U.S. Open 2017: A complete guide to all 156 players
By Luke Norris
U.S. Open Round 1: 1st tee, 2:03 p.m.
U.S. Open Round 2: 10th tee, 8:18 a.m.
Andrew Johnston (No. 116)
- Last start: T-21: BMW PGA Championship (European Tour)
- 2016 U.S. Open: T-54
Where’s the beef? Well, Andrew “Beef” Johnston is at Erin Hills for his second straight U.S. Open appearance. Beef became a worldwide phenomenon at Oakmont last year on his way to a T-54 finish and got into the field this week with a solid 10-under outing at the Surrey sectional. He got into the winner’s circle for the first time on the European Tour last year but hasn’t been able to get back. The Wisconsin crowd is going to love this guy.
Brian Stuard (No. 150)
- Last start: T-82: FedEx St. Jude Classic (PGA TOUR)
- 2016 U.S. Open: DNP
34-year-old Brian Stuard missed the cut in his first two U.S. Open starts but is hopin g his third time will be a charm as he returns to the tournament after a two-year absence. He hasn’t cracked the top 20 since Super Bowl weekend in Phoenix but more often than not, Stuard is playing the weekend. He shot 66-65 in the Springfield, Ohio sectional to qualify.
George Coetzee (No. 127)
- Last start: T-4: Nordea Masters (European Tour)
- 2016 U.S. Open: DNP
George Coetzee’s stock is rising. He hasn’t performed well in his three U.S. Open starts — his best finish was a tie for 56th at Merion — but his recent play has been stellar. Sure, he missed the cut at the BMW PGA Championship but in his last six tournaments, which includes the BMW, he has a T-8, a T-11, a solo eighth, another T-8 and a T-4 in his most recent start at the Nordea Masters. Momentum is big going into a major and Coetzee has plenty of it.
U.S. Open Round 1: 10th tee, 2:03 p.m.
U.S. Open Round 2: 1st tee, 8:18 a.m.
William McGirt (No. 51)
- Last start: MC: FedEx St. Jude Classic (PGA TOUR)
- 2016 U.S. Open: MC
William McGirt made his way into the U.S. Open field a year ago with a win at the Memorial and hasn’t moved more than seven spots in either direction in the world rankings since then. He missed the cut at Oakmont but is looking for redemption in his second U.S. Open start. He tied for 22nd at THE PLAYERS but has struggled a bit since then with a missed cut at the St. Jude, a T-61 and a T-67.
Keegan Bradley (No. 122)
- Last start: MC: the Memorial Tournament (PGA TOUR)
- 2016 U.S. Open: MC
Once thought to be one of the futures stars of the game of golf, Keegan Bradley, the former tenth-ranked player in the world, hasn’t quite lived up to that title and has won just one PGA TOUR event since his PGA Championship win in 2011. He played very well at Pinehurst at the 2014 U.S. Open and tied for 27th at Chambers Bay a year later. He missed the cut at Oakmont last year and has just one top-10 finish in 14 events in 2017.
Kevin Na (No. 68)
- Last start: T-13: 60th Kolon Korea Open (Korean Golf Tour, One Asia Tour)
- 2016 U.S. Open: 7th
Kevin Na is playing in his seventh U.S. Open and he has some nice experience to draw from at Erin Hills this week. He finished 12th at Pinehurst three years ago and had his best finish, a solo seventh, at Oakmont last year. He missed the cut at The Masters and withdrew from THE PLAYERS so the big tournaments haven’t been nice to him this year.