Golf’s second major of 2020, the U.S. Open, starts Thursday from the famed Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaronek, New York (about 25-30 miles northeast of New York City). This is the sixth time this particular major has been played at this prestigious course. The course opened in 1923 and has also been the home of U.S. Women’s Opens, U.S. Amateurs, U.S. Senior Opens, and PGA Championships.
As you recall, last month during the PGA Championship, all eight former Georgia golfers made the cut. This time around, seven Bulldogs are in the field including one golfer that is still playing for the Dawgs. A Dawg has never won the U.S. Open; several have come close, including three of them finishing runner-up. In 2019, it was Sepp Straka who was the top Dawg in the field, as he finished tied for 28th in Pebble Beach. Kevin Kisner and Harris English also made the cut, while Keith Mitchell, Brendon Todd, and Bubba Watson did not. Here's a deeper look at the former Bulldogs in the field, as well as some other Dawgs throughout history.
Here are the Georgia players in this year’s field.
HARRIS ENGLISH – English finished 12th in last season’s FedExCup Standings. He made the cut in 18 of 20 PGA Tour events, including a runner-up finish at the Northern Trust and a third place at the Greenbrier. He finished a career-best, tied for 19th at the PGA Championship last month. He has played the United States Open four previous times, and has made the cut each time.
BRIAN HARMAN – Harman was one of the last five players added to the field, but he is no stranger to this course. He played at Winged Foot during the 2004 U.S. Amateur Championship (lost in first round to Aron Price). Harman finished 37th in last season’s FedExCup Standings. He made 17 of 22 cuts and finished in the top 25 eight times. He was tied for 58th at the PGA Championship, which was the fourth time he made the cut in that major in six tries. He made the cut twice in four tries in this major, including a memorable one back in 2017:
(video courtesy of FOX Sports and the USGA)
KEVIN KISNER – Like Harman, Kisner also competed in the 2004 U.S. Amateur. Kisner defeated Joseph Bramlett before losing to Aron Price in the second round. Kisner finished 23rd in the FedExCup Standings last season, and had four top-ten finishes, including a tie for third and a tie for fourth last month. Also last month, he finished tied for 19th at the PGA Championship. He's made the cut in four of six U.S. Opens, including an impressive finish in 2015.
GREYSON SIGG – A new name for most non-college golf fans is Sigg. He is 25 years old and finished his career at the University of Georgia in 2017. The Augusta native was a third-team All-American in 2016 and 2017. He has played in many different tours as a pro; last year in Canada, he shot a 59. He has mostly played on the Korn Ferry Tour this past season. He finished fourth on the points list in a recent Korn Ferry Tour Series, which qualified him for the U.S. Open. This will be his first-ever major.
BRENDON TODD – Todd was a solid player when he started on the PGA Tour and even had a win at the Byron Nelson in 2014. However, from 2016 to 2019, he missed the cut 43 times in 55 PGA Tour events. Last season he improved dramatically, making the cut 18 times out of 25. He had two PGA Tour wins and was in striking distance of winning several others. He finished tied for 20th in this past FedExCup Standings, and finished tied for 17th at the PGA Championship. He repeated the tied-for-17th finish at the 2014 U.S. Open, which is the only time he made the cut in three appearances in this event (missed cut in 2014 and 2015).
BUBBA WATSON – Watson is still the only Bulldog to win a major. He was victorious at The Masters twice (2012 and 2014). He finished 46th in the FedExCup Standings this past season, and had seven top-25 finishes in the 20 PGA Tour events he entered. Three of the seven top-25 finishes happened in his final four tournaments. He finished tied for 71st at the PGA Championship this year after shooting even par in the first and final rounds. He did not compete in the U.S. Open back in 2006 when it was played at Winged Foot, but has competed in the major 13 times:
DAVIS THOMPSON – Thompson is a name that only you die-hard Dawg fans would know, because he's currently a junior on Chris Haack’s men’s golf team. Thompson is one of 13 amateurs who will be playing in this year’s open. He was ranked third in the recent World Amateur Golf Rankings. This will be his third PGA event, as he finished 23rd at the RSM Classic last November and Puerto Rico Open in February. The All-American recently was one of the two winners of the Joel Eaves Award. The first time the U.S. Open was played at Winged Foot was in 1929, and an amateur named Bobby Jones won. So anything is possible.
Speaking of amateurs, another Bulldog who played this course back in 2004 at the U.S. Amateur. I mentioned Harman and Kisner, but David Denham also competed before losing in the first round.
More Bulldogs have competed at the famed course. In 1984, it was Tim Simpson finishing tied for 11th at the U.S. Open, and Ryuji Imada finished tied for 12th at the 2006 version. Also, in 1997, Tommy Tolles finished tied for 13th in the 1997 PGA Championship and shot a final round 66 which was the second best that day.
Here are Thursday’s tee times for the Georgia greats (pay attention to the 7:34 am time)
