We are a week away from the U.S. Open and while a watered down tournament would be expected, that is not the case for the Barclays Classic in Westchester. The tune up for Winged Foot features nine of the top ten players in the world with Tiger Woods being the only player not teeing it up this week. Of the top 15, 13 are playing making this the strongest field that the Barclays Classic has seen in the 40-year history of the event and we couldnt ask for a better way to get ready for the Open.

The course is set up almost like a mini Winged Foot with very high rough, tight fairways and quick greens. Looking at players who have done well at the U.S. Open could give us some excellent information is trying to come up with a winner this week. Last year, Padraig Harrington overtook Jim Furyk for a one-shot victory on the 72nd hole with a 65-foot eagle putt in one of the most exciting finishes of the entire season. He has only one top ten finish this year but his last event was an 11th place finish in New Orleans. He is 15-1 to repeat.

Ernie Els just cant seem to get things going this year but this is one place where he has played well. Prior to missing last year's tournament, he played in 10 straight Barclays Classics, and in 1997 became the only player to win the event in back-to-back years. He has finished 16th and 11th in the last two years he has started in 2004 and 2003 so another strong finish this year can provide some much needed momentum heading into the Open. He is listed at 10-1 which doesnt provide much value considering his season thus far.

After missing virtually half of the 2004 season following left wrist surgery, Jim Furyk has won twice and finished second five times in the last two years. He has moved into the exclusive top five in the world, has been playing consistently all season long and is listed at 12-1 this week. He has nine top 20 finishes and his record in Westchester is outstanding. He has finished in the top 10 four times in the last eight years which includes two runner-up finishes, the most recent coming last year.

Before the Memorial, Sergio Garcia had not shot better than 73 in the final round of any tournament this year, and his final-round average of 74.6 was more than three strokes worse than last year. He shot a 69 on Sunday last week and that bolt of confidence can be huge heading to Westchester, where he has won the Barclays Classic twice, most recently in 2004. In the years he has not won, Garcia has finishes of 3rd, 4th, 12th and 22nd so he is in the mix on Sunday more often than not. At 15-1, we could pull a small upset.

Its hard not to overlook the favorite Phil Mickelson who is at 8-1 and playing the best golf in the world right now. He has not missed a cut this year, has seven top tens in 11 starts to go along with two wins. After taking three weeks off, the rust certainly didnt show last week as he finished 4th at the Memorial with four very consistent rounds. Mickelson has only played in the Barclays Classic four times but has finished in the top 25 the last three starts.

One player that has been on fire but remains off the radar is Brett Wetterich. He is one of the longshots this week at 60-1 but he deserves to be lower than that. He has four top tens in his last six events including a win at the Byron Nelson four weeks ago. The win was not a fluke as he proved it with a 2nd place finish at the Memorial last week. He has made only one cut at the Barclays Classic in three starts and that resulted in a 71st finish in 2002 but he is a different player now and has a ton of confidence.