U.S. Open: Ranking the five best early-round pairings at Shinnecock

No major championship discussion is complete without trying to answer the age-old question. “Who is the best player currently without a major win?”

Well, we’re in luck, because it looks like the USGA is trying to answer that question themselves this week. We are being gifted with three of the sport’s top players in this group, each of whom can add “major champion” to their resume this coming Father’s Day.

The biggest name in the group, to nobody’s surprise, is Rickie Fowler. He’s come a long way from the long-haired, monochromatic player who was once called the “most overrated player on TOUR“. The five-time PGA TOUR winner finished inside the top five in three of the last four majors (dating to last year’s T5 at Erin Hills). He also has three top-ten finishes at the U.S. Open. Could this be his week?

If not, the two international stars he’s paired with will certainly look to make a run at history. Leishman, at 34, is the elder statesman of the group, but he’s been a bit of an “all or nothing” player over the past few months. Since finishing ninth at Augusta, Leishman’s PGA TOUR results read: MC-T63-2-T62. That runner-up came at the AT&T Byron Nelson, when he opened with a 61, but got caught by Aaron Wise on the weekend. He’s got all the talent, but is he on top of his game?

Then, there’s Hideki Matsuyama. The 26-year-old from Japan is the tenth-ranked player in the world, but he’s also struggled to back up his three-win campaign from just a year ago. He comes to Shinnecock in fine form overall. If his balky putter starts to cooperate, he could be in for a monster week.