NINE GUYS WHO AREN'T TIGER

Torrey Pines is very long golf course and it plays at Sea Level. For reasons I don't understand, the USGA has decided to make the fairways wider. The wind will almost certainly be up at least one of the four days. The greens will be substandard for US Open greens. To me this gives an advantage to big hitters and iron players who can shape their shots, high, low, left to right, right to left. Really good putters, Like Steve Stricker, for example, lose their advantage because the greens will be a bit bumpy.

Here are some guys who fit those specs:

Mickelson--Works it both ways, big hitter and knows the course well

Boo Weekley--Works it both ways. Pretty much chokeproof swing.

Anthony Kim -- Really good wind player. Knows the course almost as well as Mickelson. Wide fairways will help him.

K.J. Choi -- accurate iron player. Good at landing the ball softly on hard greens.

Stewart Cink -- Good Shot Shaper. Has had some success in US Open tough conditions.

Sergio Garcia -- Can hit any shot shape. Hugely long. Might not matter this week that he couldn't putt his way out of a wet paper bag.

Trevor Immelmann -- Back to playing well. Grand Slam-eligible.

Steven Ames -- Now that he's actually legally in the U.S. his long game--any shot, as needed--is as good as it's ever been.

J.B. Holmes -- This may be the only Open site on which he could win. He'll be hitting less club than anybody else into hard greens and he's strong enough to tear it out of the lettuce