The PGA Tour hits another high point of the year this week as we head to the Los Angeles Country Club for the third major of the season, the U.S. Open. As always, we have you covered with a full preview and betting tips for the event below.
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U.S. Open Betting Tips
Los Angeles Country Club, Thursday 15th - Sunday 18th June
It’s been less than a month since Brooks Koepka hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy aloft to celebrate his win at the 2023 PGA Championship, but in that month, the landscape of golf on a global level has completely shifted.
The merger between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabian backed PIF has dominated the headlines over the last few weeks and with it comes a renewed acceptance for the cohort of players that defected to LIV Golf. Many will be back in action this week, in what is an absolute star studded field for the U.S. Open.
The Field
Brooks Koepka has been the standout player of the major tournaments so far this year, finishing 2nd at the Masters followed by an outstanding win at the PGA Championship. He’ll be hunting his 3rd U.S. Open victory as one of the headline acts at LA Country Club this week. Alongside him at the top of the betting markets is all of the usual suspects, including Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, PAtrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele.
The list of LIV contracted players who have qualified for the field is also pretty extensive. Cameron Smith, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia and former U.S. Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau are amongst the top LIV names who will be looking to spoil the party at a major championship for the 2nd time this year.
Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick is the defending champion after a brilliant showing at Brookline, Massachusetts last year, while other winners of the major who will be teeing it up this week include Rahm, DeChambeau, Gary Woodland, Koepka, Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Martin Kaymer and Justin Rose.
The Course
The 123rd US Open at Los Angeles Country Club will feature a Par 70 course spanning 7,423 yards. There will be a total of five Par 3 holes and three Par 5 holes.
The Par 3s offer diverse experiences, from the 124-yard 15th hole with a long, angled green, to the tantalizing 11th hole, which can stretch up to 290 yards.
The fairways at Los Angeles Country Club will be among the widest in recent US Open history. The Bermuda rough will initially be cut to less than three inches, with ongoing monitoring to determine the ideal height where balls will settle down to the roots instead of sitting up.
Players who consistently find the fairways will still encounter difficulty with their second shots, as the elevated greens come in various sizes. The fairways have irregular twists and turns at different distances and angles, posing a risk for long hitters who may drive through them on certain holes. Strategic placement, rather than sheer distance, will be crucial.
Betting Tips
Scottie Scheffler ($7.00/Top 10 $1.91)
Love the look of favourite, Scottie Scheffler, this week. The No.2 ranked player in the world hasn’t won since The Players Championship back in March but has no doubt been one of the form golfers in the world regardless. Since that win, he has competed in seven events, finishing no lower than 11th place in that period. His contemporaries in Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka have both picked up major victories this season so you have to think Scottie will be eyeing one off on a course that suits his game style. Has finished in the top 10 in eight of his last 11 majors.
Tyrrell Hatton ($31/Top 20 $2.50)
Tyrrell Hatton has been in some stellar form of late, finishing T3 at the Canadian Open on the weekend following T12 finish at the Memorial. Hasn’t missed a cut in his last seven starts and has been right in the mix down the stretch in some big tournaments during that time. Think Hatton is great value for a top 20 finish at $2.50 this week.
Rickie Fowler ($46/Top 30 $2.15)
The resurgence of Rickie Fowler has been one of the more feel good stories in the golfing world over the past year. Since the Farmers Insurance Open all the way back in January, Fowler has competed in 12 PGA Tour events, has finished in the top 20 in 10 of those events and missed the cut just once. Still hunting his first major victory and is arguably in the form of his life at the moment.
