U.S. Open Picks and Lee Westwood

Way back when, I called the resurgence of Lee Westwood. It's one of the few prognostications I've gotten correct over the life of this blog. Westwood is playing as well as anyone right now, and with a few more wins, it could be said that he's even playing better than Phil Mickelson.

Since the tournament following Bethpage in 2009, Lee Westwood has played in 26 tournaments. Out of those 26, he's top-tenned it 20 times with only one MC. Those are Tigeresque (pre-Thanksgiving) statistics. Look for Westwood to be in the mix at Pebble Beach this week. He's certain to be one of the favorites, and he'll no doubt follow-through. His tee to green game, positive attitude, and confidence after yesterday's playoff victory in Memphis are a lethal combination.

Other than Westwood, my top picks for the Open are, in no particular order:
1) Phil Mickelson
2) Graeme McDowell
3) Tim Clark
4) Jim Furyk
5) Luke Donald

I also could see a bomber like Angel Cabrera or Dustin Johnson hanging in there. People like to talk about Pebble's lack of length and small greens, but those who can rip it will have as good a chance as the tiddlers.