U.S. Open: Which Practice Round Groupings Should Cause The Most Concern?

We are now just hours away from the much-anticipated U.S. Open, where we will watch golfers from both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf reunite on the main stage.

There are plenty of stories and controversy surrounding the event, we wait in anticipation to hear what each golfer has to say about this new rivalry.

This week is arguably the biggest event in years for the golf world.

What’s interesting about these events that goes widely unnoticed are the practice rounds. Each practice round, the groupings are decided by the field, not the tournament itself, meaning that the golfers chose who they wanted to play with.

For most weeks, this does not matter, but this week, it only adds to the drama and intrigue.

Let’s look at some notable groups that may have caught fans by surprise at this week’s U.S. Open

Kevin Na – Phil Mickelson – Jon Rahm

This group was probably the biggest surprise. We all know that Mickelson was the most notable to join LIV Golf and begin this rivalry between the two Tours months ago, while Na was the first to officially resign from the PGA Tour.

Rahm, the former World No. 1 and defending U.S. Open Champion, caused concern from many by agreeing to this group.

Who knows what Mickelson and Na we’re saying to Rahm? Were they looking to get Rahm to defect as well? Well, Rahm put all of this to rest in his post-round interview:

"“Money is great, but when Kelley and I — this first thing happened, we started talking about it, and we’re like, will our lifestyle change if I got $400 million? No, it will not change one bit.”"

Collin Morikawa – Bryson DeChameau – Nicholas Dunlap – Michael Thorbjornsen

This group is interesting for many reasons. We know that DeChambeau recently decided to join Greg Norman and LIV Golf when they tee off in Portland.

Morikawa has been rather quiet on this whole story, and many wonder what these two good friends will be talking about during their round.

Dunlap and Thorbjornsen were interesting additions to this group. These two are considered some of the brightest amateurs in the World, especially in this event.

LIV Golf has already brought over young stars James Piot and Andy Ogletree, which should be one of Jay Monahan’s biggest concerns, losing their future stars to a rival tour.

The PGA Tour will want to ensure that these two remain on Tour going forward.

Dustin Johnson – Harold Varner III

We know that these two are considerable friends, so this pair may not be as concerning.

However, we know that DJ was arguably LIV Golf’s biggest signing for $125 million, and he seems to be at peace with his decision.

Harold Varner III has also been rather quiet on the situation but has been caught a few times liking tweets that suggest he may be considering the switch.

With this group being a twosome, they will have had plenty of time to talk, meaning LIV Golf will surely have come up at some point.

While worrying about practice rounds may be a complete over-exaggeration, it’s tough to simply ignore the decisions that some in the field made for this week’s practice rounds.

While many golfers, including Brooks Koepka, have stated their fatigue over talking about the rivalry, you cannot deny that it won’t come up in conversation over the week.

Buckle up, it’s going to be a heck of a week.