Ligue 1

Justin Thomas has struggled in his last two Masters starts – no surprise given the downturn in his form generally – but he ended 2024 by finishing second and third in his last two events. He’s well suited to Augusta, where his approach play and scrambling ability are huge assets.

Rory McIlroy’s first PGA Tour title came at the Charlotte venue in 2010 and he’s gone on to win the Wells Fargo Championship at the course on a further three occasions. He is comfortable at Quail Hollow and looks an obvious title threat if he can hold it together mentally.

A runner-up in 2022 and third in 2023, the exacting test which the US Open usually provides should prove to be ideal for such a marvellous ball-striker as Scottie Scheffler.

Tommy Fleetwood is one of the best exponents of links golf in the world, finishing in the top 12 in four of the last six Opens. Expect him to make another bold run at the Claret Jug come July.

Swedish star Ludvig Aberg looks tailor-made for the ball-striking test Oakmont provides, and he could be peaking at the right time following an encouraging display at last week’s Canadian Open.

The 25-year-old has been inconsistent at the Majors – missing the cut at the PGA Championship last month – but he’s also finished second and seventh in two Masters starts, and placed 12th in this event at Pinehurst last year, where his tee-to-green game stood out.

After a 16th-place finish at the Memorial Tournament, Aberg started slowly in Canada, which was perhaps no surprise as he had prioritised practicing at Oakmont before travelling north of the border, but he caught fire over the weekend, carding rounds of 65 and 66 to finish tied 13th.

He hasn’t been especially consistent this year, but that’s factored into his price. And it’s worth remembering that his lone 2025 win came at Torrey Pines South, another US Open venue, in the Genesis Invitational.

Shane Lowry ranks second behind only Scheffler in strokes-gained tee-to-green on the PGA Tour this season, and the Irishman could go one better than when runner-up at last Oakmont US Open.

Lowry was superb through three rounds in 2016, before a final-round 76, combined with Johnson’s brilliance, saw him limp to a share of second place.

He posted four rounds in the 60s in Canada last week, striking his irons well, and he should contend again at a Major venue that suits his game.

Sepp Straka is in the form of his life, winning the American Express in January, and triumphing again in Pennsylvania at last month’s Truist Championship.

He missed the cut at the US PGA Championship, but he rebounded superbly at the Memorial, where only Scheffler and Ben Griffin outscored him through 72 holes.

The Austrian hasn’t thrived at US Opens, but he’s been a runner-up at the Open Championship and finished seventh at the 2023 PGA Championship behind two-time US Open winner Brooks Koepka. Straka ranks fourth in strokes-gained tee-to-green on the PGA Tour this year.

Patience and experience should prove vital this week, and American Harris English possesses both attributes in spades.

English has relished tough US Open tests, finishing fourth at Winged Foot in 2020, third at Torrey Pines in 2021, and eighth at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023.

He was runner-up at the US PGA Championship, 12th at the Memorial in his most recent outing, while his one win this year came at Torrey Pines’ South in the Farmers Insurance Open.

Keegan Bradley seems motivated by the idea of being a playing captain at the Ryder Cup. The 2011 PGA champion sits between Lowry and Straka in the PGA Tour’s strokes-gained tee-to-green rankings and has been a model of consistency this season, with his only missed cut coming at the Masters.

He followed that up with an eighth-place finish at the PGA Championship and seventh at the Memorial. He looks poised for a strong showing.