U.S. Open Value Meter

Below are our rankings for the 2019 U.S. Open, which begins June 13 at famed Pebble Beach. This list is geared toward winner-take-all leagues and leagues that reward the lowest aggregate score, but it can serve other leagues and DFS as well, no matter the nuances. 

There are some interesting dynamics that factor into our rankings. First, the tournament will be held at a course that doubles as a regular Tour stop. So, we have plenty of course knowledge and history. But the track will be far more penal than it is at the annual event held in February. Should we consider AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am history, and how much? Adding another layer on that, only two of the four Pro-Am rounds are played at Pebble, while the other two are on neighboring tracks. On top of that, the fields are generally very weak. And at the Pro-Am, the rounds are six-hour slogs with amateurs. At 7,075 yards, Pebble is far shorter than the typical U.S. Open course. Do we eliminate prior U.S. Open performance, because those tracks are behemoths? What about looking back at 2010, the last time this event was held at Pebble Beach, when short-hitting Graeme McDowell won? Nine years is a lifetime in golf technology. And how about performance in majors in general? We will consider all of those factors, as they are all relevant to some degree.

As of this writing, 150 of the 156 spots are taken. It seems certain that Andrew Putnam and Emiliano Grillo will qualify based on their world ranking, so we have added them. We also list Scott Piercy, who is not as certain. Any changes to the field will be addressed in the comments below. This article was written before the conclusion of the Canadian Open. Barring injury, very little would change.

Amateurs have an (a) next to their name and any player who qualified via a sectional has the site listed parenthetically next to his name. 

Without further ado...

FAVORITES

1) Brooks Koepka
Koepka did his darndest to kick away the PGA Championship last month, but Dustin Johnson simply wouldn't let him. Not only did Koepka win four of the past eight majors he entered, he's the two-time defending U.S. Open champ. Any ranking list starts right here, even if this way-shorter track brings many more golfers into the conversation.

2) Dustin Johnson
Johnson is a multiple winner of the Pro-Am and has finished in the top-5 at four of the past five U.S. Opens, winning in 2016. He was also runner-up at the first two majors this year. Something always seems to prevent him from winning, but he's almost always in the mix.

3) Patrick Cantlay
Cantlay is coming off the biggest win of his career, at the Memorial. But even before that, he started to become a regular contender at majors. He briefly held the lead late Sunday at the Masters, then tied for third at the PGA. So the fact that he finished outside the top-40 in both his U.S. Open as a pro seems relatively unimportant. He tied for ninth at the 2013 Pro-Am and also played there in 2018.

4) Jordan Spieth
Through all his struggles, which are going on two years now, Spieth has performed his best in majors. That shows he still has a lot of Jordan Spieth left in him. Regular Tour stops and majors are worlds apart. Some guys struggle under the brightest lights; Spieth does not. All that said, U.S. Opens have been Spieth's worst major during his struggles, with finishes of MC-T35-T37 the past three years. We think playing at Pebble, where he won in 2017, will further help Spieth this week. He's also been finding some form, with recent top-10s at the Masters, Colonial and the Memorial.

5) Jason Day
Day missed the cut in the past two U.S. Opens, but he had top-10s in five of the previous six, including runners-up in 2011 and 2013. Incredibly, if you put aside those last two U.S. Opens, he has finished top-25 in 14 of his past 15 majors and top-10s in eight and of them, including his win at the 2015 PGA Championship. His record at the Pro-Am is nothing short of remarkable for a non-winner. Day has six top-6 finishes through the years, including each of the last three. He was runner-up in 2018.

6) Tiger Woods
The Masters win obviously took a lot out of Woods, so much so that he seemingly hadn't recovered more than a month later, missing the cut at the PGA Championship. But he looked much better at the Memorial, and Pebble will play to his strengths, allowing him to club way down off the tee. That presumably will leave him in the fairway frequently, letting him thrive on his superior greens-in-regulation game. And how could we not mention that Woods won the 2000 Open at Pebble by 15 strokes? We couldn't.

7) Justin Rose
Rose has not played great in the majors this year, shockingly missing the cut at the Masters and tying for 29th at the PGA. He won at Torrey Pines, but has been rather quiet since. Rose has played the Pro-Am only twice in all his years, though they were recently: He tied for sixth in 2016 and for 39th in 2017 while partnering with Justin Timberlake. Interestingly, Rose did not qualify for the 2010 Open, the last one he missed. He won three years later at Merion, and he tied for 10th last year at Shinnecock.

8) Xander Schauffele
Simply, Schauffele has played in two U.S. Opens and has finished no worse than sixth. He has played in nine career majors with four top-10s and two more top-25s. Schauffele, though, has played the Pro-Am only once, tying for 66th in 2017. He did not make the cut, which comes after 54 holes in that event, meaning he has only one competitive round at Pebble.

9) Adam Scott
Scott was second at Colonial, tied for eighth at the PGA, tied for 18th at the Masters and tied for 12th at THE PLAYERS. That's some serious golf. His ball striking is a well-known advantage, and now he's putting terrifically. On the other hand, he has played the Pro-Am only three times in his career, but each of the past two years, and has never had a good finish there. Scott strikes us as a guy who wouldn't like six-hour slogs alongside amateurs, so won't hold that against him. But he also missed the cut at the 2010 U.S. Open.

10) Jon Rahm
Rahm missed the cut at the PGA Championship, meaning he now has three top-10s and three trunk-slams in his past six majors. Talk about all or nothing. He has missed the cut at his two U.S. Opens as a pro, but was low amateur with a T23 in 2016 at Oakmont. At the Pro-Am, he tied for fifth in 2017 and for 26th in 2018, blowing up with a 76 at Pebble Beach in the final round. He also missed the cut at Colonial the week after the PGA, so he has not been at his best of late.

11) Rickie Fowler
Fowler is clearly not a Pebble guy, playing it only twice – and not recently. He missed the cut in 2012 and tied for 27th in 2010. He's had three top-10s at the U.S. Open, including co-runner-up to Martin Kaymer at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2014 (along with Erik Compton, of all people). But he's also missed four cuts. Fowler tied for 20th last year at Shinnecock. He tied for ninth at the Masters and for 36th at the PGA.

