Who’s Not Hot? Five players who have cooled off

T.J. Auclair, Interactive Producer, PGA.com

Here’s a look at five players who come into the U.S. Open under the radar:

ADAM SCOTT. A player with prodigious talent, Scott hasn’t performed up to expectations over the last few years. At one time, he appeared to be the Aussie heir apparent to Greg Norman, but Geoff Ogilvy has now become the force from Down Under. In his defense, though, Scott has fought several nagging injuries. A tie for second at the Sony Open in Hawaii, his first start of this season, appeared to signal a turnaround. Since then, though, his best finish in eight stroke-play events is a tie for 64th at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial three weeks ago. Prior to that, Scott had missed the cut in a career-high six starts. The Aussie will come out of his slump eventually because he’s too good not to -- but can it happen at Bethpage Black?

ROCCO MEDIATE. At Torrey Pines a year ago, Mediate stole the hearts of millions when he nearly pulled off the ultimate David vs. Goliath act by taking Tiger Woods to the 91st hole at the U.S. Open. While Mediate hasn’t missed a cut so far this season, he’s not exactly showing the type of form that would lead someone to believe he can contend for a major again. Mediate’s scoring average in 2009 is 71.72, which ranks 149th on TOUR. His final-round scoring average? A not-so-hot 73.36. Chances are few players will be going low at Bethpage Black, but by the looks of things, Rocco will need to work extra hard to keep it around par.

SERGIO GARCIA. The Spaniard who won the 2008 PLAYERS Championship and nearly captured the PGA Championship later that year just hasn’t been himself in 2009. He doesn’t seem happy on the golf course and his results are similarly reflected. He’s still the No. 4 player in the world, though, and as such garners plenty of respect. He also has a whopping 14 top-10 finishes in the majors and finished fourth at Bethpage Black in 2002. Putting has always been Garcia’s Achilles heel, but his driving -- usually among the best on TOUR -- might be his downfall in 2009 since he ranks No. 154 in accuracy off the tee. He’s hitting a shade over half of his fairways and that’s probably not going to cut it at a tight U.S. Open venue.

PADRAIG HARRINGTON. There’s no question Harrington excelled during the absence of Tiger Woods more than any other. The Irishman racked up his second and third major championship wins at the British Open (a successful title defense) and the PGA Championship. This season has been a different story, though. Like so many top players, Harrington freely admits to trying to peak for the majors. But at the Masters, where he was looking to keep the hopes of a “Paddy Slam” alive, he tied for 35th. The Irishman doesn’t have a single top-10 finish to his name in 11 TOUR starts this season and certainly doesn’t look to be in major form. In 2002, Harrington tied for eighth at Bethpage Black, so maybe some good vibes will come his way.

JUSTIN ROSE. For some time, the Englishman looked to be a contender every time he teed it up. That hasn't been the case lately, however. Nagging back injuries are plaguing Rose's career the last two years, which leads one to believe he's in no shape to contend at a U.S. Open. He has three top-25 finishes in 11 PGA TOUR starts this season, but hasn't shown a whole lot of consistency with four missed cuts sprinkled among his starts.