ESPN 2009 US Open

It was about 18 months ago when Poulter famously intimated to a U.K. golf mag that he was the world's best player not named Tiger Woods. In regard to last year's Masters, he said, "Put Tiger down for that one." For the year's second major at the U.S. Open, he predicted, "You can put me down for that one."

Of course, it was Woods who claimed the Open, but perhaps Poulter was just a year off in his prognostication. He plays with enough mental toughness to win this tournament -- just check his results from last year's British Open and Ryder Cup -- that he shouldn't be scared off by the Black's menacing ways. And doesn't it just seem like one of those years when a bunch of really good players who aren't necessarily the favorites win all the big events? First it was Angel Cabrera, then Henrik Stenson. Maybe Ian Poulter is next in line for his first major championship title.

Déjà vu all over again? For those who would like to hand the U.S. Open hardware to Woods before the first round even gets under way, heed this recent history: Just two months ago, TW was two weeks removed from winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He was being hailed as the likely Masters champion, only to finish in a share of sixth place.

This week, he once again comes into a major on the heels of a victory, having triumphed at the Memorial Tournament, thanks to hitting 87.5 percent of the fairways at Muirfield Village. His success this week might be predicated on how many times he can again reach the short stuff at Bethpage, but expect to see driver on at least a few occasions each day because of the length of the course. There's no doubt Woods will be in the mix come Sunday, but a fourth Open victory is hardly in the bag, either.

Cynics will contend that this three-time major champion doesn't own the short game necessary to win a U.S. Open, but try on this logic: The tougher the greens, the more 2-putts dispersed throughout the field. Then again, it's not as if he can't make 'em, either. And it's not as if the Big Fijian has completely failed when playing this event in the past; he owns seven career top-10 results.

He finally looks to be fully healed from early-season knee surgery, too. Before missing the cut in his most recent start at the Memorial, Singh finished T-16 or better in three consecutive starts.

The last man to win a New York-area U.S. Open title (2006 at Winged Foot) is a trendy pick once again this year, and for good reason. With victories at the Mercedes-Benz Championship and WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, Ogilvy is one of five players to win multiple times so far this season.

The golf course architecture junkie is not only cerebral when it comes to analyzing the sport; he has gradually joined the ranks of the world's elite-level performers in recent years. Although some still consider his first major a fluky win that was gift-wrapped for him, a second such title would hardly bring such criticism.

The 2009 Masters might be best remembered as "the one that got away" for Kenny Perry and "the one that coulda been" for Phil Mickelson, but let's not forget that the last man standing was green jacket winner Cabrera. If you're scoring at home, El Pato has now won two of the past eight major championships, and there's good reason to think he can contend once again this week.

The Black Course is expected to be ensconced in rain for much of the proceedings, meaning those players with a higher ball flight could find greater success. And that means watch out for Cabrera, who blasts the ball skyward like no one else in the game. He might not be the favorite to win this week, but that's OK; he wasn't the favorite to win his two major titles, either.

Despite posing as a forlorn clown for the cover of the latest issue of GolfWorld magazine, the 2003 U.S. Open champion doesn't clown around when it comes to the year's second major. (Which, come to think of it, was probably the thought process behind that cover in the first place.)

Chances are, Furyk is rooting for a brutal setup that leads to high scores. Although he won with an 8-under total at Olympia Fields, his 6-over number was good enough for runner-up status in both 2006 and '07.

The first nonstar on this list (wait -- does Poulter count?) has reached the weekend in all three previous U.S. Open starts. Couple that with the fact that he's coming off a T-7 finish in Memphis this past week, and perhaps it all will equate to major championship contention for the guy from Northern Ireland.

If it happens, expect plenty of solid up-and-downs from the greenside rough; his greens-in-regulation percentage ranks just 141st on the PGA Tour, but he can roll the rock and should save plenty of pars during the week.

He can't explain it, but the California native and Arizona State grad has been adopted as a native son of the New York-area crowds. Mickelson finished runner-up in the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage and the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, won the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol and lost the 2006 U.S. Open in fateful fashion at Winged Foot.

This time, Lefty returns to the metropolitan area with more fan support than ever, as his wife, Amy, was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. The question remains, though: Will Phil's heavy heart lead to a poor showing this week, or could he ride an emotionally charged wave to the top of the leaderboard? We'll find out soon enough.

Although Johnson won the Masters two years ago, it's very possible that he didn't mature into an elite player until recently. A mini-meltdown at Quail Hollow notwithstanding, he has transformed into one of the coolest customers when the chips are on the line in a final round, having won three titles since late last season.

The self-described normal guy from Iowa owns a befuddling U.S. Open record -- two made cuts in five starts, no finish better than T-45 -- but the tourney should suit him. He's due for a strong result in this one.

The Wisconsin native should enter this week brimming with confidence. After so many close calls this season -- on three separate occasions, he led a tournament on the back nine of the final round -- Stricker finally broke through with a victory at Colonial.