12) Rory McIlroy
McIlroy certainly has cooled off after his amazing start to 2019, and that includes his pedestrian play at the first two majors. He tied for 21st at the Masters and for eighth at the PGA -- no, Rory, your backdoor top-10 can't fool us (or anyone). McIlroy won the 2011 Open at Congressional, but he has shockingly missed the cut in three straight U.S. Opens.

CONTENDERS

13) Justin Thomas
Thomas did not play in the PGA Championship because of a wrist injury. He returned at the Memorial and missed the cut, but appeared to be healthy – he even teed it up in Canada the following week. He's never played the Pro-Am. He tied for 25th last year at Shinnecock and for ninth the year before at Erin Hills. Those tracks seem more suitable to his game than Pebble Beach.

14) Paul Casey
Casey lost a final-round duel with Phil Mickelson at the Pro-Am in February, finishing second. He was T8 last year. And that makes sense for a straight, strong iron player. He continued his fine play after this year's tournament with a win at the Valspar and T4 at the Wells Fargo. On the other hand, he missed the cut at the Masters and was outside the top-25 at the PGA. The 41-year-old tied for 16th at Shinnecock last year, his best Open showing in more than a decade. He was T40 at the 2010 Open.

15) Matt Kuchar
Remarkably, the master of the backdoor top-10 has has only one career top-10 at the U.S. Open – but it was at Pebble Beach in 2010. He also has only four top-25s at U.S. Opens, lastly in 2017, so this major has not been his finest. Kuchar has had some good finishes at the Pro-Am, including T22 earlier this year, T14 in 2009 and T6 in 2007. Most importantly in our minds, Kuchar was T12 at the Masters and T8 at the PGA.

16) Brandt Snedeker
If there are two tracks Snedeker is "known for," they are Torrey Pines and Pebble Beach. He has won the AT&T event twice, in 2013 and 2015. He tied for eighth at the 2010 Open there. Now 38, Snedeker has had five top-10s and three more top-25s at U.S. Opens through the years. He was T16 last month at Open-like Bethpage. He's still a great putter, ranking top-25 this season in strokes gained: putting.

17) Francesco Molinari
Normally, this track would be right in Molinari's wheelhouse. But even though he won at Bay Hill a few months back, the Italian's laser-like iron game simply has not been the same as it was a year ago. His troubles extend beyond finding the water at Rae's Creek. He's ranked close to 200th – 200th! – in greens in regulation. He's even outside the top 100 in SG: putting.

18) Tony Finau
Finau has done a good job racking up top-25s this season – he's got seven -- but in past years those often were top-10s, and he has only three of those so far this season. The good news is, two of them are recent, and one was a big one. Finau tied for fifth at the Masters and then last month was runner-up at Colonial. In between, Finau tied for 64th at the PGA. In three U.S. Opens, he had a T14 in 2015, missed the cut the next year, then was solo fifth last year at Shinnecock. He's played the AT&T event twice, with one top-25. 

19) Hideki Matsuyama
Matsuyama is one of the few top golfers to have never played a tournament round at Pebble Beach. He's done well at U.S. Opens, with a runner-up at Erin Hills in 2017 and a tie for 10th in his debut in 2013 at Merion. He was even T16 last year at Shinnecock. None of those courses is remotely close to Pebble, but if he can get on the green in regulation, the small greens could mask his terrible putting.

20) Louis Oosthuizen
A big deal was made out of Dustin Johnson completing the career runner-up grand slam at the Masters, but Oosthuizen had him beat by two years. The South African tied for second at Chambers Bay in 2015 and has added three more U.S. Open top-25s since then. He's never played the Pro-Am and he missed the cut in the 2010 Open, but we value his recent history in this event and his overall major record more. 

21) Webb Simpson
Simpson made his major debut at the 2011 U.S. Open, one year after the event was held at Pebble. He then won at Olympic Club in 2012. He's played the AT&T event four times through the years, with a best of T26 in 2013. He missed the cut in his most recent visit in 2017. We think his strong tee-to-green game will lead to good results this week.

22) Phil Mickelson
As Mickelson was being interviewed after winning at Pebble Beach in February, he made it clear that the course would be far different in June. Still, you have to think the victory might help give Phil his last, best chance to complete the career grand slam this week. And he might think that, too. Mickelson has been U.S. Open runner-up five times, but not since 2013, his last good finish in this tournament. He tied for fourth at the Pebble Open in 2010, and for 16th there in 2000.

23) Tommy Fleetwood
Fleetwood was among an influx of internationals to head to Pebble Beach in February, no doubt to check out the course. He tied for 45th. He had great U.S. Open success the past two years, finishing runner-up at Shinnecock and T4 at Erin Hills, but both courses are far different from Pebble, and his game has not been especially sharp of late.

24) Henrik Stenson
The only time the 43-year-old Stenson has played Pebble was at the 2010 Open, when he tied for 29th. If his ball striking is on, he can do well this week. He's ranked first in strokes gained: approach, but something has been off this season. Since 2010 at Pebble, he has two top-10s in the Open, including a T6 last year at Shinnecock, and two more top-25s.

25) Shane Lowry
Lowry has had terrific results in U.S. Opens, and in majors in general, including last month when he tied for eighth at Bethpage. He shared second behind Dustin Johnson in 2016 at Oakmont and tied for ninth the year before at Chambers Bay. He's also enjoying a strong year, one that has moved him into the top 50 in the OWGR. As a regular at the Pro-Am the past five years, he's a bit of an anomaly for a European golfer, but he's turned in a couple of top-25s there, most recently a T14 in 2017.

26) Bryson DeChambeau
This is what we wrote for the PGA: "Who knows what's going on here?" Since then DeChambeau has missed the cut at the PGA and Colonial. Finally, he played one good round at the Memorial. In his last nine majors, he missed the cut four times and has zero top-20s. Before that, he tied for 15th at the 2015 tournament at Chambers Bay. DeChambeau played Pebble Beach once before, missing the cut in 2017.

