Editor’s Note: 3 Jack Almanac is pleased to welcome Anthony Distler as a guest author. Check out more of his work on his site, LLLLet’s Golf!
The US Open is this week, and as everyone and their mother breaks down the list of contenders and tries to figure out who will walk away with the season’s second major, I decided to go a different route. As you all should probably know, the continent of Asia has won only one major in men’s professional golf (Y.E. Yang, ’09 PGA). The US Open will be held in Chambers Bay, Washington this year, a location that I believe will prove beneficial for the Asian players. Asia has never won a US Open, but I wonder, is this the year that streak comes to an end?
I have broken down every player who represents an Asian country and dissected their chances. I have given them a grade, from 0-5. The grades go as follows:
5- A legitimate contender to win the tournament
4- Could see them playing meaningful golf on Sunday and notching a top 10
3- Will make the cut, but likely won’t be part of the conversation on Sunday
2- Making the cut will be a victory in itself
1- Very unlikely to make it past Friday
0- Will fight to break 80 in a round
Note that, at the time of this writing, the field is not yet completely set. There are still six spots to be filled by alternates. While it is unlikely an Asian player will make it, the possibility does still exist. I will respond in a comment if another player from Asia makes the tournament and dissect their chances. Here are the eleven players who have the hopes of an entire continent on their shoulders:
Byeong-Hun An (KOR) – Those who don’t follow golf closely will look at An’s victory at the BMW Championship as his introduction to the world, but An has been a good player for a little while now. He dominated the US Amateur in 2009, so he will be playing in his second US Open (he missed the cut in 2010). An was also a surprise at the Open Championship last year, where he finished T26 after making it into the field via final local qualifying. He has notched 9 top 25 finished as a rookie on the European Tour, which includes a string of four straight, and has missed only one cut. An is a superstar in the making, and while I normally wouldn’t be high on the chances of rookies at majors, I doubt An is going to feel overwhelmed. He believes he belongs, and I think he will play like it.
GRADE: 4
Seuk Hyun Baek – (KOR) Baek is going to be a complete unknown to pretty much everyone, and he is likely happy just to be at Chambers Bay when the tournament begins. Baek hasn’t won anywhere, doesn’t have a single top 10 on a major tour this season, and has missed more cuts than he has made in 2015. At the time of this writing, he is ranked 415th in the world. Baek will likely just be enjoying the experience.
GRADE: 0
Hiroyuki Fujita (JPN) – There is a lot that can be said about experience at the highest level. Fujita has 18 wins on the Japan Tour and has played in 19 majors in his career. That being said, he hasn’t made the cut in any of them since 2012, and he is entering missing three of his last four cuts on the Japan Tour. I would feel better about his chances if he was playing better on his home tour, but it has not been a great season for Fujita.
GRADE: 2
Ryo Ishikawa (JPN) – Advanced through sectional qualifying in Ohio, the most packed qualifying field in terms of experience and high quality members. Ishikawa has been playing slightly better this season, but still has had his struggles putting four good rounds together. He surprised a lot of people by finishing inside the top 10 at The Players, and while I think he’s improving, I don’t think he will be near the leaderboard come Sunday.
GRADE: 3
Thongchai Jaidee (THA) – Jaidee has been around forever and plays in all of the majors every year, so it would be shocking to find out that Jaidee has never finished inside the top 10 in a major. In fact, while Jaidee seems to perform well in Europe and Asia, his American record is pretty poor. At this point in his career, I wonder if he will ever contend for a major in his career. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t like his chances.
GRADE: 2
Masahiro Kawamura (JPN) – You don’t know the name Masahiro Kawamura yet, but you will. The 21 year old has one win on the Asian Tour, and currently splits time between the Asian and Japan Tours, with a few stops on the European Tour thrown in, as well. He has had a pretty decent year – two top 10’s, with one on the European Tour, and hasn’t missed a cut since the Hero Indian Open at the beginning of the year. This is Kawamura’s first major, so I doubt he’ll make any noise, but this will be great experience for the young player, and he will have many more opportunities in front of him.
GRADE: 2
Wen-Chong Liang (CHN) – The experienced player from China is currently peaking after winning the sectional qualifier to make it into the field and then winning the JGT Championship by five strokes. Liang was the first player from China to play in the Masters back in 2008, and was the first Chinese golfer to finish inside the top 10 at a major at the 2010 PGA Championship. His experience, coupled with the fact that he is peaking and that the field should set up well for him means Liang could make quite a bit of noise this time around.
GRADE: 4
Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) – When I say Chambers Bay is going to be good for the Asian players in the field, the one I have most in mind is Matsuyama. His ball striking is perfect for tough US Open conditions. He’s a decently long hitter but most importantly he hits a ton of fairways. He finished inside the top 10 in his first US Open back in 2013, and has eight top 10s this season, including at Augusta. He’s only 23, and yet he’s already up to 14th in the world. A big week would make him the first Japanese player to be ranked inside the top 10 in the Official World Golf Rankings. He is aching for a huge break out, and Chambers Bay could provide him with that opportunity. Look at Hideki as one of the favorites.
GRADE: 5
Cheng-Tsung Pan (TPE) – The amateur is competing in his third US Open, which is incredibly for someone who is just about to leave college. He made the cut in 2013, and will be playing in front of a home crowd, as he played college golf at the University of Washington. He went through both local and sectional qualifying in Washington, as well. Familiarity with the area, a little bit of home cooking, and the fact that this kid has an incredibly bright future makes me think he will likely be playing on Sunday.
GRADE: 3
Shunuske Sonoda (JPN) – Originally was an alternate out of the sectional qualifier in Japan, Sonoda gets into the field to fill spots left by withdraws. This will be Sonoda’s second major, having previously competed in the 2010 Open Championship. Sonoda is a middle of the pack player on the Japan Tour – He has only missed two cuts, but has a ton of finishes in the mid-30’s this season. He does have two victories, his most recent being in 2013, but I don’t really expect him to be much of a factor this week.
GRADE: 1
Gunn Yang (KOR) – The reigning US Amateur champion. Yang has really dedicated himself to getting prepared for Tour life, as he’s taken a break from college golf to play on the PGA Tour and in other high profile tournaments. His results have not been where he wants them to be, as he has missed almost every cut. He’s still young and learning, and he will be a great player some day, but he needs some time to develop into that player.
GRADE: 2
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