It's the US Open, Thank God!

As I wrote recently, the PGA Tour 2011 list of winners isn't exactly packed with superstars. That tradition continued today as Harrison Frazar beat Robert Karlsson in a playoff in Memphis to win the St. Jude Championship.

Is this Harrison Frazar? I don't know, it could be.

The 39 year-old Frazar is the definition of journey-man pro. He won on the Nationwide Tour before it was even called the Nationwide Tour, at the 1997 Nike South Carolina Classic. Frazar was the medalist at Q-school in 2008 shooting 59 in the fourth round.

However, this was Frazar's first PGA Tour victory.

It's a great story, but Harrison Frazar is definitely not a superstar. On the heels of the news the Tiger Woods had withdrawn from the US Open, the PGA Tour is in desperate need of a superstar, or at least someone that is recognizable.

The US Open is here, just in time!

The US Open is the greatest spectacle in American golf. Although the US Open isn't run directly by the PGA Tour, it really is the high point of the PGA Tour season. It is always difficult, always held at an iconic American golf course and almost always produces a great champion (see Michael Campbell 2005).

This year, the US Open is being held at Congressional Country Club. Congressional hosted the US Open back in 1997, with Ernie Els winning his second US Open Championship. Like every other tournament this season, it is wide open with no clear favourite. Skybet.com has Phil Mickelson as the favourite at 11/1. Lee Westwood (12/1), Luke Donald (14/1) and Rory McIlroy (18/1) round out the top 4. Defending champion Graeme McDowell is at 45/1 and Masters Champion Charl Schwartzel is at 60/1.

So there you have it, if you're so inclined.

One of the fun things that the USGA does is make the pairings for the US Open however they damn well please. Here are some of the more interesting pairings for the first two rounds.

As always, the defending champion plays with the reigning US Amateur Champion and the reigning British Open Champion. So Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen will be joined by Peter Uihlein.

In addition, there is team Sweden, Henrik Stenson, Fredrik Jacobson and Johan Edfors. Team Italy; the Molinari brothers and Matteo Manassero. Team Spain; Jimenez, Garcia and Quiros. Team casual racism; Anthony Kim, Ryo Ishikawa and Y.E. Yang. Why is that racist? Well because they're all asian, but none of them were born in the same country. Ishikawa is Japanese, Yang is Korean and A.K. is an American. This is a step short of the USGA saying "they all look alike."

Also paired together are the top three players in the world: Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer.

I hate to say this because after I do, he'll probably end up winning. But I don't love Luke Donald's chances this week. The US Open tests every aspect of your game. Luke is the best putter, chipper and scrambler in the world (and the best player). However, he doesn't drive it particularly well. Congressional is a 7,500 yard + golf course and you have to hit the fairway at US Opems. Luke isn't a long hitter by any definition and he misses his fair share of fairways. That isn't a recipe for success at the US Open. Having said all that, I'd be absolutely thrilled to be wrong.

I already regret writing that last paragraph. Luke can putt and chip like crazy and that always makes up for below average driving. When you can get up and down like Luke Donald, you have a chance to win everywhere.

I'm not even going to try and guess who is going to win, but I know it'll be great to watch. And remember, Sunday is Fathers' Day. So this weekend when you watch golf with your dad, you should probably bring the beer.

More US Open coverage to come this week!