The 119th US Open championship returns to one of American golf’s most iconic venues for a sixth time with eight Australians hoping to create a new slice of history at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Only two Australian men – David Graham in 1981 and Geoff Ogilvy in 2006 – have claimed the United States Golf Association’s showpiece event. The Pebble Beach roll of honour reads like a who’s who of golf’s best of the modern era, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Kite, Tom Watson, Tiger Woods and Graeme McDowell all raising the US Open Championship trophy on Pebble Beach’s famed 18th green.
Below is a comprehensive guide to the eight Australians teeing it up from the early hours of Friday morning (our time), their US Open history, how they have fared at Pebble Beach and how they qualified.
Jason Day
Round 1 (1.02am AEST): Si Woo Kim, Rickie Fowler
World ranking: 16
Best finish in 2019: T-4 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (PGA Tour)
Best finish at the US Open: 2nd at Congressional Country Club (2011), T-2 at Merion Golf Club (2013)
Best finish in a Major: 1st, 2015 US PGA Championship
Best finish at Pebble Beach: T-2, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (2018)
How he qualified: Winners of the PGA Championship 2014-2019
Fast fact: Day has enlisted the help of the game’s most accomplished caddie, Kiwi Steve Williams, to aid his quest at Pebble Beach. Williams was on the bag with Tiger Woods for his 15-shot win at Pebble in 2010.
Adam Scott
Round 1 (6.47am): Webb Simpson, Matt Kuchar
World ranking: 17
Best finish in 2019: 2nd at Farmers Insurance Open, 2nd at the Memorial (PGA Tour)
Best finish in the US Open: T-4 at Chambers Bay (2015)
Best finish in a Major: 1st, 2013 Masters
Best finish at Pebble Beach: T-52, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (2010)
How he qualified: Top-60 in Official World Golf Ranking as of May 20
Fast fact: Runner-up finish last start at Memorial saw Scott return to the top 20 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time since September 2017.
Marc Leishman
Round 1 (12.51am): Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm
World ranking: 21
Best finish in 2019: T-3 Sony Open (PGA Tour)
Best finish at the US Open: T-18 at Oakmont Country Club (2016)
Best finish in a Major: T-2, 2015 Open Championship
Best finish at Pebble Beach: T-21, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (2011)
How he qualified: By qualifying for the 2018 Tour Championship
Fast fact: Has not played the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am since 2011, having missed the cut at the 2010 US Open with rounds of 77-74.
Cameron Smith
Round 1 (1.24am): Matt Wallace, Xander Schauffele
World ranking: 34
Best finish in 2019: T-6 at WGC–Mexico Championship
Best finish in the US Open: T-4 at Chambers Bay (2015)
Best finish in a Major: T-4, 2015 US Open
Best finish at Pebble Beach: T-11, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (2016)
How he qualified: By qualifying for 2018 Tour Championship
Fast fact: With an eagle at the final hole of the 2015 US Open, Smith broke into the top 100 in the world for the first time, moving from 160th to 89th.
Aaron Baddeley
Round 1 (7.09am): Justin Harding, Andrew Putnam
World ranking: 180
Best finish in 2019: T-2 at Puerto Rico Open
Best finish in the US Open: T-13 at Oakmont Country Club (2007)
Best finish in a Major: T-13, 2007 US Open
Best finish at Pebble Beach: 4th, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (2012)
How he qualified: via sectional qualifying
Fast fact: The only Australian in the field to have played in both the 2000 and 2010 US Open championships at Pebble Beach, receiving a special invitation from the USGA in 2000 after his 1999 Australian Open victory as an amateur.
Matt Jones
Round 1 (7.20am): Daniel Berger, Kodai Ichihara
World ranking: 187
Best finish in 2019: T-5 at AT&T Byron Nelson
Best finish in the US Open: MC (2014, 2018)
Best finish in a Major: T-21, 2015 US PGA Championship
Best finish at Pebble Beach: T-7, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (2015)
How he qualified: via sectional qualifying
Fast fact: Was forced to withdraw after the opening round of his US Open debut at Bethpage Black in 2009 with a herniated disc.
Marcus Fraser
Round 1 (11.45pm): Sam Saunders, Carlos Ortiz
World ranking: 467
Best finish in 2019: T-17 at ISPS Handa Vic Open (Australasian/European tours)
Best finish in the US Open: T-45 at Oakmont Country Club (2007)
Best finish in a Major: T-20, 2015 Open Championship
Best finish at Pebble Beach: First appearance
How he qualified: via sectional qualifying
Fast fact: Will have former AFL legend Brendon Goddard on the bag in his fourth US Open appearance.
Brett Drewitt
Round 1 (7.42am): Eric Dietrich, Guillermo Pereira
World ranking: 1,017
Best finish in 2019: T-14 Evans Scholars Invitational (Web.com Tour)
Best finish in the US Open: First appearance
Best finish in a Major: First appearance
Best finish at Pebble Beach: T-33, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (2017)
How he qualified: via sectional qualifying
Fast fact: Hailing from Inverell in northern New South Wales, Drewitt was fortunate to escape serious injury when involved in a car crash in 2012.
