, onto the green, for a 15-foot putt to win. That’s how.
For Louis Oosthuizen, that’s just what 2012 Masters champion Bubba Watson did.
Read that last line again.
That’s right, Bubba Watson has a green jacket to go with his pink driver.
Now the focus moves to the US Open at Olympic Club, where in 1998 Lee Janzen beat Payne Stewart after Stewert faltered at the end.
After 14 years, the national championship returns to San Francisco and here are some early favorites.
After a disappointing week at the Masters, Woods will look to win his first major since his epic duel with Rocco Mediate in 2008.
After striking the ball well all year, Tiger was second-to-last in driving accuracy for players that made the cut.
There were some positives: He finished 14th in putting and in the top 10 during the final round. The only problem: He was putting for par or bogey.
The US Open will test Woods and his ability to keep the ball in the fairway, since US Open rough is notorious for penalizing a wayward shot.
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Tiger can finish in the top five at Olympic Club or even win, but he must give himself chances to make birdies and avoid the big number.
It’s pretty safe to say Mickelson may have won the Masters if he’d re-hit his tee shot and tried to make bogey. He went on to make triple-bogey six, and finished two shots behind Oosthuizen and Watson.
Mickelson always comes in as a favorite to win the US Open, the only problem is he's never won.
He has come up just short and placed second five different times, and in 1998 he tied for 10th.
It’s hard to count Mickelson out at any major with his experience and creativity. If he can avoid the big mistake, he has the game to win the US Open.
Look for “Lefty” to be in contention on Sunday with a chance to win for the first time.
As the defending US Open champion, McIlroy will come into the US Open with confidence. After his performance at the Masters, he will have to regroup before he looks to repeat.
The 22-year-old Irishman finished at five-over par in a tie for 40th after shooting himself out of contention on the weekend.
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Like Woods, he also finished near the bottom of the field in driving accuracy at 64 percent, and on the weekend struggled to make putts.
Three putts don’t win you majors and he had three of them on Saturday alone.
Will McIlroy repeat at the US Open? History tells us no, since there have been 14 different majorchampions over the past three-and-a-half years, but look for McIlroy to be on the first page of the leaderboard come Sunday afternoon.
Westwood may be the best player to never win a major, and with a tie for third in 2010, he is getting ever closer.
Westwood has the game to contend at the US Open and has the experience to do well on the weekend.
He also has experience at Olympic Club as well, finishing in a tie for seventh back in 1998. Despite the tough conditions, he played well shooting one over par on the weekend.
Right now he is striking the ball well, ranking first in greens-in-regulation at a 75 percent clip, and 14th in driving accuracy at 69 percent.
If Westwood can get his putter going at the US Open, he may be hoisting his first major championship trophy.
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So why would Stricker win this year’s US Open? The question should be: Why wouldn’t he win it?
First, he has history on his side: 11 of the last 12 major winners have been first-time major winners, including the last eight.
He played well at the last US Open at Olympic Club, finishing in fifth place after shooting a final round 73.
He is playing well on tour this year, with one win under his belt and three top-10 finishes. He also has been the most consistent player on tour making 48 consecutive cuts.
Stricker may not be the favorite to win the US Open, but with his ability to string together birdies don’t be surprised if he’s the 2012 US Open champion.
