Handicapping Bethpage: Regular Joes

Bethpage Black is 7,426 yards of pure nastiness, meaning the 2009 U.S. Open will play to a gruesome par of just 70. It is one of the toughest tests in golf, and it will be home to the best golfers in the world this weekend. Coming on the heels of your Sleepers for this week at Bethpage, here are the Regular Joes.

Nick Watney (Best Finish: t-60) He's 28, and might be the best chance for a young American to win this championship. Watney can launch if off the tee (fifth on tour in driving distance) and is enjoying his breakout year with a win on last year's U.S. Open venue. While he hasn't fared particularly well in this event the past two years, his attitude seems different and he has just the sort of game that can sneak up and snatch this event from one of the top dogs. Out of the 10 guys topping the driving distance category, Watney is one of two in the top 56 in putts per round.

Sean O'Hair -- t-26 -- This kid's game was made for major championships, and I think he will eventually win as many, if not more, than Anthony Kim and Hunter Mahan. Adversity isn't a factor since he's been through so much more than a few bad swings here or there, and he is quickly becoming, along with Watney, the future of American golf. Having already grabbed a win this year at Quail Hollow -- where a certain Mr. Woods was in the field -- O'Hair showed he can win on the upper echelon of tour events and, although he missed the cut at the Players, backed it up with a tie for 18th at Colonial.

Paul Casey -- t-10 -- Finally claimed his first win on the PGA Tour? Check. Has continued to play well since the victory at the Shell Houston Open in early April? Yep. Hits the ball far enough so distance isn't a disadvantage to the Englishman? Uh-huh. Is hitting nearly 70 percent on his greens in '09? Positive. Would basically make the entire country of England shut down if he could somehow pull off an upset at Bethpage Black? Absolutely.

Camilo Villegas -- t-9 -- I bet if I had told you a couple of years ago that Villegas would be the star of the Adam Scott-Sergio Garcia-Villegas group, you probably would have thought I was nuts (not like you don't anyway). The Colombian star won twice on tour last year, including that "big win" you need to be a factor in a major at the Tour Championship, and he hasn't missed a cut since early March. Villegas' top-10 last year at Torrey Pines was evidence that he is ready to compete for a major, and his strength will make the rough less of a factor, giving him an advantage others won't have. Weight room!

Angel Cabrera -- WON -- What do you really need to say about this guy? If he is on his game (and seems interested at the tournament) he can be a factor, and the tougher the test, the better it seems he plays. His win at Oakmont in 2007 was basically just a lot of guts and not much rattle, similar to what happened to him at Augusta as others were struggling to handle the pressure. Cabrera should always be on the Open list because he could win it at any time. The only problem with loving Angel is Bethpage Black was his second worst finish at any U.S. Open he's ever qualified for.