Five to watch at this weekend's U.S. Open

Tiger Woods

Best U.S. Open Finish: Wins in 2000, 2002, 2008

Why he can win: He's Tiger Woods, you know, the best player in the world. He's already won our tournaments this year and needs to get to major win No. 15 if he's going to catch Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors. He hasn't won a major since 2009 when he beat Rocco Mediate in a playoff on one good leg.

Matt Kuchar

Best U.S. Open Finish: Tied for 6th in 2010

Why he can win: The former Georgia Tech standout is on a hot streak. He won on June 2 at the Memorial and finished runner up the week before. He's placed in the top 10 six times in 14 events so far this season. But, he's hit only 57.3 percent of the fairways this season and the rough will be penal this week.

Phil Mickelson

Best U.S. Open Finish: Second in 1999, 2002, 2004, T2 in 2009

Why he can win: For the same reason he can lose the tournament -- he's Phil Mickelson. His short-game is legendary and all players will have that aspect of their game tested on the short course. He also has momentum after tying for second on Sunday behind Harris English and seems to be in the right frame of mind.

Adam Scott

Best U.S. Open Finish: Tied for 15th in 2012

Why he can win: He's the defending Masters champion which proves he's capable of winning a major. He did so in a playoff which proves he can handle the pressure. Scott is ranked No. 25 on the PGA Tour for hitting greens in regulation and he has the best scoring average of any player this season.

Dustin Johnson

Best U.S. Open Finish: Tied for 8th in 2010

Why he can win: He's played in a U.S. Open before, he made the cut in last year's British Open, he's under age 30, he made the cut in the previous major, he's finished 18th or better at a U.S. Open and he hasn't won a major quite yet. According to ESPN, Johnson is the only player in the field to meet all of those criteria.

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