Previewing The Top Contenders To Win The 2049 and 2050 US Opens At Oakmont and Merion
Big BIG announcement today from the USGA. The US Open has made Oakmont an anchor location for a number of US Opens, US Am's, and Walker Cups over the next 3 decades. Merion in 2050 too! Momma always taught me that you can never be too prepared, and it looks like the USGA has taken a page straight outta her book on this one. Now I've got Oakmont and Merion circled three times over in my 2049 and 2050 calendars (and my 2025, 2034, 2042 calendars !). Iconic and tough venues that should give the world's best players fits.
I wouldn't be doing my (part-time) job if I didn't have my readers prepared, so without further ado... your top contenders to win the 2049 and 2050 US Opens.
Cruz Garcia (HS Class of 2032, Temecula, CA)
The sweet-swinging lefty out has been dominating the youth ranks down in SoCal. Where have we heard that before? 16 wins in 21 starts in the age 6-9 division. What a weapon. Tough to foresee a situation where this kid isn't in contention on Sunday.
David Saul (HS Class of 2028, La Jolla, CA)
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Another SoCal stud… currently the leader of the 9-10 Boys' FCG Kids Tour, David Saul has been piling up the W's left and right. Guy's got phenomenal tempo, exactly the kind of stuff that thrives in a US Open setup.
Could it be David drinking a few frosty A&W's out of the US Open Trophy after going low on Sunday? Can't wait to find out!
Charlie Woods (HS Class of 2027)
Mike Ehrmann. Getty Images.
Ol' Charlie might be on the back 9 of his career at age 41, but the pedigree speaks for itself. Smooth swing is one that should keep him out there well into his years, provided he avoids any sort of Navy SEAL training/91 hole tournaments on fractured legs/emotionally destructive tendencies/car accidents. Shouldn't be too hard to do that. So lay your money now on Charlie and ask questions later.
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Charlie Woods' Kid
Andrew Redington. Getty Images.
Can't rule this possibility out. Also can't rule out older sister Sam having her own kid in the mix here too. A young grandson of Tiger Woods at Oakmont is a reality we simply must consider if we're taking this seriously. Which I am.
So let's just call these a couple darkhorse picks. I'll run it up the ladder at the Sportsbook (download now) to see if we can get a line on either of these.
A Morikawa To Be Named Later
Andrew Redington. Getty Images.
I think we can agree alll the way back here in 2021 that Collin Morikawa is the next big thing in golf. Tons of great young names out there, but it's pretty much Collin and Jon Rahm for who will be top dogs on Tour for the next 10-15 years. As it relates to these US Opens, Collin's got his long-time girlfriend who played golf at Pepperdine for 4 years. I don't want to speak for them but things seem to be going prrrretty well there, so I'm gonna make the assumption that there's going to be a ring on the thing before too long. From there, you're combining Collin's gene pool with this swing….
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So yeah. One to look out for for SURE.
And there ya have it. Top contenders for the 2049 and 2050 US Opens. I don't see much changing between now and then, so you can probably lock these five in for Top 5 bets now and thank me later.