27) Kevin Na
Na is coming off a big win at Colonial late last month. He has had great success at Pebble, at least in the AT&T event, with a pair of top-5s in 2012 and 2014. Plus, he was T20 two years ago before missing this year's event with an injury. He has never been great in the majors, but did tie for seventh at the Open three years ago at Oakmont. He made the cut in nine of his past 12 majors, but not at the PGA Championship last month.

28) Matt Wallace
The Englishman cracked the top 25 in the world rankings thanks to a tie for third at the PGA, which came on the heels of a runner-up at the British Masters. Wallace played the U.S. Open the past two years and missed the cut both times, but he's clearly a far better player now. He's never played Pebble Beach.

29) Kevin Kisner
Kisner has played the AT&T event seven times, and finished T28 back in February and T10 the year before. Those are his two best showings. That should serve as more of a guide than his U.S. Open results. Since a T12 in 2015 at Chambers Bay, Kisner has not cracked the top 45. In this year's majors, he tied for 21st at Augusta and missed the cut at Bethpage.

30) Ian Poulter
Poulter has played the AT&T event only three times in his long career, with a tie for 50th in 2012 and two subsequent missed cuts. He tied for 47th at the 2010 U.S. Open, shooting 70-73 to start before blowing up on the weekend with 77-78. (Ah, we see that the Englishman's propensity to fade later in tournaments is nothing new.) Poulter was T25 last year at Shinnecock and hasn't missed a U.S. Open cut since 2011. He was 12th at the Masters, 10th the next week at Harbour Town and missed the cut at the PGA.

MAKING THE CUT

31) Lucas Bjerregaard
The big Dane is known to many golf fans as the guy who took down Tiger Woods in the WGC-Match Play, but since then he has also finished top-25 in two majors – T21 at Augusta and T16 at Bethpage. He never played a true PGA Tour event before the Honda in March -- in which he tied for 12th, by the way – so he's never played Pebble Beach, perhaps has never seen it. Judging by how his spring has gone, that doesn't seem to matter.

32) Rafa Cabrera Bello
The Spaniard played the AT&T event the past two years, perhaps preparing for this moment. He tied for 26th earlier this year and for 22nd in 2018. Cabrera Bello has made the cut in 12 of his past 14 majors, though his U.S. Open record is a bit spotty. In five tries, he's never cracked the top 30. A shorter track is definitely more suitable to Cabrera Bello's game. For the season, he's quietly amassed eight top-25s in 15 starts, with just a lone missed cut.

33) Patrick Reed
Reed has been working with famed instructor David Leadbetter but, no matter, he is still a mess. His title defense at the Masters ended with a tie for 36th and he missed the cut at the PGA Championship. He doesn't have a top-10 on the PGA Tour since the WGC-HSBC Champions eight months ago. We're not sure this matters, but he tied for fourth last year at Shinnecock and was in the top-15 in two of three previous U.S. Opens. He's actually been quite good at the Pro-Am, with a couple of top-10s and even a top-25 this past February.

34) Jason Dufner (Brookside, Ohio)
Dufner made it through the most competitive sectional at Brookside in Ohio. The 42-year-old veteran has come alive with top-10s in two of his past four starts. He's had a good stretch of U.S. Opens this decade, tying for 25th last year and three top-10s in the six years prior. Dufner tied for 33rd at the 2010 U.S. Open but hasn't played Pebble since 2016. 

35) Marc Leishman
The Aussie has enjoyed success at the Masters and Open Championship, but not so much at the U.S. Open and PGA. He missed the cut at Bethpage last month. In 16 starts at those two majors, he's never had a top-10 and just three top-25s. He's played the AT&T just twice, in 2009 and 2010, perhaps to prepare for the 2010 Open, at which he missed the cut. He's missed only two cuts all season, but they were at THE PLAYERS and the PGA.

36) Keegan Bradley
Bradley has done a good job sticking around for the weekend in majors, making the cut in 10 of his past 12 starts, but high finishes have been elusive. He has only one top-25 in that stretch, a T18 at the 2016 Open Championship. His best at the U.S. Open was a tie for fourth in 2014 at Pinehurst. He wasn't around for the Pebble Open, and his lone AT&T came as a rookie in 2011, when he tied for 15th. His great tee-to-green game should ensure more weekend play this time around.

37) Gary Woodland
Woodland has played the AT&T event only three times, and missed the cut in all of them, most recently in 2018. He didn't play in the 2010 U.S. Open. He's never been great in the Open, with only one top-25 in eight tries, with three missed cuts. All that said, Woodland may be a better player now than ever before. He tied for eighth at the PGA last month and for 32nd at the Masters.

38) Tyrrell Hatton
The Englishman has made the cut in the past six majors, including a tie for sixth last year at Shinnecock. He made it to the weekend at Augusta and Bethpage despite not enjoying a great year in 2019. He's fallen from inside the top-25 in the world to outside the top-40. But he's been showing signs of late, tying for eighth at Colonial and for 33rd at the Memorial. Like many of the top younger international players, Hatton has never played Pebble.

39) Emiliano Grillo
Grillo is not yet officially in the field, but being ranked 54th, and with the top 60 on the Monday before the Open getting in, he'll almost assuredly get in. He has missed only one cut in 17 starts this season, with seven top-25s. Since tying for 62nd at the Masters, he has improved every subsequent start, including a top-25 at the PGA, a top-20 at Colonial and a top-10 at the Memorial. He's never played Pebble Beach.

40) Jim Furyk
The 2003 U.S. Open champion at Olympia Fields got back into the top-60 in the world, and thus he got I the field. Despite falling victim to the increased length in golf these days, the 49-year-old shared runner-up honors at the Open just three years ago, when Dustin Johnson won at mighty Oakmont. Furyk has had some good results at shorter tracks this season, and Pebble is a shorter track. To wit: He tied for 14th at the AT&T in February. At the 2010 Open, he tied for 16th and in 2000, tied for 60th.

41) Thomas Pieters (England)
Here is our top rated guy who qualified via sectionals. Pieters tied for 23rd at the PGA just last month, another step in his return to prominence after falling close to 100th in the world rankings. He also was sixth at last year's PGA and tied for fourth at the Masters two years ago. He's really an all-or-nothing type of guy.

