The U.S. Open is switching coasts. After Jon Rahm’s win at 12/1 odds last year in Torrey Pines, the signature USGA event is headed to Brookline, Massachusetts, and the Country Club for the 122nd version of the U.S. Open.
This is a 156-man major championship field, with a couple of notable players not participating, including Tiger Woods, who is rehabbing his body for the Open next month, and 2014 winner Martin Kaymer who withdrew after an injury.
Besides Woods and Kaymer, most big names will be in the field for this weekend. That includes the likes of Dustin Johnson (45/1), Louis Oosthuizen (40/1), Sergio Garcia (185/1), and Phil Mickelson (225/1), who recently made headlines by defying PGA Tour orders and playing in the inaugural LIV Golf tournament last weekend.
Since this is a USGA and not a PGA event, Johnson and others can play this weekend. Rory McIlroy is the 11/1 favorite following his win at the RBC Canadian Open last week, while defending champ Jon Rahm (15/1) tries to do what Brooks Koepka did in 2017 and 2018 and go back to back.
About the Country Club
The U.S. Open returns to the Country Club for the first time since 1998, when Curtis Strange beat Nick Faldo in an 18-hole playoff. A lot of USGA Events are trademarked by being exceptionally long, but that’s not the case here, where numerous hazards, tiny greens, and shaggy rough will define the weekend.
The 1963 U.S. Open held in Brookline has been dubbed by many as the toughest course in the history of this tournament, with Golf Week’s Brad Klein saying, “if you missed the fairway you were done.” American Julius Boros went on to win with a +9 score.
Accuracy is going to be the name of the game in finding the top bets of the 2022 U.S. Open. That gives Abraham Ancer (110/1) and Brian Stuard (700/1) as two of the most accurate drivers in the field.
With such difficult greens as well, Will Zalatoris (35/1), Russell Henley (80/1), and Cameron Smith (22/1) could be in play as the three best golfers in shots gained on approach shots this season. Corey Conners (60/1) ranks fourth in greens in regulation, giving him some value at Brookline as well.
U.S. Open Betting History and Trends
The U.S. Open has been a pretty profitable one for bettors over the last five years. Rahm, at 12/1 last year, had the worst return on investment over the five-year run. Gary Woodland cashed at 80/1 in 2019, while Koepka earned his first major in 2017 at 30/1 and followed that up the next year, winning at 20/1.
Bryson DeChambeau’s power off the tee paid off in 2020 at Winged Foot with 20/1 odds.
Simply put, this one really could be anybody’s event to take home with Justin Thomas (12/1) and Scottie Scheffler (15/1) a threat in any tournament they’ve played recently, as well as a host of young players looking for that breakthrough first major.
