Columnist Peter Benton: Time to handicap the U.S. Open field

Peter Benton

Wednesday, June 13, 2001 | 10:33 a.m.

Peter Benton's golf column appears Wednesday.

Because of his dominance on Tour -- not to mention his outstanding record in the majors -- Tiger Woods is obviously the man to beat in the 101st U.S. Open which gets under way Thursday over the demanding Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.

There are so many very good golfers going against El Tigre that it is difficult to select who will be chasing, or challenging, him at the conclusion of the tournament. However, for what it is worth, here is my line:

Tiger Woods, 2-1: Talent unlimited, and although this particular layout will test him far more than Pebble Beach did last year, how can you bet against him? This would be five majors in a row.

Vijay Singh, 8-1: Hardest worker on tour and a man who plays his own game without worrying about other competitors.

Tom Lehman, 10-1: As steady as they come and always seems to be there at the finish. Leads tour in greens in regulation.

Hal Sutton, 10-1: Drives the ball well, playing incredibly consistent golf and a victory here would be no surprise.

Sergio Garcia, 12-1: Now has a win in the States and is brimming with confidence. Appears to have no fear but that could just be youthful exuberance.

Nick Price, 15-1: A terrific striker of the ball and it looks as if his game is peaking at the right time.

Ernie Els, 15-1: Big, smooth-swinging South African has not been at his best of late with far too many errant drives. If that problem has been rectified, look out.

Jim Furyk, 15-1: Won the Mercedes Championship back in January for his only win this year, but cannot be counted out because of his outstanding course management.

Joe Durant, 18-1: Somewhat of a chameleon, this man. Seems to play either very well or rather poorly. Leads driving accuracy stats which is a definite plus on this layout.

Scott Verplank, 20-1: Has been very consistent all year and playing in front of his home folks could be a huge boost.

Jesper Parnevik, 20-1: This character can scramble with the best of them and that will be a necessity for all players on this track.

Phil Mickelson, 22-1: Despite his undoubted talent, this guy seems to be snakebitten in the majors. He is long overdue to win a "big one."

Scott Hoch, 25-1: Possibly the most underrated player on Tour -- and yet one of the most consistent.

Lee Westwood, 25-1: Has not played too much since birth of first child but has so much talent cannot be counted out.

Bernhard Langer, 28-1: This guy seems to have been around forever and his runner-up finish last week must be a huge confidence booster.

Mike Weir, 30-1: Canadian lefty has amazed many with his oft-brilliant play. Could surprise here.

Michael Campbell, 35-1: This guy seems to be exceedingly good or exceedingly bad. If he's the former, he could definitely challenge.

Brad Faxon, 35-1: Terrific putter who is having a solid year. Won earlier in Hawaii.

Angel Cabrera, 40-1: Tenth in this year's Masters and is a very good player.

Davis Love III, 50-1: Neck injury has curtailed his play for some weeks now and he will no doubt suffer because of this layoff.

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