Featured Group: D. Johnson, P. Mickelson, R. McIlroy

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At each PGA TOUR event this season, a featured pairing will be highlighted prior to the first round. Here is the featured group for Thursday and Friday at the U.S. Open.

THE U.S OPEN: TOUR Report | Tee Times | Expert Picks | Power Rankings | Fantasy Insider

This week's featured group includes three players in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking -- Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy -- all of whom have endured at least one Sunday slip-up that has cost them a major title.

Mickelson

It took Phil Mickelson 12 years on the PGA TOUR to shed the title of "best player to have never won a major." He won the Masters in 2004, and has since captured three more majors -- the PGA Championship in 2005 and the Masters in 2006 and 2010. Mickelson has never played well in the British Open (his only top 15 finish came in 2003, when he finished third), but he's had multiple chances to win his nation's title.

He's finished second five times at the U.S. Open, and had a fourth place finish last year at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Mickelson's most famous U.S. Open collapse came in 2006. He approached the last hole at Winged Foot with a one-shot lead, but careened his tee shot off a hospitality tent positioned well left of the hole. Five shots later he made double bogey, ending his chances for what would have been a streak of three consecutive major titles.

Dustin Johnson nearly won two majors in 2010, but walked away from the season empty handed. He had a three-shot lead heading into the final round of last year's U.S. Open, but then carded an 82 to finish tied for eighth. At last year's PGA Championship, Johnson had a one-shot lead entering the final hole. He thought he had made a bogey to clinch a spot in a three-man playoff, but replay showed that he grounded his club in a bunker right of the fairway while playing his second shot. The two-shot penalty dropped him out of the playoff and into a tie for fifth place.

Rory McIlroy, 22, has played in only 10 majors, but has already notched three top-5 finishes. His best chance to win came at this year's Masters, where he was four shots clear of the field at the start of Sunday's final round. The young superstar made a triple bogey on the 10th hole and never recovered. His final round score of 80 plummeted him all the way to 15th place on the leaderboard.

Johnson, Mickelson and McIlroy are playing well -- each finished in the top 10 at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance two weeks ago. They all hit the ball a long way, with Johnson and McIlroy averaging over 300 yards off the tee. Johnson might have the best combination of length and accuracy, ranking fourth in driving distance and 13th in greens in regulation.

Mickelson has one of the best short games on TOUR, and ranks second in approaches from 50-75 yards. McIlroy is sixth in scrambling from the rough, an important U.S. Open statistic, and ranks first in putts made inside 25 feet. These stats are not as important, however, as the players' ability to handle major championship pressure. A U.S. Open victory would elevate Johnson and McIlroy into an elite class of young players that have won a major championship, while a win for Mickelson would place him on a short list of the best players in history.

Statistical comparison

Key stats from Johnson, Mickelson and McIlroy from the 2011 season

Category JOHNSON MICKELSON MCILROY   Current FedExCup Rank 22nd 5th N/A Driving Distance 307.1 yards 296.7 yards 301.4 yards 2011 Wins 0 1 0 Top-10 finishes 4 4 2 Birdie Average 4.57 per round 4.41 per round 3.94 per round Major Championships 0 3 0

Career at the U.S. Open

Rory McIlroy Dustin Johnson Phil Mickelson Country Northern Ireland USA USA Starts 2 3 20 Top 10s 1 1 9 Top 25s 1 1 11 Cuts Missed 1 0 2 Stroke Average 72.33 72.67 72.08 Total Rds 6 12 76 Par or Better rounds 2 4 34 Over Par Rds 4 8 42 Best Finish T10 (2009) T8 (2010) 2 (5 times)

EXPERT PREDICTIONS: We asked some of our PGATOUR.COM experts to predict which player will fare best this week at Congressional:

Stan Awtrey: Mickelson. No more runner-up ribbons or participation trophies. It's time for him to take home the big piece of hardware.

Craig Dolch: Mickelson. The U.S. Open always seems to bring out the best in Mickelson's game. He once again makes another run at a major he dearly wants to win.

Melanie Hauser: Mickelson. Wasn't going that way, but he showed me something in Tuesday's press conference I hadn't seen in a while. Experience over young guns.

FANTASY FORECAST: Rob Bolton has all three players listed in his Power Rankings. His comments on Mickelson: "Five-time runner-up in this major is benefited immensely by setup."

Phil set to meet with Obama on Wednesday

Phil and Amy Mickelson, Bubba and Angie Watson and U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Davis Love III and his wife Amy will make a quick trip to the Oval Office Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. to meet President Barack Obama. According to PGA of America media man Julius Mason, Obama got in touch with the PGA office and told them he'd like to meet those three players. Mickelson and Love are both close to former President George H.W. Bush. When asked about the trip - players and wives only, no media or media officials - Mickelson said he could help the President with basketball - not golf. "He goes left all the time," Mickelson grinned. -- Melanie Hauser