US Open Golf: Betting Tips

Golf’s elite will assemble in North Carolina this week when the Pinehurst Resort plays host to the US Open.

It is the third Major of the season and the assembled 156 players, whether they are the biggest names in the game or club professionals and amateurs who have fought their way through the qualification process, are likely to face a testing course where accuracy over power is likely to be the key asset.

It is almost customary for successful players to plot their way round these courses and these tend to be difficult assignments - just three players were able to break par on the North Carolina track the last time the US Open was held here in 2014, when Germany’s Martin Kaymer won by eight shots.

Scheffler looking to continue imperious run

All eyes will be on world number one Scottie Scheffler as he aims to build upon the one-shot success he claimed at last week’s Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village in Ohio, while Rory McIlroy, who is looking for his first Major triumph in ten years, and recently crowned US PGA champion Xander Schauffele are also prominent in the betting.

Scheffler looks set to go off the short-priced favourite after claiming five wins since the beginning of March, including the Players Championship at Sawgrass and the Masters, which he won for the second time at Augusta in April.

Wyndham Clark defends the title he claimed on the other side of the States at the Los Angeles Country Club 12 months ago, while two-time winner Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau are among the former champions who will be expected to lead the charge from those who ply their trade on the breakaway LIV Tour.

Tip 1 - Scottie Scheffler @ 10/3

It was nearly two decades ago that Tiger Woods was trouncing virtually everyone in his path, but there are echoes of that ruthlessness in Scheffler’s recent dominance and the world’s best player looks unlikely to loosen his grip now.

Scheffler’s form over the last two months has been exemplary and while he is just 10/3 to come out on top at Pinehurst this week, it still looks a price worth taking for the planet’s best player.

There seems to be no let-up in his hunger for success and he showed his nerve superbly on Sunday to claim a one-shot success at the Memorial Tournament, which was another win in one of the PGA Tour’s signature events which attract the best fields.

That added to his recent haul that has included the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Players Championship, The Masters and the RBC Heritage successes in yet another season to remember for the man from Texas.

His improved putting has put him on another level to his competitors and the strength of his tee-to-green game suggests he should still relish this week’s challenge.

There may not be a lot of juice in the price but he just has to be part of this week’s staking plan.

Tip 2 - Collin Morikawa @ 16/1

Scheffler’s form may intimidate many who are teeing off at Pinehurst this week, but one player who should be confident is the man who ran him the closest at Muirfield Village last week, fellow American Collin Morikawa.

He found Scheffler just too good in Ohio, but the two-time Major winner has played some excellent golf in the last few weeks and a win looks to be just around the corner.

Morikawa was third at the Masters this year and fourth at the US PGA which shows he is perfectly comfortable challenging for the biggest tournaments in the game, having already won two Majors.

Pinehurst demands top iron play, which should suit him as his relative lack of length off the tee should not prove to be a big handicap.

A ninth place at the Heritage and fourth at the Charles Schwab Challenge also provide cause for optimism and he could be in for another good week.

Tip 3 - Christiaan Bezuidenhout @ 80/1

For those looking for a bigger-priced competitor who could make a big impression, look no further than Christiaan Bezuidenhout.

The South African is the sort of tidy operator who should find Pinehurst’s demands to his liking and he heads into battle having failed to finish in the top 30 in just one of his last nine events.

That run includes the fourth spot he posted at the Memorial last week, so there is a strong chance he can play a lot better than his odds of 80/1 suggest and he is consequently worth an each-way interest.