(LAS VEGAS) — Coming off a win at the RBC Canadian Open last week, Rory McIlroy has claimed favorite status along with PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas heading into the 122nd U.S. Open, being played at The COuntry Club in Brookline, Mass., according to TheLines, which tracks odds in the U.S. regulated sports betting market.
A consensus of the nation’s largest legal online sportsbooks — including DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM — places McIlroy at +1100 to win the U.S. Open outright, meaning bettors would win $1,100 for every $100 wagered. Thomas is listed at +1200, followed by last year’s winner, Jon Rahm, and the world’s top-ranked golfer, Scottie Scheffler, both at +1400.
The Country Club at Brookline will play considerably shorter than U.S Opens in recent years. Last year’s U.S. Open at Torrey Pines played more than 7,700 yards and the 2020 edition at Winged Foot was nearly 7,500 yards. This week, The Country Club will be set up as a par-70, 7,264-yard track. The course is expected to require more precision off the tee rather than length, which, combined with small, fast greens, could bring more of the field into contention this week.
This is the first time in more than 30 years that Brookline is hosting a U.S. Open – Curtis Strange beat Nick Faldo in a playoff in 1988. Matthew Fitzpatrick won the 2013 U.S. Amateur at Brookline. Fitzpatrick is in the field this week and is a consensus +2500.
“The storylines will be dominated this week by the return of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and others who have bolted for LIV Golf,” said Brett Collson, betting analyst at TheLines.com. “How that dynamic affects the play on the course will be interesting to follow but the short and tight course might be the real story this week. Bettors will likely be looking down the favorites list this week as precision drivers and sharp iron play could negate some of the advantage held by bomb-and-gouge players.”
The course might be most well-known in modern golf lore for the epic comeback staged by U.S. team to defeat Europe in the 1999 Ryder Cup, with Justin Leonard sealing the win for the U.S. team
Tiger Woods will not be in this year’s field, citing the need for more time to get his body in shape for playing in major tournaments. He is less than 18 months removed from injuries sustained in a devastating car accident and he withdrew before the final round of last month’s PGA Championship.
Mickelson will be a major storyline this week as the 51-year-old has not played competitively in the U.S. since January. His comments related to the PGA Tour and the upstart LIV Golf venture led to him stepping away from the game earlier this year before signing to play for the Saudi Arabian-back LIV Golf Tour for a reported $200 million.
Consensus odds for the 10 favorites ahead of this year’s U.S. Open, as of Monday, June 13:
Rory McIlroy (+1100) Justin Thomas (+1200) Jon Rahm (+1400) Scottie Scheffler (+1400) Cameron Smith (+2200) Xander Schauffele (+2200) Patrick Cantlay (+2200) Jordan Spieth (+2400) Will Zalatoris (+2500) VIktor Hovland (+2700)
For more information on the U.S. Open and golf wagering, and for more analysis, visit https://www.thelines.com/golf/
About TheLines.com:
TheLines.com is a leading source for news, analysis, and research related to the market for regulated sports betting in the United States. Affiliated with the PlayUSA.com Network, TheLines.com provides original daily reporting and offers player advocacy tools related to the advancement of safe, licensed, and legal online sports betting. Based in Las Vegas, the PlayUSA Network is independently owned and operated, with no affiliations to any casino — commercial, tribal, online, or otherwise.
