US Open talking points: LIV Golf's shadow, Mickelson's quest, and in-form McIlroy's bid

The season's latest major throws up a number of intriguing storylines in Boston this week

Phil Mickelson during a practice round ahead of the US Open on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at The Country Club in Brookline. AP

The season’s third major championship takes place this week, with the US Open teeing off on Thursday. We look at some of the main talking points heading into the event at The Country Club in Brookline, Boston.

Charl Schwartzel poses with the trophy after winning the LIV Invitational Series at the Centurion Golf Club in St Albans, England, on June 11. EPA

How long a shadow will LIV Golf cast?

It represents the foremost issue in golf right now. Understandably, it has dominated this week’s pre-event press briefings. Justin Thomas labelled it “sad”. Phil Mickelson did his best to deflect and dismiss. Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm spoke eloquently, as is their wont, each defending staunchly the PGA Tour. Brooks Koepka was, some would say rather forebodingly, conspicuously chippy.

Predictably, LIV Golf was the hot topic at The Country Club in Brookline, in what marks the first tournament since the Saudi Arabia-backed Invitational Series kicked off last week. Charl Schwartzel walked away as LIV’s inaugural winner on Saturday, pocketing $4.75 million in the process - $2.5m more than the major championship offers this week.

It’s almost impossible at the moment to avoid the game’s controversial new arrival. So, will there be any more player announcements this week? And how will the PGA Tour loyalists mix with LIV’s acolytes on the ground in Boston? Regrettably, those talking points could overshadow all else for the majority.

Crowds watch Rory McIlroy during a practice round at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. EPA

Will the Boston crowd react, or pay any heed at all?

Always vociferous, the Boston crowd will most probably play a factor this week. In 1999, the fans who descended on Brookline for the Ryder Cup famously heckled Team Europe, at times emotion spilling over to the unsavoury. Just ask Colin Montgomerie. Ultimately, the home team enjoyed the partisan support, using it to their advantage as the United States overturned a then-record, four-point deficit to triumph.

While this week should be nowhere near as tribal as the biennial battle between continents, the LIV Golf development adds an intriguing subplot. How will Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed, in particular, be received? Sentiment has been stirred by the new series, and only deepened by some of the game’s starriest names signing up.

So far this week, the players have met with a generally warm reception. However, come Friday afternoon, or even the weekend when fans get especially lively, the reception might ratchet up. If resoundingly negative, could that affect player performance?

Phil Mickelson gives a thumbs up as he signs autographs for fans at The Country Club. AFP

Can the much-maligned Mickelson make even more history?

With his appearance this week generating plenty of adverse headlines, Mickelson’s quest to join a particularly select band has been somewhat overlooked. The American’s incredibly impressive six major titles do not include a US Open, meaning should he be victorious this week, he will become only the sixth man to complete the career Grand Slam.

Mickelson already has his pretty large slice of history, having last year reigned supreme at the US PGA Championship to become, at the age of 50, the oldest major champion in the sport. However, this has been no normal build-up. Mickelson ended a four-month, self-imposed hiatus last week by competing in the LIV Golf opener, but finished tied-33rd (from 48 players) as he clearly struggled across the weekend.

Mickelson put that down to problems with the putter, and resurfaced in Brookline on Monday with an emphasis on his short stick. Putting it mildly, it’s been a troublesome time of late for Mickelson; how he performs this week, viewed by many as the lead man in golf's great revolution, will be hugely interesting to watch. Remember, he is a six-time runner-up at the US Open.

Rory McIlroy prepares for the US Open. AP

Could Rory McIlroy go back-to-back and end major drought?

Such is McIlroy’s reputation and obvious repertoire, that he arrives at any major as one of the principal storylines. That has been only accentuated, then, by Sunday’s performance at the Canadian Open. The Northern Irishman delivered a display for the ages, fending off Thomas and others down the straight to shoot a 62 and secure a 21st PGA Tour title.

The victory at the RBC Canadian Open provides McIlroy the opportunity to this week become the first player since 2014 to capture a major the week after a PGA Tour win. The last to do it? McIlroy, when he succeeded his WGC-Bridgestone Invitational triumph with a win at the US PGA Championship.

Perhaps crucially, his wedge game was on point in Canada, a consistent weakness becoming a real strength to remind everyone that, when all parts of his game are on, McIlroy remains the game’s standout competitor. Yet it’s been eight long years since the 2011 US Open champion tasted major success. This week feels as good as any, really, to finally land a fifth “big one”.

Jon Rahm during a practice round ahead of the US Open at The Country Club in Brookline. AP

Can Jon Rahm emulate Brooks Koepka’s successful defence?

Twelve months ago, Rahm registered a remarkable finish at Torrey Pines to land a first major crown. It was made all the more extraordinary by the fact that, weeks before, the Spaniard was forced to withdraw from the Memorial Tournament because of a positive Covid-19 test. At the time, he held a six-stroke lead.

The former world No 1 enters this week as the second-ranked player in the 156-man field, underlined by last month’s victory at the US PGA Mexico Open – his first since the 2021 US Open. Going back-to-back in any event is never easy, but even more so in the majors.

However, the most recent example was not too long ago, when Koepka held on to the title he earned at Erin Hills with a superb showing at Shinnecock Hills in 2018. Rahm’s success last year ended America’s six-year stranglehold on their national championship; this week once more, he and McIlroy form the most obvious threat to US hopes of glory.