An Interesting Next Couple of Weeks In Golf.

There are a lot of things happening in golf in the next couple of weeks. Today is the first round of Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village and then on June 15th Chambers Bay will welcome the U.S. Open as it comes to the Pacific Northwest for the very first time in its history.

The names that we will be hearing about are all familiar – Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Ricky Fowler, etc.

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Jan 30, 2015; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Tiger Woods waits to putt on the 9th hole during the second round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-Arizona Republic via USA TODAY Sports

We have Tiger Woods playing this week for the first time since a disappointing showing at Sawgrass. It will be interesting to see how he plays on a course that he apparently likes since he has won it five times. It will be a good indication of what we might expect when he tees it up in the U. S. Open. Most of us would like to see him play well, but don’t count on it. Even if he figures out how to find the fairway with his driver – which is doubtful – he still can’t putt. Early in his career he rivaled Jack Nicklaus in his ability to make pressure putts that he really needed. He has long since lost that ability.

Rory McIlroy is taking this week off and as much as I would like to see him in this field, it’s probably a good idea. Rory needs to find a manager that will help him make the best use of his time while he focuses on golf. He apparently has a difficult time saying no to people and he doesn’t seem to have that burning desire to be the best that Tiger had. He certainly has the ability and experience to add another major to his resume at Chambers Bay.

Of the players I’ve mentioned, Jordan Spieth has my vote for the best finish this week and his game and temperament fit Muirfield. The only thing he hasn’t learned yet is how to win without his “A” game. That’s something that Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods were both masters at. They had the ability to figure out a way to turn a round that should have been 75 or 76 into a 70 to remain in the hunt. It will be very interesting to see if he has the experience to figure out Chambers Bay the way the USGA will set it up.

Ricky Fowler at the top of his back swing.

The real wild card here is Ricky Fowler. So far he appears to be somewhat of streak player. He has the ability to perform like he did at The Players Championship one week and then barely make the cut the next. Until he figures out how to play more consistently it will just be fun to see which Ricky shows up that week.

The one other player that has the game to make the next couple of weeks interesting is Dustin Johnson. I think he is a solid pick for this week and may be able to summon the mental toughness to play a U. S. Open course that the USGA is as excited about as a small child on Christmas morning.

No matter how it all works out, golf today is very exciting so just sit back and enjoy the show.

Next: Which Tiger Woods Will We See at the Memorial Tournament?

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