42) Lucas Glover
The winner of the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage tied for 58th the following year at Pebble. But he's missed the cut in the past seven U.S. Opens, which is startling for a player with such a normally solid tee-to-green game. Glover tied for 16th at the PGA last month, which certainly is a promising sign. He's also had good recent success at Pebble, tying for seventh in the AT&T in February and for 11th in 2016. He's ranked around the top-20 in strokes gained: tee to green, which would bode well for a weekend at Pebble.

43) Justin Harding
The rising South African has played only six tournaments in the United States, five of them in the past two months. He made the cut at both 2019 majors, including a T12 at the Masters. He's never played Pebble but is figuring things out at other tracks he's never played.

44) Erik van Rooyen (Brookside)
The 29-year-old South African has been shining of late, tying for eighth at the PGA, only his second career major. He also tied for 17th at the Open Championship last summer. He also tied for 36th at the WGC-Mexico earlier this year and has a couple of recent runners-up on the European Tour, in Qatar and Morocco. He's jumped from 141st to 90th in the OWGR in 2019.

45) Rory Sabbatini (Brookside)
He's found the Fountain of Youth at age 43 and will be in his first major since 2015 after advancing through qualifying. He's been in a whopping 45 majors but has made only 18 cuts. His biggest moment was finishing tied for second at the 2007 Masters won by Zach Johnson. He missed the cut at the 2010 U.S. Open. Sabbatini missed the cut at Pebble in February but has come alive since then, almost immediately afterward. He's made 10 straight cuts since then, half of them top-20s.

46) Zach Johnson
He's 43 and very close to falling out the top 100, but Johnson has made the cut in nine straight majors and 12 of his last 13. Both of his 2019 major finishes were in the 50s, but this is a far shorter track. He had three major top-20s last year, including T12 at the U.S. Open. He was T77 at the Pebble Open in 2010. He hasn't played the AT&T since a T29 in 2012.

47) Haotong Li
Li has played in nine majors and he's still only 23, making the cut in seven of them, including the two this year and last year's U.S. Open, at which he tied for 16th. He tied for 19th at the WGC-Mexico on a shorter track, but he's never played Pebble.

48) Chez Reavie
Reavie has been coming to the AT&T for years and never did much until tying for second back in February. He did not make it to the 2010 Open at Pebble. He's finished top-15 at this past two majors, including the PGA last month. Reavie also tied for 16th two years ago at Erin Hills.  He's made 15 of 19 cuts this season.

49) Aaron Wise
Wise missed the cut in his first three career majors, two of them U.S. Opens, but he's cashed in both of them so far in 2019 – T17 at the Masters, T41 at the PGA. He played the AT&T in 2018 and tied for 15th. He has plenty of length that won't really be necessary this week. But Wise has also been pretty accurate, ranking around 100th in accuracy off the tee and 30th in greens in regulation.

50) Branden Grace
The South African memorably finished top-5 in the Open in both 2015 and 2016, but has followed that up with a T50 and last year's T25. He's come to the AT&T the past two years, tying for 28th in February and for 20th in 2017. He arrives amid a real struggle to find his game, with no stroke-play top-25s since a runner-up at Phoenix more than four months ago.

51) Bubba Watson
Watson's best chance at another major title this year was the Masters, and he missed the cut thanks to a brutal putting performance. For good measure, he then trunk-slammed at Bethpage. Watson has never done much at Pebble; heck, he's hardly played there. He missed the 2010 U.S. Open and has played the AT&T only four times, most recently in 2016 and 2018. He's never had a high finish. Watson has missed the cut in five of the past seven Opens.

52) Keith Mitchell
Mitchell broke through with his maiden win at the Honda in February. He subsequently made the cut at the Masters but not the PGA, his first two career majors. He's played the AT&T the past two years, missing the cut in February and tying for 47th in 2018. He's ranked around the top-30 in greens in regulation, which could provide a real boost to him this week.

53) Sergio Garcia
You would think this quality ball striker would have the game for a U.S. Open. And, in fact, Garcia has had success, with five top-10s and six more top-25s. But he is amid a horrendous major stretch of seven straight missed cuts. He's played the AT&T only three times, lastly in 2010, with nary a high finish. He tied for 22nd at the 2010 Open at Pebble and for 46th in 2000.

54) Andrew Putnam
Like Emiliano Grillo, Putnam is not officially in yet, but since he's ranked 48th in the world, he almost certainly will be come Monday. Putnam was T4 at the WGC-HSBC, then runner-up at the Sony to get his season off to a roaring start. But he sunk like a rock afterward, and only recently has been rising. He tied for third at Colonial and for 17th at the Memorial. His first PGA Tour event was the 2010 Open at Pebble. He missed the cut, and didn't make another PGA Tour start for four years.

55) Thorbjorn Olesen
The 29-year-old Dane has made the cut in four consecutive majors, including a tie for 21st at the Masters and for 64th at the PGA. His result at Augusta helped Olesen stay inside the top-60 in the world, but he's had only two worldwide top-25s all year. He has missed the cut in his only two U.S. Open appearances, including last year. He's never played Pebble Beach.

56) Charles Howell III
Howell has been around so long he almost – almost – was around for the 2000 Open at Pebble. He went a lot of years missing most of the majors, and also didn't play in the 2010 edition. But at 39, he's had a bit of a career renaissance the past couple of years, playing in five majors and making four cuts, including a top-25 last year at Shinnecock and making the cut in the first two this year. The man who has played upward of 30 tournaments some years somehow has not played the AT&T since 2009.

57) Byeong-Hun An
An was in the top-60 in the world – that's how he got in – but has never done much of anything in majors. He has one top-25 in 19 starts, and he missed the cut last month at Bethpage. He didn't qualify for the Masters. That one top-25 was at the 2016 Open at Oakmont. An has never played Pebble in competition.

58) Billy Horschel
Horschel had one of the best finishes he's ever had in 22 career majors when he tied for 23rd in the PGA last month. In six career Opens, he has three top-25s, including his best in any major, a tie for fourth in 2013 at Merion. AT&T-wise, he missed the cut in his most recent visit in 2018 and he's never done better than his T28 in 2013. His usually strong tee-to-green game has been way off all season.

