My 5 to Watch for the US Women's Open

The boys' playtime is over. Time for the women to commandeer the playground!

Initial reports regarding the condition of Pinehurst #2 are suitable. Apparently, in advance worries that the route might be riddled with divots after the men's essential are unfounded; the USGA's plans for marvelous tee containers seem to have worked. I agree with it became Mark Rolfing who stated that if there have been any problems, they would show up inside the "stuff." The relatively pristine herbal areas the guys saw at the moment are full of divots, footsteps, hacked up plant life, and so on.

However, given how a whole lot more appropriately the women commonly force the ball, I don't think so that it will create any real troubles this week.

Choosing my "5 to Watch" has verified to be extra difficult than anticipated. Having visible the troubles confronted via the men, it's hard to switch that information over to the girls. While plenty has been written approximately Kaymer's electricity and placing, the truth stays that Martin gained the match on Thursday and Friday when the path was damp. (In truth, just one of those rounds could have been enough.) And if the girls see a few rain this week -- it is a real possibility -- I even have trouble believing that one in every of them will run far from the field like that; things have been too aggressive on the LPGA up to now this season.

In addition, the friendships that exist between the men and women play a element as nicely. You may also have heard that around ninety of the ladies had been following the guys on Sunday, and perhaps 30 of them had "within the ropes" passes. You can bet that Martin Kaymer and Sandra Gal (pictured above), who grew up playing junior golfing collectively, have mentioned the course. Jim Furyk's caddie Fluff is going to be looping for Lydia Ko this week. Michelle Wie has the yardage books of both Keegan Bradley and Rickie Fowler... And in line with Scott Rude at GC, Michelle changed into cracking up over comments Rickie wrote down for her. And Lucy Li is ideal pals with Erik Compton.

As a result, the scores at the Women's Open will probably look much different from the men's. Trying to factor all those variables into my choices has made this a real challenge, and given how well I did with my picks last week... oh well, here goes!

• Karrie Webb is probably my favorite this week. Although I'm not so sure the similarities between Pinehurst and any Australian courses will be a big deal (didn't help Adam Scott much, did they?), I think overall experience WILL count for a lot this week. Plus Karrie is driving well, putting well, and just plain scoring well.
• Michelle Wie has a lot of experience that the younger big hitters lack. Although she doesn't putt as well as some of the ladies, I think her short game, accuracy and consistency could be enough to get it done.
• Inbee Park is terribly consistent and, although her putting has been slow to come around, she's been putting better over the last couple of weeks. And as the defending champ, I think she has something to prove.
• Lydia Ko is a bit of a flier pick... and my reason for picking her may surprise you. I like the fact that she isn't a power player. I think she'll be more likely to hit the kind of shots that run up close to the hole, rather than trying to land them close. And she's got Fluff on the bag -- that's a major bonus!
• And I'm picking Gerina Pillar to step up this week. Yeah, she's a real flier pick but she's a birdie machine and, to be blunt, I think she's due. Breaking through with a major seems to suit her style.

I know... you wonder why I didn't pick Stacy Lewis or Suzann Pettersen. Suzann simply hasn't putted well enough and Stacy gets down on herself a lot; that won't work at Pinehurst. And after much debate I picked Gerina over So Yeon Ryu simply because So Yeon isn't as long and doesn't make as many birdies (though she makes a lot).

So there you have it. Let's see if my picks do a piece higher this week than last.