U.S. Open 2013: Which players will thrive in wet conditions at Merion?

With the wet weather already here at Merion, expect to see rapid movement on the U.S. Open leaderboard once play resumes, as one sloppy lie could cost more than one stroke.

There's been so much rain this past week, in fact, that areas of course were still soft - even wet and muddy in some places - on Wednesday evening, 48 hours after the most recent storm. It's not out of the question that Merion will never fully dry out during the weekend, despite how well it drains.

Already playing short for a U.S. Open course, Merion could be at the mercy of the players. It was her fast greens, thick rough, and undulating fairways that supposed to provide the toughest test.

Off the tee, danger still awaits in the second cut, but wet fairways will keep more balls in play, neutralizing part of the hazard presented by the heavy undulation. Most importantly, the greens will be substantially slower. Not only will this help with putting, but the receptive greens will make approach shots much more manageable on the longer par 4's.

So how does this affect the outcome of the Open if everyone will be playing on the same course?

Simple.

The wet conditions will favor some player more than others. To find out which ones, first consider what shots will be aided the most by the wet conditions: approach shots and putts.

Because of this, a player that hits a lot of greens in regulation, but isn't necessarily a good putter, is at an advantage. On the approach shot, they can aim right at the stick without fear of it rolling off the green. Once on the green, the gap between the best and worst putters is will grow smaller thanks to a much slower putting surface. Putting is not about how many 40-foot bombs you sink, but about how many 6-footers you miss. Those short putts, the ones that are gimmes for the greats and tests of courage for the average, suddenly become much more makeable for everyone.

Here's a look at some players that fit this mold, a few of which are already considered contenders to win the Open. I'm not saying the winner will come from this field, but these players could out-perform expectations.