59) Martin Kaymer
Kaymer wasn't quite able to pull off a win at Memorial, something that would've given a waning career a real boost. He is midway through his 10-year exemption for winning the 2014 Open at Pinehurst No. 2. His second best showing at the Open was a tie for eighth in … 2010 at Pebble – his lone tournament there. He's missed the cut two of the past four years, with nothing inside the top-35. He made the cut at the Masters but not the PGA.

60) Matthew Fitzpatrick
Still only 24, this will already be the Englishman's fifth U.S. Open. He had been having difficulty on U.S. Open/PGA-style major tracks, but he broke through with a tie for 12th last year at Shinnecock. Pebble should be much more to his liking. To prepare, he played the AT&T in February but missed the cut, shooting 71 on his one day at Pebble.

61) Kiradech Aphibarnrat
The Thai star resides in the top-60 OWGR, so he will be at the U.S. Open for the third time. He tied for 15th last year and missed the cut in 2016. He also made the cut in the Masters and PGA this year, though with nothing inside the top-40. Aphibarnrat played Pebble in 2014, tying for 64th but not making it to Sunday. Against world-class competition, he's done well at the WGC-Mexico, a shorter track, with top-5s the past two years.

62) Alex Noren
Noren has had a terrible 2019, during which he's fallen from inside the top-20 OWGR to the upper-30s. But he's managed to make the cut in both majors, albeit with nothing inside the top-50. He tied for 25th last year at Shinnecock, when he was playing far better. Before that, he missed four straight Open cuts. He's never played the AT&T, and he wasn't in the 2010 Open.

63) Abraham Ancer
Ancer did himself proud with a tie for 16th last month at the PGA, only his second career major. He missed the cut last year at Carnoustie. The Mexican standout was also 12th at THE PLAYERS in March. He's played Pebble once before, missing the cut in 2016. At 20th in driving accuracy, look for Ancer to play four rounds.

64) Cameron Smith
The 25-year-old Aussie has been a mess lately, with nothing so much as a top-50 in his past seven starts going back to February. He has made the cut in five of his past six majors, but the one miss was last year's Open at Shinnecock. His best Open finish was a tie for fourth in 2015 at Chambers Bay. He's played the AT&T three times, missing the cut twice but also tying for 11th in 2016.

65) Viktor Hovland (a)
The 21-year-old Norwegian and Oklahoma State Cowboy is the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world who won the 2018 U.S. Amateur. That also got him into the Masters, where he was the low amateur, impressively tying for 32nd. Just before that, Hovland tied for 40th at Bay Hill on a sponsor exemption, so he definitely has some game.

66) Scottie Scheffler (Dallas)
The 22-year-old Dallas native is tearing up the Web.com Tour. He won a tournament in late May, a fifth straight top-10 that included two runners-up. He's also made three PGA Tour starts this season at the Sanderson Farms, Valero and Byron Nelson, reaching the weekend all three times. Scheffler was low amateur at the 2017 U.S. Open, tying for 27th. 

67) Collin Morikawa (Brookside)
The Cal star recently concluded his senior season after winning the Pac-12 Championship and just turned pro. He was in the field for the Canadian Open on a sponsor exemption. About a year ago, Morikawa spent a few weeks as the top-ranked amateur in the world. He played Bay Hill in 2018 on a sponsor exemption, tying for 64th.

68) Brandon Wu (a) (Brookside)
It's been quite a week for Wu, first winning the NCAA championship with Stanford and then qualifying for his first major. He is the 11th-ranked amateur in the world.

69) Jimmy Walker
Now 40, Walker continues to reap the rewards of his stunning win at the 2016 PGA. It's still his most recent win, but it also got him into the Open field. He of course has had tremendous success at Pebble, winning in 2013. He also has four other top-10s, most recently in 2018. He didn't play in the 2010 Open. In the past four Opens, he's missed two cuts with two finishes outside the top-50. He's made 12 of 16 cuts this season.

70) Graeme McDowell
McDowell keeps coming back, for 10 years in all, thanks to his 2010 Open win at Pebble Beach. The Northern Irishman was able to compete on the shorter track. Since then, he's had some good finishes, including a T2 in 2012 at Olympic Club, but has also missed the cut three of the past four years. Now nearing 40, McDowell has been back at Pebble a few times since his major win, tying for seventh in 2014 and for 18th just a few months back.

BORDERLINE

71) Si Woo Kim
The always-hard-to-figure-out Kim tied for fourth at the AT&T in February. He tied for 21st at the Masters. But after that he missed four straight cuts before stemming the bleeding with a tie for 41st at the Memorial. His putting, which was incredible earlier this season, is returning to normal. In other words, bad. Kim tied for 13th in the 2017 Open at Erin Hills, but he's also missed the cut last year at the Open and at the past two PGAs.

72) C.T. Pan
Pan won his maiden tournament, the RBC Heritage, at just the right time. It got him into the PGA and, once inside the top-60 OWGR, the U.S. Open. He then followed that up with a tie for third at Colonial, so clearly something is brewing with him. In between, though, Pan missed the cut at Bethpage, the fifth time that has happened to him in six career major starts. He's played the AT&T once before, missing the cut in 2017.

73) Luke List
List is a real late bloomer. He's 34, yet never played a major before two years ago. He tied for sixth last month at the PGA in just his fifth major. It was enough to move him into the top-60 OWGR to get him into the field. It was only his second made cut in a major. He's played the AT&T twice before, missing the cut in 2013 and 2016. He's ranked outside the top-200 in driving accuracy, which could be a problem this week.

74) Scott Piercy
Like Emiliano Grillo and Andrew Putnam, Piercy is not in the field as yet. Currently ranked 60th, he is no sure thing to make it to Pebble. So definitely check back on that. But if Piercy is in, he's a very accurate iron player who has played well this season on some shorter tracks. Conversely, he has missed the cut in five of his past six majors.

