Well the final day of this year's US Open looks to be a straight forward one in many people's eyes. Rory McIlroy defied most expectations by destroying his competition and this long and difficult Congressional course, in the process breaking US Open records, no one had ever got to 13 under par in this competition before McIlroy.


We all knew he had the makings of major winner, and his last 6 majors have shown that he was near to getting one in the bag. McIlroy, who was third at the Open last year and third in the last two USPGA Championships, has now held the lead in six of his last seven rounds in majors. 


Not one player has kept up with his majestic stroke-play in these first 3 rounds, YE Yang has shown glimpses of a charge, as has the inconsistent Sergio Garcia, but Lee Westwood and Jason Day look to be in the best, but unlikely position of catching McIlroy at the top of the leaderboard. Lee Westwood especially coming in hot with 3 birdies and an eagle on the back nine holes.  


In the absence of Tiger Woods, McIlroy's masterclass was reminiscent of his boyhood idol's domination of the 2000 US Open when he won by a record 15 shots at Pebble Beach. Had Tiger been playing I'm sure he would of seen glimpses of his own relentless self in the younger Irishman.

US Open 2011!

It's Thursday and its the 1st round of the 111th US Open at Congressional, Maryland.... Who are the front-runners? How will the tournament be affected Tiger Wood's absence?  

Graeme McDowell returns to the US returning to form after a frustrating few months on the European Tour, but the big news, of course, is the lack of Tiger Woods from this year's competition. How will this affect this years players and who are the contenders? The dominance of European golf I'm sure will make itself heard with Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Francesco Molinari among the players in great form. Not forgetting Rory McIlroy who will want to right the wrongs of the Masters in April, his pre-tournament visit to earthquake-ravaged Haiti perhaps giving him a new perspective on things. 

Luke Donald, however, is in the form of his life after recording 8 top-ten finishes in 9 tournaments, including a win at the WGC-Acenture Matchplay and leads both the European Tour's Race To Dubai and the PGA Tour's FedExCup ranking. He is surely tipped for a top 3 finish.

The lack of Tiger Woods will clearly affect the viewing ratings but the ups and downs that he brings to the golf course, especially major championships, will mean he'll be sorely missed; no one can quite raise the crowds like Tiger Woods. 

Nevertheless, this year's US Open looks to be one of the most up-for-grabs in years with the experienced likes of Phil Mickelson, Hunter Mahan and Steve Stricker battling it out with exciting European and Asian talent like Matteo Manassero and Ryo Ishikawa... should be for a breathtaking tournament!