Hardy: No More Bold Statements About Who’s Going To Win The U.S. Open
I’m out. All done. No more.
I hereby tender my resignation from the position of Predicting Who Will Win the U.S Open. I would’ve been better off predicting my father’s day gifts; home made cards, a shirt and a book. Had I been able to bet that, I would’ve hit the trifecta.
And I would’ve been way better off predicting the reaction on Twitter and in my email inbox after it was clear my picks were going to fall flat. When you get “hot take” and “stop trying to be Felger” thrown in your face, you know you’ve done something wrong. But I deserved it, and I knew it was coming.
What were my predictions? Well, back on June 7th, I wrote this about the folly of choosing a favorite for a major tournament these days:
I’m tired of looking at the odds going into a championship week and realizing they’re useless, because at this point, it’s pretty much 50/50 for most guys teeing it up. Either they’ll win or they’ll lose, and if they win, there’s not much chance they’ll win again.
Unless it’s Brooks Koepka. Now THAT guy is going to win back to back U.S. Opens, right?
In case you couldn’t tell, I was being a sarcastic jackass in that last sentence.
I also said on the Sports Hub Golf club yesterday that Dustin Johnson was an absolute lock to win it all after he held a 4 stroke lead after 36 holes. To make matters worse, the two were paired together in the second to last group of the tournament, a cruel joke by the golf gods to illustrate my stupidity for 5 straight hours.
Out of the two, I can’t really decide who made me look worse. Koepka made clutch putt after clutch putt, while D.J. missed practically every single one. The defending champ took the final round by the reins, while his playing partner got dragged around the course with one Adidas stuck in the stirrup.
Worst of all, I predicted that watching rounds 3 and 4 was unnecessary. That may have been my biggest miss of the weekend. Phil Mickelson batting a ball in motion back toward the hole? Tommy Fleetwood’s 63? Zach Johnson calling out the USGA for unplayable conditions? All must-see TV.
So, I’m done. No more bold statements about who’s going to win the U.S. Open. The tournament is too volatile, the players are either too good or too inconsistent, and my confidence is shot. Unlike Brooks Koepka, who said that he was the most confident guy out there.
As well he should be. Hmmm. I think I like his chances at the British Open next month.
— By Rob “Hardy” Poole, 98.5 The Sports Hub
You can hear Hardy’s thoughts weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. ET on the Zolak & Bertrand program. As well as the Sports Hub Golf Club every Saturday from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. ET during the season. Follow him on Twitter @HardyRadio.