75) Daniel Berger
Berger had only one top-10 all of last season, but he picked the right one. His tie for sixth at Shinnecock gets him back into the field this year. He's played the AT&T once, tying for 10th in 2015. Berger has made 9-fo-13 cuts this season through Colonial, but his only high finish was in the opposite-field Puerto Rico Open.

76) Danny Willett
Willett continues to ride the wave of his 2016 Masters win (but not for too much longer). He's never finished top-35 in five U.S. Opens. He's never played Pebble. But he tied for 41st at the PGA and for 27th at the Memorial.

77) Chun-an Yu  (a) (California)
The Arizona State junior was the medalist to earn a return trip to the Open (MC in 2018). He is No. 6 in the world amateur rankings and should be better prepared than he was a year ago.

78) Luke Donald (Brookside)
The former world No. 1 has played in 54 career majors but none since 2017, so this was quite a moment for him. He's had success at Pebble, recently finishing in the 20s in 2016 and 2017 but also tying for seventh back in 2006. Donald was T47 at the 2010 U.S. Open.

79) Marcus Kinhult (England)
Watch out for the 22-year-old Swede. He won the British Masters only last month for his first European Tour win, and he's approaching the top-100 in the world rankings. He tied for 61st in last year's Open Championship.

80) Jhonattan Vegas (Brookside)
He has missed the cut at 7-of-12 career majors, including last month's PGA. But he's been playing well this season, with five top-25s, three of which have doubled as top-10s. He hasn't played Pebble since missing the cut in 2016.

81) Kyle Stanley
Stanley has had a pretty abysmal history in majors, missing the cut 11 times in 18 starts. His best and lone top-25 came in April at the Masters when he tied for 21st. He subsequently missed the cut at the PGA. In five previous Opens, he's never so much as cashed top-50. His most recent AT&T apperance was a T41 in 2016, and that's actually his best showing in five tries. His tie for eighth at the Wells Fargo a few weeks ago was his first top-10 in about nine months. He's missed a whopping half his cuts in 18 starts this season.

82) Devon Bling (a)
The UCLA product was the 2018 U.S. Amateur runner-up, which also got him into the Masters, where he tied for 55th. Still, he's not a high-ranked amateur; he's just made the most of his chances.

83) Matt Jones (Dallas)
The veteran Aussie missed the cut at both Opens last year. He's having a pretty good year on Tour, making 10 straight cuts through the Byron Nelson, at which he tied for fifth. He was T55 at Pebble in February. He's played Pebble very well recently, with three straight tops-25s in 2015-17, including a T7 in 2015.

84) Dean Burmester (England)
The 30-year-old South African was the medalist by four strokes. Burmester has appeared in one major, tying for 56th in last year's U.S. Open. He also was in this year's WGC-Mexico and tied for 30th. He's ranked around 170th in the OWGR.

85) Shugo Imahira (Japan)
This will be the sixth major for the 26-year-old, including two already this year, and he's never made a cut. The shorter track should help, but it's been a down year for Imahira, as he began 2019 at No. 53 in the world rankings but is now around 75th. He did, however, tie for 33rd at the Sony and for 39th at the WGC-Mexico.

86) Ernie Els
The 1994 champ at Oakmont and 1997 winner at Congressional received a special exemption, meaning he will play in his 28th straight U.S. Open. Els missed the cut last year, but he tied for fourth as recently as 2013. He was solo third at the U.S. Open at Pebble in 2010 and even tied for second in 2000. The four-time major champion who turns 50 in October tied for 28th at the AT&T in February. If is back holds up, he has a shot at making the cut.

87) Kyoung-Hoon Lee (Brookside)
The rising South Korea was atop the leaderboard on the weekend at the Memorial before fading. He's made a ton of cuts since February. This will be his first major.

88) Matthieu Pavon (England)
How many people remember that the 29-year-old Frenchman tied for 25th in last year's U.S. Open? (Not us.) Pavon is ranked in the high 300s.

89) Renato Paratore (England)
The Italian won the Nordea Masters two years ago as a 20-year-old. He won a 5-for-1 playoff to emerge from the English sectional, beating, among others, Bernd Wiesberger. This will be his first major, but he tied for 44th at the 2017 WGC-Bridgestone. 

90) David Toms
Toms got in by winning the 2018 U.S. Senior Open last summer. He hasn't been in a PGA Tour major since missing the cut at both the U.S. Open and PGA in 2016. He tied for 33rd at Pebble in the Open in 2010 and for 16th at the Open in 2000. He might be able to negotiate this shorter course into making the cut.

LONG SHOTS

91) Aaron Baddeley (Brookside)
Now 38 years old, the Aussie has played in 33 majors, making the cut in 15 of them. He missed the cut at the 201 U.S. Open but was there last year and tied for 25th. In his past five visits to Pebble, he's had nothing inside the top-50 and missed the cut in February.

92) J.B. Holmes
Holmes has had much success at the AT&T, but he's been so awful since winning Riviera. Really, it's the only way he's in the field without somehow qualifying, as it landed him inside the top-60 OWGR. In seven stroke-play events since then, he's missed four cuts and withdrawn once. His best was at the Masters, of all places, where he tied for 62nd. He's had five top-25s at the AT&T in the past decade, including a runner-up in 2010. But he didn't make it to the U.S. Open that year.

93) Ryan Fox (Brookside)
The big-hitting New Zealander is ranked inside the top-90 in the OWGR but has missed his past four cuts, including at the PGA and the Memorial. Previously, he had made the cut in five of his six career majors.

94) Adri Arnaus (England)
The 24-year-old Spaniard and Texas A&M alum is playing in his first full season on the European Tour. He finished top-20 in Qatar and was co-runner-up in Kenya this year. He is ranked around 150th OWGR.

95) Sam Horsfield (England)
This 22-year-old Englishman may be familiar to U.S. golf fans because he partnered with Ian Poulter at the recent Zurich Classic. But he also played, and missed the cut, in the 2015 and 2016 U.S. Opens. He's ranked around 225th in the world.

96) Jovan Rebula (a)
The 21-year-old South African who attends Auburn and is Ernie Els' nephew qualified by winning the 2018 British Amateur. That also got him into the 2018 Open Championship and 2019 Masters. He missed both cuts.

