Thought I would include my thoughts on this week’s chances in this area of the site.

Tiger Woods returns to the fray after a break of two months for arthroscopic knee surgery and his subsequent recovery. He only played his first full round since the operation last week. While there is a lot of hype about his return – and given his place in the game so there should be – it should be remembered that it has been six years since Woods last won this event and given his recent layoff the shorts odds being quoted are perhaps too short for my liking.

Phil Mickelson – like Woods, this golf course holds a special place in Mickelson’s heart. His origins in the game were not far from here and as a three time winner of the Buick at this venue, he has all the credentials to do well again. His season to date has included two wins and a runner up finish in addition to several other solid weeks. He won the Crowne Plaza tournament two starts ago and finished 20th at the Memorial at his last start. There is a lot to suggest this could be Mickelson’s week.

Adam Scott – there is still the question mark about Scott’s capacity to win a major but it is fair to assume he is closer to doing so than at any other stage in his career. It is nearly twelve months since Scott missed a cut, indicating a far greater consistency in his game now than ever before. His improved short game will stand him in good stead this week but I am still to be convinced on his capacity to win.

Ernie Els – gets a mention because of his standing in world golf but his recent form hardly suggests he will contend this week. After winning the Honda Classic earlier this year, Els has missed five of his last seven cuts and only a 6th place finish at the Memorial gave any indication that this was indeed world number four. I can’t get excited about his chances.

Geoff Ogilvy has some very good form this season and, importantly, as a major winner already, he knows he can do it rather than thinks he can. He was 7th at the Colonial and 9th at the Memorial which is good lead in form. Ogilvy has developed into a big event player, having a US Open and two World Golf Championships on his resume.

Justin Rose – is closing in on the category, along with Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald as the best players in the world without a major to their name. He has performed well in major championships in recent years, including being four times inside the top 12 in 2007. His runner-up finish at the Memorial highlights the current state of his game and he has a chance.

Steve Stricker – would have been considered one of the favourites for this event three months ago but he has lost his way big-time since. It will be hard to turn around the downward spiral that four consecutive missed cuts have him in and unfortunately I can’t get excited about a player that has been one of my favourites in recent major championships.

Jim Furyk – has not been his normal sharp self in recent weeks but as the runner up in this event in each of his last two years and a winner in 2003, he could still do well. His top tens at Doral, Hilton Head and Quail Hollow, give an indication of his form in at least recent months and he could well challenge again.

Vijay Singh – missed the cut at the Players Championship and then withdrew through injury at the BMW PGA in England. He played last week’s event in Memphis and did well and his form earlier in the season was very good. Although it has been nearly 18 months since Singh won in the US, he has finished inside the top ten in seven of his fourteen starts in this event. The concern for Singh fans however is his lack of success at this venue having never finished inside the top ten at the Buick Invitational.

Sergio Garcia – his win at the Players Championship is a clear indication that when the Spaniard puts it all together he can beat any field on any course. He followed that win up with a very mediocre effort at the Memorial and last week in Memphis finished close up after a final round of 66.

Stewart Cink – is one of the form players of the year with six top ten finishes including when third at the Buick Invitational on this very course. He is the grinding type of player who should in theory do well in this type of event but in recent years he has struggled. The Cink of 2008 appears a rejuvenated player however and he could do well.

K.J. Choi – seems to have lost his way of late after an impressive start to the year. The US Open has not exactly been kind to Choi, a 15th place finish at Pinehurst his best in seven appearances. Despite the class player he is, his recent form makes it hard to get excited about his chances.

Padraig Harrington- is a player whose game seems ready made for the US Open and five top tens in the event back up that claim. After a brilliant start to the season, Harrington’s form has not been so good in recent weeks although the British Open Champion had a much better week last week in Memphis when finishing inside the top five.

Luke Donald – arrives at Torrey Pines off the back of two very good weeks at the BMW PGA and at the Memorial. He has only played this event on four occasions but has a couple of top twenty finishes to his name amongst those. He has a great record at Torrey Pines at the Buick Invitational having twice been runner up.

Aaron Baddeley – led into the final round of this event last year before finishing 13th. While his game is not quite at the same level as was the case leading into this event last year neither has it been bad and if he was able to get himself into a similar position this year after 54 holes there might be a different scenario at the end of the event.

Robert Karlsson – is playing as well now as he has even done and his 8th place finish at Augusta suggests that another top ten finish, or better, is not out of the question this week. He followed up that week at the Masters with three third placed and one runner up placed finish and so comes into the event with his game in great shape. He has struggled in major championship golf but his game is at a different level in 2008.

Henrik Stenson – seems almost the forgotten man of world golf of late but his recent form has not been all that bad. He has only played ten events this season but six of those have been top ten finishes including a recent 10th place finish at the Players Championship.

Trevor Immelman’s surprise win at Augusta brings him into calculations for this event. Until his near miss last week in Memphis, he had not played all that well since, after a run of three or four events where he was perhaps coming to terms with the magnitude of his achievement in April. Memphis tells the story of an Immelman back in focus.

Justin Leonard – has played solidly for much of 2008, including a very hot start to the season. His great week in Memphis last week further confirmed his readiness for this event. Interestingly he has yet to record a top ten n this event but the form he is in gives him a great chance of that milestone at least. He finished 5th at Torrey Pines earlier this year.

Stephen Ames – has played very well in recent weeks and is a noted wind player which may well be a prerequisite to success this week. He has two top tens at the US Open and at longer odds appeals to me as the sort of player who represents value. He backed off a little in Memphis last week after being in contention heading into the final round.

Tim Clark seems to have struck form at the right time after what had been a slow starts to the season. Clark has the type of grinding game that suits US Open golf. He has been inside the top 20 in three of his last four starts in the event and after a second place at the Colonial and another solid week in Memphis, he will have his admirers.

Andres Romero – continues to impress with his performances at the highest level. His near miss at Carnoustie last year and his 8th place finish at Augusta were further enhanced by wins on the European and PGA Tours in the past 10 months and if he was to become the second consecutive Argentine to win the event it would not be a great surprise.

Angel Cabrera – gets a mention only as the defending champion but his form leading into the event is not good and it would surprise to contend.

Robert Allenby – Even before his great week in Memphis last week, his form in 2008 has been very solid, making 14 consecutive cuts. He has been a notable absentee from contention in major championships with only three top tens although one of them was when 7th in this event in 2004. Is this the week for Allenby to take his game to another level? His current form suggests it could well be.

Miguel Angel Jimenenz – was second in this event in 2000, albeit 15 shots behind Woods when the event was played at Pebble Beach. The Spaniard withdrew from the recent Wales Open but he has been in fine form of late including his big win at the BMW PGA Championship. A knee injury forced his withdrawal from the Wales Open but provided it is healed there is reason to believe he can do well this week.

Lee Westwood – has been playing very well in 2008 and although he withdrew from the BMW PGA with food poisoning it should have no bearing on this week’s events. Westwood has had several reasonable weeks at the US Open including when 5th at Pebble Beach which does have some similarity to Torrey Pines.

Boo Weekley – may not be an automatic consideration to win a major championship but he plays good golf courses well and is playing well enough to perhaps be a factor this week. He has only played in four major championships but has made the cut in all including an impressive 15th place on debut at Augusta earlier this year.