Daily Racing Thread Saturday 13th. June 2015

[King Shergar]

Another point to note is the grass. This course is the only course outside of Great Britain and Ireland to use Fescue grass. That grass is the grass typical of a links course here to you and me so the home based players will have had more experience of it even though it's in America. Could be a pointer to another homegrown winner or European player that has had success on Links here. And remember although it looks and plays like links it is not an actual links golf course!

I don't agree that it will help European players if the conditions are similar to that of a links course.

The Americans have a very good record at the Open Championship and often do much better than us. In fact I'd say there have been just as many if not more American winners as there have been European recently. If it wasn't for Ireland, Europe would of had none this century. The Americans have had Tiger, Phil, Curtis, Cink, Duval and Hamilton all this century. Also don't forget the best Links player of all time Tom Watson was also American.

So whilst we might like to think we are better at links golf than they are, results suggest otherwise

 

[King Shergar]

I was looking at backing Dustin Johnson for the US Open, but having heard he pulled out of this weeks tournament after 9 holes due to "illness", I'm not sure now how confident I'd be that he'd be up to contending for a major at such a brutal course. My interest in him has somewhat cooled. There's a few outwith the main guys at the top of the betting that I've been looking at, Brandt Snedeker(66/1) and Brooks Koepka(50/1). Usually do ok at the golf majors but the US Open is by far my worst one, only had the winner of it once. It's always such a hard tournament to predict

I think Dustin Johnson's withdrawal was as much frustration as it was being ill. At the time he was +3 having bogeyed the first 3 holes. They never seem to pull out when they start well. Tiger Woods does it all the time faking that his backs gone when he's well over par. So I wouldn't be put off Johnson for that reason.

The one thing that would put me off Johnson is his nerve, he's probably as good as anyone in practice but when the pressures on he's as bad a choker as there is in the game today. I remember he led the US Open by 4 shots going into the final round against McDowell, and after 2 holes McDowell was 1 ahead

I backed Johnson the other week in Texas aswell, as the smaller tournaments don't normally unnerve him, and he hit the lead in the final round, only to shoot an 8 on the next par 4, driving it out of bounds a couple of times, so I've vowed not to back him again, as he's a nervous wreck in contention.

On paper though, the long, wide course should play to his strengths