Golfers Hunter Mahan, Stewart Cink, Jason Day, Aaron Baddeley and Brian Gay reflect on the course setup for the U.S. Open and predict what holes they expect to play the toughest. (Margaret Cheatham-Williams and Jonathan Forsythe / The Washington Post)

What does it take to win the US Open golf tournament?

There are many theories and approaches to this question of course.

You have to be long off the tee. You need to hit the fairway. You need to be able to scramble well. You need to be putting well.

Where all of these are true in many ways, I believe in my own theory for winning the US Open, and I am going to steal a line from the movie “Tin Cup.”

“Par is good enough to win.”

If a player can hang right around par heading into Sunday, they will more often than not find themselves in the thick of it coming down the stretch.

Of course there are always exceptions to the rule, however, I believe my quote to hold true at most US Opens.

What does it take to shoot par on a US Open course?

There are many factors that effect that equation.  So let’s look at a few of them and who will have a better than average shot at hoisting the US Open trophy.

First on my list has to be your driving accuracy. The US Open is legendary for having some of the most unforgiving and, at times, brutally high rough the players will see all season long.

Being in the fairway is a key stat for a player wanting to hoist the US Open trophy come Sunday.

So, who is driving the ball accurately this season on the PGA Tour?

Well I don’t have to look any further than the first name on the list in Brian Gay.

Gay is hitting better than 74 percent of fairways so far this season on tour (58 rounds) and is driving the ball beautifully coming into the US Open.

Full Story at BleacherReport.com.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (June 5, 20110) – Brian Gay’s 25 birdies helped him win the 2009 FedEx St. Jude Classic. Now he’s enlisted other Gaylord Sports Management clients to help support a cause close to Brian’s heart: The St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Brian and Kimberly Gay are donating $100 for each birdie Brian makes this week at the TPC Southwind and are also making a donation in honor of the others’ participation. Additionally, Gaylord Sports Management is matching its clients’ contributions.

“We thought we’d put a slight twist on the Eagles for St. Jude program and sort of bring that effort home to Memphis,” said Gay. “Kimberly and I have been so moved by the work the hospital does and the spirit of its young patients that we had to get involved. We’re thankful and honored that other Gaylord clients and Steve Loy have joined us this week and through the year.”

Contributing $100 for each birdie they make are Bryce Molder, runner-up to Gay in 2009, recent Valero Texas Open winner Brendan Steele and Tom Pernice Jr., who is taking a break from the Champions Tour. Phil Mickelson is not entered in the tournament but is donating $100 for each birdie Gay makes. LPGA Tour member Mina Harigae has joined the Eagles for St. Jude program, donating $500 for each eagle she makes throughout this season.

Gaylord Sports Management CEO Steve Loy said, “This initiative says a great deal about Brian and Kimberly’s passion and character and that of our clients. The St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital has touched families all over the world and for more than 40 years has been supported by the PGA Tour. That’s why we’re proud to partner with our clients in this initiative. Brian and Kimberly Gay and our GSM family encourage you and/or your corporate partners to match our team’s gifts to this year’s FedEx St. Jude’s Classic as well”.

Contact:          T.R. Reinman

Gaylord Sports Management

treinman@gaylordsports.com

619-889-0097

Brian and Kimberly Gay are challenging other PGA Tour players to join them in supporting Eagles for St Jude by pledging a donation for every eagle they make on tour this year.

Brian and Kimberly are challenging you to support St Jude’s Children’s Hospital by making a donation.  Learn more about the St Jude’s Children’s Hospital by visiting www.eaglesforstjude.com and add your donation at the same time.

Put your heart in it and together we can find a cure!

Many professional tournaments play a critical role in providing much-needed financial support to local charities. The FedEx St. Jude Classic is a prime example, having contributed more than $24 million to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis since 1970.

Rick Shadyac, the CEO of ALSAC, the fund- raising organization for the hospital, says the “young patients look forward with great anticipation each year to participating in the special activities we arrange for them.” On Tuesday of tournament week, competing professionals visit patients for a game of miniature golf at the St. Jude Golf-A-Round. During Wednesday’s Pro-Am, the kids get to be honorary caddies and carry a pro’s putter to the green at TPC Southwind’s 11th hole.

And on Sunday, they participate in the trophy presentation and congratulate the new champion. “These extra efforts give the patients a break from the routine of treatment,” says Shadyac, “and helps them realize that many people outside their immediate support circles care deeply about them.”

Audio file: Morning Drive 4/20/11 – Brian Gay Interview

Brian Gay and his family give a tour of his home in Windermere, FL.

Brian Gay is living his dream
From growing up a self proclaimed army brat to becoming a champion on the PGA TOUR, Brian Gay fulfilled his childhood dream.