U.S. Open: Five players you should have your eye on at Pinehurst

Xander Schauffele

Getting his first-ever major victory at the PGA Championship has been the cherry on top of an impressive season for the Southern California native.  He has made every cut in 2024 and has only finished worse than T20 three times. Now, he enters the third major of the season as the No. 2 golfer in the world.

Schauffele's current form could help him tackle the tough terrain at Pinehurst No. 2. The course features odds angles and awkward topography that can make it difficult to drive down the fairway. Lucky for Schauffele, he ranks second across the entire PGA Tour in total strokes gained, seventh overall in strokes gained off the tee and sixth overall in strokes gained while putting.

If you're looking to watch someone masterfully maneuver a tough course this weekend, Schauffele is your guy.

Bryson DeChambeau

Pros from the LIV Golf camp are arguably nowhere near as competitive in major events as they were last year. (That's a whole other story for another day.) DeChambeau has been the exception, however, finishing T6 at the Masters and solo second at the PGA Championship just one stroke behind Schauffele.

Sergio Garcia

Speaking of golfers from the LIV circuit, the 44-year-old was granted one of the final spots for the U.S. Open despite missing his qualifying attempt back in May. This weekend's event will be his 25th consecutive U.S. Open.

Garcia has one major win on his resume — the 2017 Masters — and his best finish at the U.S. Open was a T3 all the way back in 2005. Since he snagged a last-minute spot, it will be interesting to see how he performs at Pinehurst.

Justin Thomas

Back over on the PGA Tour, Thomas is having a bounce-back campaign. The two-time major champion hasn't won an event yet this season, but he has two top-10 finishes over his last four starts including a T8 at the PGA Championship. That's a vast improvement over his 2023 campaign, where he missed out on the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Thomas' iron play has been solid, and he ranks seventh on the PGA Tour in strokes gained when approaching the green. If his finish at the PGA Championship is any indication, the Louisville native will be a sleeper at the 2024 U.S. Open.

Wyndham Clark

He snatched the spotlight from McIlroy when he rallied passed the Irishman to win the U.S. Open last year. So why does it seem like we haven't heard much from him this season?

Clark won the Pebble Beach Pro-Am back in February and was a runner-up at both the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship. However, his game has faltered more recently and he has missed the cut in three of his last five starts. That includes cuts at both the Masters and the PGA Championship.

Granted, Clark missed the cut at the PGA Championship last year before becoming the surprise winner at the U.S. Open. It will be interesting to see if the defending champion can find success at Pinehurst, or if his run of tough outings will continue.