This was the star-studded practice round to watch at the US Open on Monday

The US Open will begin this week at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina. The world's best prepared on Monday, and there was no practice round grouping more star-studded than the one featuring Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, and Justin Thomas.

This was the star-studded practice round to watch at the US Open on Monday

Any practice round grouping that features Tiger Woods is going to have a massive following. That following is only going to grow larger and larger when you add three of the most popular players in the game of golf to that grouping.

We know that Tiger is very close friends with Justin Thomas. Tiger has referred to him as the younger brother he never had and Thomas is seen as something of an older brother to Tiger's son, Charlie Woods. Thomas is of course great friends with Spieth as the two grew up playing junior golf together. Fowler is good friends with all three of his playing partners as well.

Who could forget that famous boys' trip Spieth, Thomas, and Fowler took back in 2016?

These guys are not looking to relax this week, though. While Woods, Spieth, and Thomas are all major champions and Fowler has come close to being a major champion, none of these four enter this week as favorites in the tournament.

This does not come as too much of a surprise. Tiger is still Tiger, but his body limits his endurance and stamina on the golf course. Spieth has not had a great 2024 and is nursing a wrist injury that may be impacting his play. Fowler had a bit of a resurgence in 2023, winning for the first time on the PGA Tour since 2019 and having a great chance to win last year's US Open. He has fallen by the wayside and has regressed this season with no top finishes to speak of.

It is possible for one of these players to catch lightning in a bottle and have a chance at winning this week. However, given their recent form and physical limitations it would be at least a little surprising to see any of them hoist the trophy on Sunday. At the very least they made for some fun viewing on Monday at Pinehurst.