The 111th U.S. Open begins Thursday, June 15th, at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.

The most famous golfer in the world, three-time U.S. Open champion Tiger Woods, won't be playing due to an injury to his knee and Achilles tendon.

However, there are still other storylines and players to watch.

American Phil Mickelson is looking to win his first U.S. Open against a very strong field featuring the two top-ranked players on the Tour, Englishmen Luke Donald and Lee Westwood, ranked first and second, respectively. German-born Martin Kaymer is third in the world, and seeking his second PGA Major title.

One player to watch for in the tournament is 22-year-old Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland. Currently ranked number eight in the world, he blew a big lead at the Masters in April and eventually finished 10 strokes behind winner Charl Schwartzel.

Just ahead of McIlroy in the world rankings, and also competing at Congressional, is fellow countryman Graeme McDowell who was the winner at last year's U.S. Open.

Here's a look at the top 50 players in the World Rankings:

Rank Player Country Pts. Avg. Tot. Pts. # Evts of Lost Pts. Gained

1 Luke Donald Eng 9.11 482.92 53 -111.46 283.81

2 Lee Westwood Eng 8.36 401.28 48 -164.98 141.31

3 Martin Kaymer Deu 7.29 357.04 49 -143.35 144.6

4 Steve Stricker USA 6.44 263.87 41 -130.32 131.39

5 Phil Mickelson USA 6.08 273.8 45 -136.55 122.17

6 Matt Kuchar USA 5.58 290.38 52 -93.51 136.82

7 Graeme McDowell Nir 5.46 300.22 55 -108.05 74.77

8 Rory McIlroy Nir 5.4 286.19 53 -123.95 102.37

9 Dustin Johnson USA 5.08 249.09 49 -87.73 110.75

10 Paul Casey Eng 5.07 223.22 44 -110.48 68.38

11 Charl Schwartzel Zaf 5.04 282.3 56 -72.82 173.39

12 Bubba Watson USA 4.89 230.05 47 -63.09 135.89

13 Ian Poulter Eng 4.8 249.75 52 -109.41 86.36

14 Nick Watney USA 4.71 240.13 51 -72.85 147.29

15 Tiger Woods USA 4.53 181.26 40 -176.8 42.8

16 K.J. Choi Kor 4.43 234.8 53 -52.56 147.8

17 Robert Karlsson Swe 4.25 195.47 46 -58.19 66.84

18 Jason Day Aus 4.24 182.53 43 -47.31 102.3

19 Jim Furyk USA 4.2 201.4 48 -124.23 39.6

20 Hunter Mahan USA 4.15 219.74 53 -92.31 97.68

21 Adam Scott Aus 4.04 193.89 48 -62.78 70.69

22 Francesco Molinari Ita 4.03 217.39 54 -83.08 58.66

23 Ernie Els Zaf 3.91 218.84 56 -118.85 26.28

24 Martin Laird Sco 3.76 206.62 55 -51.95 116.44

25 Alvaro Quiros Esp 3.74 201.8 54 -60.97 122.01

26 Retief Goosen Zaf 3.63 203.45 56 -104.37 52.51

27 Miguel A Jiminez Esp 3.59 201.02 56 -75.62 74.85

28 David Toms USA 3.57 178.38 50 -45.02 131.56

29 Justin Rose Eng 3.4 183.51 54 -69.02 71.58

30 Matteo Manassero Ita 3.39 135.71 40 -23.94 72.36

31 Tim Clark Zaf 3.21 141.27 44 -74.92 28.13

32 Geoff Ogilvy Aus 3.2 156.89 49 -71.27 47.5

33 Louis Oosthuizen Zaf 3.15 166.7 53 -68.97 38.09

34 Kim Kyung-Tae Kor 3.14 172.79 55 -55.31 46.33

35 Zach Johnson USA 3.12 159.27 51 -81.42 49.54

36 Edoardo Molinari Ita 3.12 174.64 56 -83.88 34.71

37 Anders Hansen Dnk 3.01 159.4 53 -43.3 96.47

38 Robert Allenby Aus 2.94 164.57 56 -90.56 47.86

39 Jonathan Byrd USA 2.92 148.86 51 -33.58 115.92

40 Gary Woodland USA 2.85 114.14 40 -5.2 110.74

41 Bill Haas USA 2.79 150.61 54 -47.98 75.11

42 yan Moore USA 2.77 138.52 50 -61.61 55.68

43 Bo Van Pelt USA 2.75 154.17 56 -59.06 55.29

44 Ben Crane USA 2.74 136.81 50 -60.27 36.88

45 Y.E. Yang Kor 2.7 151.4 56 -78.54 70.09

46 Brandt Snedeker USA 2.66 148.89 56 -39.07 101.89

47 Peter Hanson Swe 2.64 134.65 51 -54.67 50.6

48 Rickie Fowler USA 2.63 139.63 53 -48.24 49.43

49 Rory Sabbatini Zaf 2.63 147.2 56 -44.35 107.82

50 Aaron Baddeley Aus 2.61 138.47 53 -19.52 123.13

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