Tiger Woods wins the U.S. Open at Oakmont (by a Wrist)

Tiger might be a good choice to capture the P.G.A.’s, U.S. Open on Father’s Day, June 17th. After all, it would a great way to honor his father and forget about his poor showing at last year’s open when he missed the cut. But, there are others to consider…

- Phil Mickelson is another good pick for your U.S. Open pool. Despite his great Players win and his new coaching relationship with Butch Harmon, somehow I think last year’s 72nd hole meltdown at the 2006 Open may weigh too much on his mind. But now he has a serious wrist injury to contend with! Yesterday, he suffered through the first nine, losing a lot of shots to the left, because he was pulling his injured hand off the club too soon. But, by the back nine he was contending with the pain and managing to stay in contention. How long he can endure the pain of the wrist will determine how much of a run he can make to overcome last year's debacle on the 72nd hole.

- There was time when Vijay Singh would be an “automatic” for the favorites list in any golf major. But, that is probably not true this year. Vijay seems tired. I don’t mean physically tired, but his facial expressions and body language after a missed shot make me wonder if his 365-day golfing regimen has worn him down a bit. For some reason, this season, he seems to lack the consistency of good shot making, which was the norm in previous years.

- Jim Furyk is so consistent. A former Open winner, Furyk is definitely a good choice to re-claim the crown.

- Padraig Harrington. I have always liked this great golfer from Ireland. He possesses the shot-making capability and the coolness under pressure to claim his first PGA major title.

Enigmas

Two golfers continually frustrate me when it comes to predicting winners of golf tournaments.

- Mike Weir won the 2003 Masters with steady golf. Canada’s golf poster boy is one of the top short-iron golfers in the World. But lately, Weir has been totally inconsistent from tee to green. One minute he shows flashes of the brilliant shot making that made him a top ten golfer on the World ranks, the next minute he looks like he would fit in my foursome. I sometimes think that Weir lost his confidence a couple of years ago in the Canadian Open. This tournament is always a grind for Canadian golfers who are under the intense media spotlight and larger than usual crowds hoping for a Canadian to win their national title. A couple of years ago Weir almost fulfilled his and his country's dreams with victory when he finished tied with Vijay for the lead. In the ensuing playoff, Mike looked like "a deer caught in the headlights". He seemed to be in a panic mode as he played the extra holes. Even Vijay his opponent seemed to say something to him to help him settle down, but in the end Mike and the rest Canada once again faced the disappointment of another failed attempt by a Canadian to win the coveted national title.

- Luke Donald is the British version of Mike Weir. Great shot maker, but just when you think that he is about to break through and win the big one he disappears from the leader board.

Long-shot

- Zach Johnson has two wins on the PGA and one of those was a little tournament called the Masters. Why not?