Steve Stricker’s impressive win at The Memorial Sunday may have been a surprise, (he’d never finished in the top 10 in his previous 11 trips) but some of the names behind his don’t shock me at all.

For many of the world’s best, The Memorial is the final tune up for the U.S. Open, which takes place next week at Congressional. Is it a surprise to anyone that Dustin Johson seems to be peaking at the right time with his 4th place finish at The Memorial? DJ’s game is built for major championships and he came within whiskers of winning the U.S. and PGA Championship last year. His 2010 hasn’t been as strong as many expected (thus far) but the next three months are what really count.

Other names that notched strong performances that you can expect things from at Congressional – R. Mcilroy took fifth place, Luke Donald (T7), Mickelson and Mahan (T13).

For my money, the U.S. Open is the toughest golf tournament to win on Earth. It’s stage belongs to only the truly great players. It is also my favorite tournament of the year and I’m counting the days…

Who do you think will play well / win at the U.S. Open this year?