Rory McIlroy celebrates after finishing his putt on the 18th hole during the final round of the Canadian Open golf championship in Ancaster, Ontario on June 9. Photo: IC

Golf's great and good will assemble at Pebble Beach, California, for the third major of the year and all eyes are on Rory McIlroy.

The Northern Irish golfer blew the competition out of the water at last weekend's Canadian Open, finishing top of the leaderboard by seven clear strokes at 22 under par and finishing it off with a round of 61 on June 9. It looks like the 30-year-old might finally be playing the best golf of his career, adding the Canadian Open to March's Players Championship for a second win of 2019.

McIlroy is a former world No.1 of course, spending 95 weeks at the top of the standings, but it is also fair to say that he has not really delivered on his early career potential. It all started as a 22-year-old when he lifted the US Open in 2011 at Bethesda, Maryland. McIroy dusted off the disappointment of the Masters - where he led going into the final day before a horrendous final round saw him drop to 15th - to set seven US Open records on the way to victory. His aggregate score of 268 over the weekend has never been matched, with his 16-under-par scorecard only being copied by Brooks Koepka in his 2017 win.

Along with Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth, McIlroy is one of only four men to win three majors before turning 25 but he has won only one more since reaching that feat with the 2014 Open Championship - and that came later the same year.

His other win was the 2014 PGA Championship, meaning it is five years since his last major - and victory that is long overdue if he is to live up to the billing that the great Jack Nicklaus gave him after winning that tournament. "Rory is an unbelievable talent," he said. "I think Rory has an opportunity to win 15 or 20 majors or whatever he wants to do if he wants to keep playing."

McIlroy's form this season, typified by that win in Canada, has led for many to consider him the favorite for the US Open but the combination of his lack of history at Pebble Beach - two missed cuts - and the strength of experience among the other challengers means he might not have it all his own way as the new world number three looks to finally win that fifth major.

Brooks Koepka

Back to back winner of the last two US Opens, including in 2017 where he matched McIlroy's 16 under par for the weekend. Koepka matched McIlroy with a fourth major earlier this season when he won the PGA Championship last month. That was his fourth major of the last eight played and a continuation of the form that has seen him become a mainstay in the top 10 at almost every tournament. Koepka has only played Pebble Beach once, which might open up the US Open to the rest of the field, but there is a reason why the 29-year-old is world No.1.

Dustin Johnson

The world No.2 has a history at Pebble Beach, with two wins among seven top-three finishes at the AT&T Pebble Beach tournament. He's also due for a major win it seems, having finished runner-up at the first two of the season. He might be 34 but DJ has established himself as a challenger in recent seasons, reaching the world No.1 spot in 2017 and staying there for 64 weeks, and he is more than capable of matching his 2016 US Open win and adding a second major to his achievements.

Tiger Woods

Won at Pebble Beach in 2000 with the largest winning margin in US Open history, a 15 stroke lead over Ernie Els and Miguel Angel Jimenez that has never been even come close to. Woods' story of redemption has seemingly written another chapter with his victory at the Masters so why not a win at the US Open on the course where he put in one of the greatest ever peformances in the history of golf? Tiger's proved he can roll back the years with that green jacket win in April and his army of fans will be cheering him on for a win that would surely put any discussion of what is the greatest comeback in sport to bed. He may be 43 but Jack Nicklaus - a man who won the US Open on the course in 1972 - has claimed that Woods should be considered the favorite. Victory would take him to 16 major wins and within two of record of 18 set by the great Nicklaus himself.

Patrick Cantlay

A 27-year-old golfer with no major wins and only three wins as a professional might seem like an unusual pick but Cantlay's form has impressed many golf afficionados in recent months. The world No.8 came in ninth at the Masters, which was a career best at a major, before storming to a third-place finish at the PGA Championship a month later. He will need every shot in his locker and more than a little luck to break his major drought. As Nicklaus said, "Pebble Beach without winds is not a very hard golf course, but you never find it without any wind."

Jordan Spieth

The Texan had an early career breakthrough to match those of Woods and McIlroy, becoming the youngest player since Tiger to win the Masters and then follow it up with the US Open in 2015. The 25-year-old's form coming into Pebble Beach has been three consecutive top-10 finishes and a third place at the PGA Championships. He is looking for a fourth major to follow on from his win at the Open Championship in 2017 and while he has slipped down the rankings, both the talent and the form is there. Another US Open would not be a complete surprise.