97) Kodai Ichihara (Japan)
The 36-year-old was the medalist at his sectional. This will be his first U.S. Open, but he's been in three Open Championships, missing the cut twice and tying for 79th in 2016. Ichihara was at the no-cut WGC-Bridgestone last year and tied for 69th. He's ranked close to 200th in the world.

98) Chesson Hadley (Brookside)
He's missed the cut in his past four majors, including the PGA last month and last year's U.S. Open. He tied for 10th at Pebble in 2015.

99) Brian Stuard (Springfield, Ohio)
The 36-year-old will be making his eighth major start, having missed the cut four times at the U.S. Open, including the past two. Stuard has made 16-of-22 cuts this season, with six top-25s. He was T45 at Pebble.

100) Patton Kizzire
Kizzire gets in because he made the Tour Championship last year, which is interesting because when he was a two-time winner last year, that wasn't enough to get him into Shinnecock (but it got him into East Lake). Those two wins did not get him into the top-60 in the OWGR. He's missed the cut in five of his eight career majors, including the 2016 U.S. Open, but he was also T18 at the Masters in April. Kizzire has never played the AT&T.

101) Anirban Lahiri (Brookside)
The two-time Presidents Cupper was 33rd in the world a few years ago but now is in the 200s. He has missed the cut in seven of his 15 majors, including both U.S. Opens in 2015-16. He has missed 6-of-13 cuts this season with nothing inside the top-30. This will be his first Pebble event.

102) Chan Kim (Japan)
The American playing in Japan was first alternate at the Japan sectional, and got in when the strength of the field at England's sectional was downgraded, resulting in fewer spots being awarded there. Kim was as high at 72nd in the OWGR but is now in the 300s. He missed the cut at the 2017 U.S. Open but tied for 11th at the Open Championship later in the summer (yes, 11th).

103) Stewart Hagestad (a) (California)
One of the best known amateurs, the former U.S. Mid-Amateur champ and Walker Cupper was low amateur at the 2017 Masters (tied for 26th). He also was in the 2017 and 2018 U.S. Opens, missing both cuts. He's still a top-20-ranked amateur who has stated no desire to turn pro.

104) Carlos Ortiz (Dallas)
The 28-year-old from Mexico is enjoying his best season on Tour, with a pair of top-10s at the Sanderson and Riviera. He missed the cut at the 2016 U.S. Open, his lone major start.

105) Ollie Schniederjans (Georgia)
The familiar name was medalist at his sectional. Schniederjans has been in four majors, including two last year (MC at U.S. Open and T59 at the PGA). He has never played Pebble and has missed 10-of-20 cuts this year. He hits it really far with terrible accuracy, which won't be much help this week.

106) Julian Etulain (Dallas)
The Argentine is in his second full season on the PGA Tour. He's played Pebble twice, tying for 33rd in 2017 and for 38th earlier this year. At 30 years old, this will be his first major.

107) Nate Lashley (Canada)
The 36-year-old bounced around for years before landing on the PGA Tour two years ago. He tied for 45th at Pebble in February and missed the cut last year. He is ranked in the 20s on Tour in SG tee to green and in the 30s in SG putting, so if he can keep his emotions in check, he could make the weekend. But probably not.

108) Nick Taylor (Dallas)
This will be only his second major as a pro, having tied for 68th at the 2015 PGA. He was low amateur at the 2009 U.S. Open. He tied for 28th at Pebble back in February and for 10th in 2017.

109) Clement Sordet (England)
The 26-year-old Frenchman has done well of late, tying for second in Oman and for 14th in Morocco. His one major was last year's Open Championship, at which he missed the cut.

110) Sam Saunders (Brookside)
Arnold Palmer's grandson – hey, that's his claim to fame! – will be playing in his third major, having missed the cut at the U.S. Open in 2011 and tying for 50th in 2015. He tied for 38th at Pebble earlier this year, one of his better finishes all season.

111) Luke Guthrie (Brookside)
The former PGA Tour player has caught fire with top-6s in three of his past four Web events, and that was before becoming the medalist at the most competitive sectional. Guthrie has moved from the 1,100s to the 500s in the OWGR during his hot stretch. He missed the cut in the 2013-14 U.S. Opens.

112) Mikumu Horikawa (Japan)
Having never played outside of Asia and Japan, the 27-year-old Horikawa will now. He finished second to countryman Shugo Imahira in the Dunlop Phoenix last fall, a tournament at which Brooks Koepka tied for 12th.

113) Alex Prugh (Canada)
Prugh and Nate Lashley emerged from a 3-for-2 playoff with Harris English. Prugh tied for 10th at Pebble in 2015, for 21st in 2011 and for 53rd a few months back. He is ranked in the top-20 on Tour in greens in regulation.

114) Tom Hoge (Canada)
The PGA Tour pro shared medalist honors at the newly instituted Canada sectional. Hoge missed the cut at the U.S. Open in 2015 and 2016, and he did the same the last two years at Pebble.

115) Zac Blair (Springfield)
The familiar name lost his card this year but was one of four co-medalists at his sectional. He's been in only two majors, tying for 40th at the 2014 U.S. Open and missing the cut at the 2016 PGA. He's a very short hitter, but then again, Pebble is a very short course.

116) Cody Gribble (Dallas)
The PGA Tour pro was first alternate at the Dallas sectional and got in when the strength of the field at England's sectional was downgraded, resulting in fewer spots being awarded there. Gribble has done little since winning the 2016 Sanderson Farms. This will be his third career major, after tying for 21st at the U.S. Open in 2014 and missing the cut the following year. He was T59 at Pebble in February.

117) Rhys Enoch (England)
The 30-year-old Welshman plays mostly in Africa and China. He's been in two majors, both Open Championships, and he tied for 67th last year.

118) Lee Slattery (England)
The 40-year-old Englishman has two career Euro wins and has appeared in four majors, including the 2016 U.S. Open, when he tied for 57th.

119) Roberto Castro (Georgia)
The on-again, off-again PGA Tour card holder has been in 12 majors but has made only two cuts. He's 0-for-5 at the U.S. Open.

