Top U.S. Open golfers by country of origin

Wallace tied for third at the PGA Championship last month, so it's worth keeping the Englishman on the radar this week. Now, he's missed the cut at his two previous U.S. Open appearances, but we have a feeling that this might be the year that he at least gets to the weekend. Whether Wallace can make any noise after that remains to be seen.

We'll give Woodland some sleeper love this weekend at Pebble Beach. After all, he tied for eighth at the PGA Championship in May and is currently ninth in the FedEx Cup standings. His best finish at the U.S. Open is a T23 back in 2011, so not many are likely to give him a chance this week. We'll wait to see.

It's kind of a courtesy to have DeChambeau on this list. The methodical DeChambeau has fallen off the radar some in terms of being a perennial major favorite due to his overall play in such events over a short sample size. However, we know the talent is there, and the U.S. Open is the one major he's played the most (four times). DeChambeau's best major finish also came at this tournament — a tie for 15th in 2016.

One must go back to 2006 and Geoff Ogilvy at Winged Foot to find the last golfer from Down Under to win the U.S. Open. Leishman might not be the favorite among Aussie golfers in this year's field, but he's 11th in the FedEx Cup standings, has a victory on the PGA Tour and six top-10 finishes this season.

A total of five South Africans have won the U.S. Open; of course, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen combined to claim four of them. However, Goosen won the most recent, in 2004 at Shinnecock. The 2010 Open Championship winner, Oosthuizen has shown he's capable of winning the big events but has not placed in the top five at one since a tie for second at the 2017 PGA Championship.

The bad news: Kuchar, who turns 41 next week, is still searching for his first major championship. The good news: He's amid perhaps the best season of his career and has finished in the top 12 in three of his last four major tournaments. Kuchar, who tied for sixth in 2010 when the U.S. Open was held at Pebble Beach, leads the FedEx Cup standings thanks to two wins already on the PGA Tour this season.

Seven golfers calling England home have won the U.S. Open over the years, with the last coming in 2013 from a golfer we'll talk about later on this list. In addition to making his country proud, Casey, who turns 42 in July, is still searching for his first major title. Casey did finish second at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am this year.

No golfer from an Asian country has ever won the U.S. Open, but Matsuyama certainly has the game to be the first. He finished second in the 2017 edition at Erin Hills and tends to find himself in contention in these type of events at some point during the week. We wouldn't lump Matsuyama in with the favorites at Pebble, but keep an eye on him.

During last year's U.S. Open at Shinnecock, Finau was tied for the lead after 54 holes and ended up finishing fifth. There is a lot to like about Finau's game, but there's also the fact that he still has to learn how to win, anywhere, and not just in the majors. He's a trendy pick, but we need to see more.

Schauffele has enjoyed some quality success in majors, posting four top-six finishes in nine total starts. The U.S. Open has been good to Schauffele in his two appearances, with a T5 and T6 in the last last two events, respectively. A tie for second at the Masters this year only adds to the intrigue surrounding Schauffele and his quest for a major title at age 25.

Time might be running out for Mickelson, who would love to finally win his first U.S. Open and cap a career grand slam Sunday, on Father's Day, on his 49th birthday. Talk about a special moment. Lefty has tied for or finished second outright at the U.S. Open six times and posted a T4 when the tournament last graced Pebble Beach in 2010. By the way, Mickelson won there in February.

Looking to become the first Spaniard to win the U.S. Open, Rahm's bigger focus should be trying to bounce back after missing the cut at the PGA Championship last month. Though Rahm has three top-10 finishes in majors, he's failed to make the cut in the last two U.S. Opens after finishing as low amateur in 2016.

We've got to believe that Fowler's time as a major winner is going to come. It has to, right? He's placed in the top 10 in three of his last six U.S. Open starts and tied for ninth at this year's Masters. We expect Fowler to make some noise this week; however, it's about stringing together some stellar rounds in a major environment that has plagued this star during his career.

After missing the PGA Championship with a wrist issue, Thomas is ready for a chance at his second major title. A tie for 20th at last weekend's Canadian Open should be considered progress since he failed to make the cut at the Memorial in his return from injury. It's hard to predict what we'll see from Thomas this week, but he's still among the best in the world so he can't be dismissed.

Scott has missed the cut at the last two U.S. Opens, but he's also played well at the first two majors of 2019. The Australian and 2013 Masters champion tied for 18th at Augusta National in April and eighth at last month's PGA Championship. If looking for someone to carry the Aussie torch this week, we'll go with Scott.

Day tied for fourth at this year's Pebble Beach Pro-Am, so he's got that going for him. What he doesn't is two straight missed cuts at the U.S. Open — like countryman Adam Scott. However, it seems the popular Australian has found his big-game form after tying for fifth at the Masters this year. We believe Day is in the right frame of mind to be in contention this week.

The U.S. Open has been good to Fleetwood with a fourth-place finish in 2017 and a second last season. It can be argued that Fleetwood gives England its best chance of winning the U.S. Open in 2019, even though he did not fare well at either the Masters or PGA Championship this year. Fleetwood still needs to be considered a favorite this week.

The 2015 U.S. Open winner, Spieth tied for third at last month's PGA Championship. For those keeping track at home, that's three top-10 finishes in his last six major starts. Spieth has not won since 2017, so there is also that fire which burns within to get back into a winning frame of mind. Maybe this is the week it happens.

Rose is the last Englishman to win the U.S. Open, but that came in 2013 at Merion. That's still Rose's lone major victory to date, so there is some pressure considering he's among the top five golfers in the world. Rose tied for 10th at the U.S. Open last season, but he's yet to play Pebble when set up for this type of tournament.

No Italian golfer has ever won the U.S. Open, but then again there hasn't been one in a while who's as good as Molinari. His best finish at the U.S. Open is a tie for 23rd in 2014, but the 2018 Open Championship winner tied for fifth at the Masters in April. We're safe in saying Molinari should be in contention this weekend.

Looking for that dark horse? Try Cantlay. Then again, a guy who tied for ninth at this year's Masters and third at the PGA Championship really isn't an under-the-radar type of golfer. We hear a lot about Schauffele and DeChambeau, but the 27-year-old Cantlay is sixth in the FedEx Cup standings and might be the next young guy to make the leap to major champion.

It's been feast or famine for Woods on the major front in 2019. He ended his drought with that impressive Masters victory then failed to make the cut at the PGA Championship. Tiger is far from the dominant golfer who ravaged Pebble Beach in 2000, but he still has the fire and talent to actually win there this weekend. As always, all eyes will be fixed on him.

The only non-American to win a U.S. Open at Pebble Beach hailed from Northern Ireland. Graeme McDowell won the last time it was held there, in 2010. Could Rory make it a Northern Ireland repeat? Perhaps. After all, 2011 winner McIlroy is coming off a title at the Canadian Open, but we don't think he'll be sporting that Raptors jersey in Northern California this week.

DJ is the last person not named Brooks Koepka to win the U.S. Open, that coming at Oakmont in 2016. Johnson was the runner-up — tied or outright — at this year's Masters and PGA Championship, so one would expect he will be in the hunt once again this weekend at Pebble. He's the No. 2 player in the world and itching to claim that second major title. 

Americans have won the last four U.S. Opens, and obviously Koepka is responsible for the two most recent. Only Willie Anderson has won this event three straight times, but that happened back in 1903, '04 and '05. What Koepka has done — four wins in his last eight major starts — is remarkable, and the way he handles the pressure, and himself, is impressive enough to believe he can keep it going.