Mickelson Will Win the U.S. Open

Listen, you gotta understand one thing I've you have ever read me write anything.

I can't stand Phil Mickelson.

I can't stand his grin. I can't stand his "family first" shtick a la Shooter McGavin from "Happy Gilmore." I despise the obsession people have with his flop shots, his "grin and nod move" to everyone, the fact that he gives fans the fist-pump instead of a high-five and even his new Barclays shirts that look like something out of the Justin Rose collection.

No matter how I feel personally about Mickelson, the guy has too much talent to not win a U.S. Open at some point in his career. He is one of those rare freak-golfers that are always good and never stop being good (Hell, he won a PGA Tour event as a college student).

Say what you want about the guy, but unless he hurts his wrist again practicing in rough (Ken Griffey Jr. and Grant Hill even called Mickelson out on this), he's going to take the title at Torrey Pines.

If you talk about stars aligning perfectly for someone, this has to be it. He gets a week to hear about how great he is, a week to watch Tiger Woods be the secondary story and a week to enjoy the Waltz. Larger fairways, a course he knows well and the lack of El Tigre couldn't be a better scenario.

The coming weeks will have a lot to say about this, but I'm proclaiming it early.