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U.S. Open: Top five sleeper rankings at Erin Hills

By Brandon Raper

Jun 13, 2017; Erin, WI, USA; Geese take flight above the 18th grandstand following the practice round for the U.S. Open golf tournament at Erin Hills. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 13, 2017; Erin, WI, USA; Geese take flight above the 18th grandstand following the practice round for the U.S. Open golf tournament at Erin Hills. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports /
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U.S. Open
May 21, 2017; Irving, TX, USA; Bud Cauley tees off on the 1st hole during the final round of the AT&T Byron Nelson golf tournament at TPC Four Seasons Resort – Las Colinas. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Bud Cauley (Official World Ranking – 98th)

Alabama alum Bud Cauley had an inauspicious opening to his season, missing five cuts in his first seven Tour starts. He did spike a tie for third at the CareerBuilder Challenge in there, but that was his only top-25 showing through 13 tournaments in 2017.

Things have turned around nicely over the last two months for Cauley, however. From the RBC Heritage through the AT&T Byron Nelson, the 27-year-old strung together four top-tens, with an actual scoring average of 68.625.

Cauley fell off the pace a bit at the Dean & Deluca Invitational, but bounced back with a T-25 at the Memorial Tournament. Carrying that form in to sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open, Cauley emerged from the stacked Columbus, Ohio qualifier with his ticket punched to Erin Hills.

Cauley isn’t the longest hitter in the field by any means, but he’s got the talent to convert greens in regulation into strong scoring opportunities. Ranked just 151st on Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting, Cauley ranked 16th in that metric at TPC Four Seasons, finishing fifth in the process.

This U.S. Open will be a tough test for Cauley, but his recent form gives a much-needed confidence boost to this sleeper candidate.

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