Oakmont figures to play host to wide-open Open

Oakmont Country Club has a reputation for turning misplayed shots into disaster holes.

That means few low scores, unsafe leads and an opportunity for one of many talented golfers to claim a U.S. Open title this June.

While world No. 1 Jason Day has three wins this season, the first 28 PGA Tour events of the 2015-16 season produced 24 different winners. A few golfers both inside and outside that group enter this year's U.S. Open, which runs June 16-19, with attributes that perhaps will serve them well at Oakmont this June.

“I think Oakmont is a course that, if you're a good driver of the golf ball. You've got to do that first. There's a lot of holes there that the fairway's angled just a little bit, and there are slopes that it's hard to put the ball on the fairway,” said two-time U.S. Open champion and ESPN golf analyst Andy North. “You can look at guys that drive the ball nicely. If you hit it a mile, it helps there, but a mile in the rough is not as good as 275 or 280 in the fairway.”

Count Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson, ranked Nos. 4 and 8 in the world, respectively, among that group. Through The Players Championship, Johnson, who has not won a tournament this year, ranked fourth on the PGA tour with an average driving distance of 308 yards. Watson, who has wins this year at the Hero World Challenge and the Northern Trust Open, was tied for fifth at 306.7 yards.

Still, they haven't always done so with much precision, with Johnson and Watson ranking 131st and 171st in driving accuracy, respectively.

While this year's U.S. Open could provide a stage for a few world top-10s, it also could serve as a launching pad for a few golfers who have gone under the radar for much of the season.

“We in the media get so focused on the handful of stars and the guys that are winning the tournaments,” North said. “But like a Kevin Chappell, for example, no one even knows he's been around. That was one of the things that I thought would be a really cool goal is if you come out here (on tour) and win once a year and play really nicely, real solid and have no one even know you're here, that would be pretty cool.”

Chappell, who took third in the 2011 U.S. Open but is without a PGA Tour win, quietly has risen up the FedEx Cup points standings. After taking second at The Players for his third runner-up finish this season, Chappell sat fifth in the standings, and his world golf ranking rose to No. 33.

“I've got a lot of horsepower,” Chappell said after his final round at The Players. “This horse can run.”

The 29-year-old is one of several golfers near the top of the FedEx Cup standings aiming to make the 2016 U.S. Open his first signature win.

Kevin Kisner, Patrick Reed and Kevin Na, ranked seventh, eighth and 11th in the FedEx Cup standings after The Players Championship, combined for 17 top-10 finishes in 45 starts to begin the season, though Kisner has the only win among them, at the RSM Classic in November.

Na, who finished 12th in the 2014 U.S. Open, said he is eager to test his game on an unfamiliar course.

“I obviously don't know what Oakmont is like; I haven't been there,” Na said. “My caddie has played there a few times — he's played everywhere — and he said it's a good golf course for me, so I'm looking forward to it.”

Included in the world's top 30 players are a few Americans, such as Brooks Koepka, J.B. Holmes, Matt Kuchar and Justin Thomas who, along with Na, did not play in the last U.S. Open at Oakmont in 2007.

Others, like world No. 16 Brandt Snedeker, No. 17 Phil Mickelson, No. 18 Zach Johnson and No. 26 Jim Furyk, are looking forward to another crack at Oakmont this June after competing nine years ago.

“I've been hitting the ball better than I have in a long time, and I just haven't quite put it all together yet,” said Mickelson, who missed the cut at the 2007 U.S. Open, after his second round at The Players Championship. “But I've been hitting it well, and I've been putting well, and I'm excited about the prospects of the summer. But I do need to start putting it together.”

Andrew Erickson is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at aerickson@tribweb.com or via Twitter @AErickson_Trib.