So this just popped up on ESPN and I can't recall a similar situation I've seen in the world of sports:
PINEHURST, N.C. -- An attorney representing four-time major champion Rory McIlroy filed a motion Tuesday to voluntarily dismiss a divorce petition that was filed on the golfer's behalf in a Florida court last month.
McIlroy told The Guardian of London on Tuesday that he had reconciled with his wife of seven years, Erica Stoll. The case is closed, according to court records.
"There have been rumors about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate," McIlroy said in the statement. "Responding to each rumor is a fool's game. Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realized that our best future was as a family together. Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning." - ESPN, credit to you
What a MOVE coming into US Open week - Scottie Scheffler getting all the attention as media darling with his little family at the Memorial, Rory comes in and says 'NOT SO FAST my friend! I TOO am a family man! Amanda Balionis may have taken a few swings at me, but I'm going back to the wife.' Wozniacki gotta be pissed, she was definitely in her witch cauldron cooking up some potions and rooting for the demise of her ex-fiance. Never forget this pic from circa 2012:
So that begs the question: is Rory going to be pumped about this or is he going to feel trapped? Did his wife use her leverage as a cudgel against him breaking up their family? Or was there true reconciliation? Irish folks don't really like a lot of drama, and tend towards agreeableness on the conflict resolution structure, so it will be interesting to see his mind state/performance going into this weekend at Pinehurst. Here's the Top 5 dudes who can get it done this weekend in the eyes of golf expert Daniel Dials/mostly guys I just kind of like (Brooks not so much) and wouldn't mind seeing win.
5. Justin Rose - the old (relatively speaking) South African still has some solid game left in the tank, as he was in the mix at the PGA last month (finishing T6) and has won a US Open on a course with a similar layout/level of difficulty at Merion back in 2013. Also this 5 wood out of the second cut on the 18th hole on a Sunday is one of my favorite shots I've ever seen - don't really know why, had just never seen it before, thought it was innovative:
4. Brooks Koepka - the big dog is due for one. He's a 2 time winner, and has the physicality and strength to deal with the rough famous US Open rough if he gets into trouble off the tee, which not many other folks have. No John Rahm this weeks means another one bites the dust for Brooks, and his competition after he does his mental bludgeoning math before first tee on Thursday just got a bit thinner.
3. Phil Mickelson - Phil has six (6!) 2nd place or T2's in his career at the US Open if my memory serves me correctly, so as a proponent of gambling and all that comes with it, would be fun to see Lefty re-enact some of this energy from the PGA Championship 2021 and get a W at Pinehurst.
2. Rory McIllroy - What will Rory's mentality be this week? Will he be rattled or locked in? He's a former US Open Champion going all the way back to 2011, and hasn't won a major in ten years, since he played up on the 18th at Valhalla (the amount of legendary clips in this blog is significant, credit to me):
He has the length needed to attack pins, if he can get going with the putter, watch out Northern Ireland.
1. Matt Fitzpatrick - While he may not have the length off the tee to be a favorite this week, the dude keeps it in the fairway and can get hot with the putter, so you never know what can happen. Will he really get out and compete? Anybody's guess, but I've liked him since I saw him twice at the Country Club, once in 2013 to win the US Amateur and once in 2022 to win the US Open. Go get 'em, Matt! And solid value for the gamblers this week at +4500.
Will it likely be Scottie Scheffler at the top of the leaderboard at the end of the week? Probably. Dude is on an absolute heater that golf hasn't seen in decades, but we like to have fun around here. I don't know why Tiger is playing practice rounds, but hope he's in the mix too of course.
Course looks insanely tough, and long - 7500+ yards with these greens, I may shoot a 160, TI may come in with a 110.
Footage of the greens does not look fun:
Shooting 75 is a damn good score here - we've seen US Open champions in the past end up over par (Webb Simpson in 2012 comes to mind, I believe he finished at +1). If the top 5 all end up under par, consider that a big win for the field vs. old Donald Ross and his mad genius course design. Go get 'em in North Carolina, boys! Cue TI saying 'Dan, you don't even golf anymore' in the Discord...
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