The Rare PLAYERS-US Open Double

Since quite a few big names missed the cut at THE PLAYERS -- Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson, to name just three -- you might wonder how that's going to affect them in the next major. You'd think that THE PLAYERS would play a big part preparing a pro for a run at the US Open, wouldn't you?

Apparently not. There's an interesting article at Golf Digest about this very thing, and it turned up some interesting facts.



The article looks at how players finished in THE PLAYERS since 2007 when it moved to May, and how they finished in the following US Open. Check out these pertinent facts:

• Martin Kaymer in 2014 became the first and only player to win both tournaments in the same year. (That's in all of golf history, not just since 2007.)
• Only one other US Open champ -- Graeme McDowell in 2010 -- even made the cut in THE PLAYERS the year they won.
• Only one PLAYERS champ besides Kaymer -- Henrik Stenson in 2009 -- posted a Top10 in the US Open that year.
• Sergio Garcia, PLAYERS champ in 2008, is the only other winner to post a Top20 in that year's US Open.

There are a lot more interesting facts in the article, but here's the takeaway:

Performance at THE PLAYERS in May is absolutely NO indication of how a player will perform at the US Open in June.

So for all you fans of Rickie and Jordan and Phil -- or any other player who is struggling this week at THE PLAYERS -- perhaps you should pull for Jason Day to win today. If history is any indication, that may give your boy the best chance to snag a US Open next month!