Always known as one of the best putters on the planet, he has finished 30th or better in eight of 13 appearances at the U.S. Open, including each of the past three years. If he's ever to win a major, it will be this one.

Ask him about losing on the second hole of the Masters playoff against Angel Cabrera, and he is noticeably still upset about the result: "Very positive. Enjoyed it. It was a good ride."

Umm. No, seriously. Let's be serious, Kenny. Aren't you still feeling the pain?

"It gave me a lot of confidence to give me the ability to know that I can do it," he said. "I had it. That was something I had. Kind of like '96, I had that deal done, too, PGA, and I just did not quite finish it out. I know I can do it. It's just I've got to rethink it a little bit when I'm coming down on the last couple of holes and not get ahead of myself. But I look forward to the challenge."

The Big Easy really burst onto the international golf scene with a victory at the U.S. Open in 1994, then added a second one in '97. Still armed with one of the prettiest swings in the game, Els hasn't finished in the top 10 at this event since 2004, which sort of mirrors the downward spiral in his overall performance.

In 11 starts on the PGA Tour this season, he owns three top-10s but has yet to seriously contend for a title. Just 39 years old, this can't be the end of the road; you have to believe there's more great golf left in him. Then again, it would be a surprise to see something great this week.

When last we saw Garcia at Bethpage, he was waggling … and waggling … and waggling … over every shot, much to the dismay of the New York fans.

Garcia's response? The then-22-year-old issued a one-fingered salute. You may also recall that 2002 was the Open during which he called out the USGA for giving preferential treatment to Tiger Woods -- an act that left him apologizing to the eventual champion later in the week.

Lost among all of that, though, was his strong play throughout the week, as he finished solo fourth. He's on a cold streak right now, so a similar result may be wishful thinking.

I've already noted Paddy's practice of patience, which helped him win a pair of British Open titles and a PGA Championship. So why isn't he higher on the list? Quite simply, Harrington has struggled mightily with his game this season; he has failed to record a top-10 in a dozen starts so far and owns three missed cuts in his past four tourneys.

After years of earning a reputation as a range rat, he reportedly has switched to a new practice regimen, which has him beating balls less and trying to capitalize on the efforts more. So far, it has failed to produce strong results.

Informed that European TV station Sky Sports is promoting the tournament with an advertisement that shows only Woods and him, McIlroy was asked whether he's ready to challenge the No. 1-ranked player.

"If he plays the way he did the last round at Memorial, then no," said the 20-year-old from Northern Ireland. "But I can't control what he does or what anyone else does in the field. I just have to go out and play my golf. If it's good enough, it's good enough. If it's not, then so be it. So guys don't go into majors thinking I have to do this to beat Tiger, I have to do that to beat Tiger. They go in and they concentrate on their own game. If their own game at the end of the day isn't good enough, then that's the way it goes."

Bet the house that McIlroy's own game will be good enough someday, but not yet. Not this week.

Ask him which major will be his first victory. Really. Ask him. He'll tell you.

"The next one. Always," says the guy known as AK. "You know, I go into every golf tournament thinking I can win. There's no reason to stop now. Whether it happens or not, I don't know, but I know my mentality has to be, 'I'm here, I'm going to give it my best shot to win the golf tournament, and whatever happens, happens.'"

What has happened so far this season is that since a T-2 at the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship, he's failed to finish better than T-17 in 10 appearances.

Three years ago, Double-D was bottoms on my U.S. Open pre-tournament ranking. Dead last. Numero 156. Mired in what became about a half-decade-long slump, Duval actually proved me wrong, making the cut that week and finishing T-16. He's back at the Open for the first time since then, and although it would be a shock to see him contend for the title, don't be surprised to see him around on the weekend once again.

Remember, he played in the penultimate pairing during the third round of last year's British Open, and he's coming off a pair of very good rounds at sectional qualifying that got him into this tournament. All of which puts him much higher than 156th on this list. I won't make that mistake twice.

When I told him recently that the Bethpage galleries likely would entail thousands of fans chanting his first name and asked whether he was prepared for such a scenario, he said in typical Rocco fashion, "I just need to ask them, 'Are they prepared for me?'"

It would take something close to a miracle for Mediate to replicate last year's runner-up result, but then again, it took something close to a miracle for him to garner such a finish at Torrey Pines, too. If it does happen, though, expect him to be prepared for it. And for the fans, as well.

He's coming off a 5-stroke victory in Memphis this past weekend, which vaulted him into the U.S. Open field. And that was preceded two months earlier by a 10-shot victory at Harbour Town.

What does that tell us? Dude can go low. OK, so why is he so "low" on this list? Three reasons: First, it's so difficult to contend at a major one week after winning; second, he doesn't hit the ball very long at all; and third, in five previous appearances at this event, he's never once made the cut.