5 players to watch in the 124th US Open Championship

Wyndham Clark will defend his title when the 124th US Open Championship takes place at Pinehurst from June 13-16.

Clark, who held off Rory McIlroy to win his first major at Los Angeles Country Club last year, was playing at Oklahoma State University the last time Pinehurst staged the US Open in 2014.

Here, the PA news agency picks out five players to watch in the year’s third major championship.

Scottie Scheffler

Rory McIlroy

Brooks Koepka

Xander Schauffele

Seen in some circles as an underachiever, Schauffele answered questions about his ability to close out tournaments in the ideal fashion with a birdie on the 72nd hole to beat Bryson DeChambeau by a shot and win his first major in the US PGA Championship. He also finished eighth in the Masters and will be expected to contend in many more majors going forward.

Colin Prater

One of the best stories to emerge from final qualifying, Prater is a science teacher at Cheyenne Mountain high school, who also coaches the golf team and played himself at university in Colorado. The 29-year-old amateur carded rounds of 68 and 73 to claim one of just two places on offer from the qualifying site in Oregon. “It’s been a dream of mine since being a kid to play in a major and to fulfil that dream is amazing,” Prater said.