Not only is red hot Scottie Scheffler is the man to beat at the US Open, he is playing golf on a different level to everyone else in the field.
The world No.1 arrives for the third major of the year on the back of wins at the PGA Championship and The Memorial, cementing his status as the best player on the planet,
Sky Sports’ Nick Dougherty expects the American to further validate his status at the top of the game and claim a fourth major in three years.
It would also be his first US Open, and would be the third leg of a career Grand Slam that he would put himself in position to complete when The Open lands at Portrush in July.
Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy – fresh from his Masters success, but a torrid showing at the Canadian Open – are seen as the major contenders.
Should they falter on the unforgiving property that is Oakmont Country Club, Dougherty thinks Shane Lowry can upstage the star names and atone for his near-miss at the same venue in 2016.
“If I had to pick a player to win if my life depended on it, I’m taking Scottie Scheffler 10 times out of 10,” Dougherty told talkSPORT.com.
“And that’s not just because of how he’s playing, it’s also because of the extreme test that Oakmont is, and how equipped Scottie is to pass that test.
“Tee to green at Oakmont is just imperative, and if you miss fairways here you’re in big trouble. I just don’t believe Bryson DeChambeau can hit enough fairways to win again.
“I know he won at Winged Foot in a similar set-up, but even though he hit only 42 percent of fairways there, he was still ranked in the top 30 for driving accuracy.
“So if everyone misses fairways this week, then Bryson probably has the best chance because he’ll be closer to the green!
“But the fairways at Oakmont are a little bigger since the last renovation. They are narrow in places, but they’re big enough to benefit the guys who drive it well and are pinpoint with their irons.
Scheffler was at his masterful best to claim the PGA Championship last monthGetty Shane Lowry could upstage the star names at OakmontGetty Images - Getty“That’s the sort of player who will do well and, for me, nobody is in the same stratosphere as Scottie Scheffler in that regard.
“Yes, he did have a touch of the lefts with the driver last time out, but I’m really scraping the barrel here if I’m looking for reasons why Scottie won’t win the US Open!
“The guy just won the Memorial, he won the PGA Championship at a canter, and his all-round game sets him up well for the Oakmont test.”
Lowry has enjoyed an excellent season on the PGA Tour, although he has been unable to convert his good form into his first individual victory since winning the BMW PGA Championship in 2022.
The Irishman has posted four top-10 finishes, with podiums at Pebble Beach and May’s Truist Championship, and Dougherty feels Lowry has the right attributes to contend this week.
Dougherty, who will present Sky Sports’ live coverage of the US Open from Oakmont, added: “If I’m looking for an outsider to upset the likes of Scheffler, DeChambeau and McIlroy this week, then my bet would be on Shane Lowry – not that I’d really call him an outsider!
“Shane is actually second to Scheffler in the strokes gained – tee to green statistics on the PGA Tour this season. His iron play is stupendous, and he also has an excellent short game.
“He’s obviously going to have to drive the ball well to give himself the best chance of taking full advantage of his iron play, and I can’t emphasise enough how vital it is to be hitting from the short grass at Oakmont.
“If the course set-up is stretched to the limit, any shot is a real challenge and it’s almost an equaliser rather than a magnifier of skill around here.
“The greens are actually really big, but when the ball starts rolling they can play like postage stamps, and it’s very easy to three-putt, even from inside 15 feet.
“It’ll be even easier to come unstuck on the greens over the weekend, when the USGA traditionally nudge the course to the edge, and it could feel like you’re putting on glass.
“The ability to spin the ball into these greens, ideally from the fairway, is so important. If you can nail your approaches with a one-hop stop, you’re in with a chance.”
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