120) Justin Walters (England)
The 38-year-old plays in Europe but also in his native South Africa. He's ranked in the mid-300s.

121) Merrick Bremner (England)
The 33-year-old plays mostly in his native South Africa and is ranked around 400 in the world. He recently ran off six straight top-25s, but all of them were in lesser events.

122) Sepp Straka (Canada)
This is Straka's first year on the PGA Tour and he was co-medalist in Ontario. He's never been in a major and missed the cut at Pebble back in February.

123) Luis Gagne (a) (Florida)
The LSU senior from Costa Rico tied for 48th at last year's U.S. Open to share low amateur. He also was second at the Latin American Amateur this year.

124) Daniel Hillier (a) (England)
The amateur from New Zealand has played in only three OWGR tournaments all year, all close to home. He's 19 years old, so we may be hearing more about him in the years ahead.

125) Cameron Young (a) (New York)
Having just completed his senior season at Wake Forest, the New York native was medalist at the New York sectional by five strokes. This will be his first major.

126) Chip McDaniel (Springfield)
He has played three PGA Tour events this season and tied for fifth at the opposite-field Dominican event after getting in via Monday qualifying. He tied for 71st at the Valero.

127) Austin Eckroat (a) (Dallas)
The Oklahoma State sophomore gained entry by surviving a sectional playoff that included Cody Gribble. He is the 36th-ranked amateur.

128) Callum Tarren (Florida)
The 28-year-old Brit took medalist honors. He plays on the Web.com Tour and has three top-20s this season. He also earned medalist honors at something called the PGA Tour Series-China in 2018.

129) Michael Thorbjornsen (a)
The 17-year-old won the U.S. Junior Amateur last summer at Baltusrol. He got a spot in the U.S. Amateur at Pebble a month later and made it to the match-play round of 64.

130) Joseph Bramlett (Maryland)
The 31-year-old Californian has played pretty well on Web this year with six top-25s in 13 starts. He was in the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble and missed the cut. He tied for 40th at Pebble in 2012.

131) Kevin O'Connell (a)
The 30-year old former pro regained his amateur status four years ago and won the 2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur. That also got him into the Masters, where he missed the cut two months ago.

132) Rob Oppenheim (New York)
The 39-year-old Web.com player beat Kelly Kraft in a playoff to get the final berth in the New York sectional. He has one Web win, back in 2015, but his best finish at the PGA Tour came at Pebble Beach, where he tied for eighth just two years ago (that is not a typo). He is ranked in the 700s.

133) Andreas Halvorsen (California)
The Norwegian is on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica and is in the top 10 on the money list. This will be his first major.

134) Brett Drewitt (Springfield)
The Australian who plays on the Web.com Tour won a playoff to advance. He tied for 25th at the Safeway in his lone PGA Tour start this season. This will be the 28-year-old's first major.

135) Brendon Todd (Dallas)
Todd has not had full playing privileges since 2016, but the 33-year-old was the medalist at his sectional. Todd has only 12 lifetime top-10s on Tour, but two of them were at Pebble, in 2012 and 2015. He hasn't played a major since 2015, when he missed the cut in three of four.

136) Mito Pereira (Florida)
The 24-year-old Chilean has played the past few years on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica. He has six top-10s in eight starts this season.

137) Nick Hardy (Springfield)
The 23-year-old Web.com player has played in two U.S. Opens, tying for 52nd in 2015 and missed the cut a year later.

138) Marcus Fraser (England)
The 40-year-old Aussie is a veteran of 12 majors and numerous WGCs. His last U.S. Open was four years ago, when he tied for 64th. He's currently ranked in the 400s OWGR.

139) Matt Parziale (a) (New York)
The former U.S. Mid-Amateur champs was low amateur last year at Shinnecock. He is 31 years old. And he's a firefighter.

140) Billy Hurley III (Maryland)
The former Tour winner heads to his fourth U.S. Open in six years after being co-medalist. He tied for 48th in 2014, then missed the cut the next two years. His most recent major was the 2017 Masters (MC).

141) Andy Pope (New York)
The 35-year-old who plays sparingly on the Web.com Tour has now qualified via sectionals four times in the past five years. He tied for 70th in 2015 but then missed the cut the next two years.

142) Brian Davis (Dallas)
The 44-year-old Englishman hasn't been in a major since missing the cut at the 2013 Open Championship. He also missed the cut at the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble, and he also missed the cut there in February.

143) Charlie Danielson (Dallas)
The 25-year-old Wisconsinite hasn't played an OWGR event since the Latinoameria and Mackenzie Tours in 2017. He missed the cut at the U.S. Open in 2016 and had knee surgery in 2018.

144) Ryan Sullivan (Maryland)
He's played six events in the last three years on the Web.com Tour. He was in the 2013 U.S. Open but missed the cut.

145) Eric Dietrich (Washington)
The former UConn golfer plays in Canada on the Mackenzie Tour and was the medalist at his sectional. This will be his first major.

146) Connor Arendell (Maryland)
He's played a couple of Web events this year and was full-time last season. He has two career PGA Tour starts, lastly in Puerto Rico in 2016.

147) Richard H. Lee (California)
The former PGA Tour player is back after missing the cut at the 2015 U.S. Open.

148) Matthew Naumec (Washington)
The former Boston College star is now a pro and plays on the Mackenzie Tour in Canada.

149) Mike Weir (Dallas)
The aging Canadian, who for some reason is spending time on the Web.com Tour these days, made a shrewd move to enter the weak qualifying field in Dallas and secured one of the 10 available berths. Outside of the Masters, he hasn't been in a major since tying for 28th at the 2013 U.S. Open. Weir, 49, tied for 80th at Pebble in 2010. He even was in the 2000 Open there, tying for 16th. He's missed his past three AT&T cuts, from 2016-18.

150) Chandler Eaton (a) (Georgia)
The Georgia native just completed his junior season at Duke.

151) Noah Norton (a) (Georgia)
Norton just completed his freshman season at Georgia Tech.

152) Hayden Shieh (California)
The former Santa Clara star is now a pro.

153) Spencer Tibbits (a) (Washington)
He is an Oregon State sophomore.