The U.S. Open heads to Pinehurst No. 2 for the first time since 2014 when Martin Kaymer famously won this event in a landslide by putting everything around the green.
On a weekly basis, PGA Tour players do an excellent job controlling their golf ball in the air, but this week, they have have to control their ball on the ground as well. It may seem like an easy task, but there is no place like Pinehurst No. 2.
The Carolina Sandhills will host an extremely unique test this week that may even be closer to European links style than traditional American parkland golf. The fast and sloping runoffs provide an extremely difficult test around the greens. This will both test the top players' patience and hands to see if they can withstand the test.
Consequently, I am looking to back bombers with excellent short games this week. There are a few players who fit this mold to a tee whom I will discuss below.
Here are my 2024 U.S. Open One & Done Picks.
2024 U.S. Open One & Done Picks
Xander Schauffele +1400
The X-Man has finally broken through and grabbed a first major title as he has played as consistently as anyone other than Scottie Scheffler in 2024. That PGA Championship win opened the floodgates for Schauffele, and I expect high results and wins to stack up soon. He looked solid in his first start back since his win this past week at the Memorial Tournament.
More than anything, his short game was on fire all week. Schauffele has always been a very well rounded golfer, but the around the green play has taken a step up as it is now better than ever before. I believe that has to do with confidence.
Schauffele has also improved with his distance off the tee as his Ball Speed has jumped from 179.02 miles per hour last year to 183.41 MPH this season, which ranks ninth on Tour. He was never looked at as a bomber in his PGA Tour career, but he has picked up a ton of distance off the tee this season. Those are the two key areas I am looking for this week, which make Schauffele a great selection.
He is a great One & Done selection because his floor is so high, and he clearly has winning upside. Back-to-back major victories are a tough ask, but I believe Schauffele put himself in position yet again. Schauffele is a great selection from the top of the odds board for your 2024 U.S. Open One & Done pool.
Viktor Hovland +1800
Hovland has been my contrarian U.S. Open pick since before the season. By contrarian, I mean to use him after everyone ran him out at the PGA Championship. Valhalla was an objectively better course fit for Viktor than Pinehurst No. 2, but I still believe he can be valuable this week.
Hovland's massive red flag is his short game. Around Pinehurst No. 2, a poor short game will stick out. This is surely a detriment, but there is a path to avoid having to chip — which is as easy as not missing any greens! All jokes aside, obviously he will miss some greens, but if Hovland can finish in the top three of Strokes Gained: Approach, he will be in contention.
That is surely in the cards for Hovland as he is one of the better iron players on Tour. Over his last two starts, he has really found something in his swing and is churning out very solid results. A majority of your pool has already used Hovland, but don't be scared to run him out this week.
Jordan Spieth +6000
Jordan Spieth's game is in absolute shambles, but the U.S. Open is coming at a great time. He is posting awful result after awful result, but there are still a few reasons to like the 2015 U.S. Open champion's game.
First, he is driving the ball better than he has in his entire career. I am not sure where this newfound driver success stemmed from, but it has been so solid.
The iron play is an absolute mess, but if the field-average Green in Regulation percentage is low — which it very well may be — there are not many other golfers who would have an edge in a chipping contest over Spieth. He has one of the craftiest and most creative short games on the planet, and that can surely shine on a course like this.
No one will use Spieth this week, and we know that he has all the upside in the world if his irons click. On the other hand, he surely has some missed cut equity, but that is why we play the game. Take the risk and run out Spieth if you need to gain some ground in your 2024 U.S. Open One & Done pool.
