The 2019 US Open: Preview and Predictions

The 3rd Golf Major of the year gets underway on Thursday, at the stunning Pebble Beach. It's a tough course with fearsome rough and plenty of hazards, which should reward long-game accuracy rather than just distance.

Our fantasy golf game is a lot of fun - quick and simple to play, and it will make every shot important! Here's how things work.

Bands

Our golf game is designed to reflect how people watch golf - everyone has a few favourite players that they follow, and pay particular attention to during the coverage. We ask you to pick four golfers for each day, and their score will determine your score.

But you can't just pick the top four golfers in the world, where would the fun be if everyone had the same players? We have divided the field into four groups, which reflect their likelihood of winning the tournament - Band 1 contains the favourites, whilst Band 4 has players with an outside chance.

You will need to pick one player from each band, and for every stroke they score under par, you will receive 1 point. You'll also lose a point for every stroke over par...



For example, you pick Jordan Spieth and he shoots -8 on Day 1. That's 8 points for you, well played. But you have also picked Sergio Garcia who keeps finding the water and shoots a round of +3 (-3 points for you), Henrik Stenson who picks up a 2-stroke penalty and finishes on +2 (-2 points for you), and Ian Poulter who scores Even par (0 points). That would give you a total of 8 - 3 - 3 + 0 = 2 points.

The 2019 US Open

Given that he's won the last two US Open titles, it's no surprise to see Brooks Koepka up there with Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy as the favourites for this year's competition. I'll be going with him on Thursday, here are my picks for Round 1 in full:

Brooks Koepka: After helping me to various Superbru pool victories in the PGA Championship, I’m sticking with Koepka, the defending champion and Major machine.

Tommy Fleetwood: Fleetwood has an excellent record in US Opens - 4th in 2017, 2nd in 2018 - and I think he’s a Major-winner in waiting.

Brandt Snedeker: He has won twice before at Pebble Beach and shot a 60 last week on his way to T4th in the Candian Open. Nobody else is really tempting me in this group.

Kevin Kisner: Kisner's accuracy off the tee should be rewarded at Pebble Beach, and he feels like a good option in the band of outside bets.

At the end of each day's golf, it's a good idea to head back to Superbru and see how you've got on in comparison to others in your pool! After all, how you're getting on against your mates will help to determine who you select for Day 2.