The first two major championships are in the books, and they have been electric! The U.S. Open at Torrey Pines is just around the corner, and with Hideki Matsuyama having won The Masters and 50-year-old Phil Mickelson claiming the Wanamaker Trophy at a memorable PGA Championship at Kiawah, “The People’s Open” at Torrey Pines” looked to be truly anyone’s game. Before the competition, we asked Diamondback General Manager Patrick Wilkinson to give us his U.S. Open preview and picks.
“If Phil stays hot he could be up around the lead come Sunday at Torrey,” Patrick reasoned, pointing out that Phil Mickelson grew up in Southern California and still lives in the area. While he has never won the U.S. Open, he has had past success at Torrey.
Once you get past Phil, Patrick said you really have to start looking at the young guys again. “It wouldn’t surprise me to see Rory (McIlroy) up around the lead,” Patrick said when referring to the next generation of top PGA TOUR players.
But he’s not bullish on all of them. Patrick didn’t think defending champion Bryson Dechambeau has a shot to win, and when asked about Dustin Johnson Patrick was down on his chances as well, noting DJ’s recent run of fewer balls finding the fairway. “While distance will pay off at Torrey,” Patrick explained, “missing the fairway will only allow you to advance it 100 yards at the most.”
That led Patrick back to Phil. “I feel like Phil thrives off the really hard shots,” he said. “You know, the ones from the rough, with the gallery around where no one thinks he can actually pull off.” In Patrick’s eyes, that bodes well for Phil.
We hope you’re as excited for the U.S. Open and the rest of the PGA TOUR season as we are! Come enjoy a round at Diamondback along the way!