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The U.S. Open is upon us and will feature 49 of the top 50 players on earth battling it out for the coveted major championship. In this article, we’ll provide five of our best bets for the U.S. Open including three for tournament finishes and two head-to-head matchup predictions.
Tournament finishes
Contents
The following tips are for where a player ends up on the leaderboard after 72 holes.
Scottie Scheffler to finish top 10 @ (-110)
Grabbing World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler at nearly even money to finish inside tenth or better is practically a no-brainer. He’s listed at -150 on other books.
The Texan is in the best form of any player at the PGA Championship. He’s made 16-of-16 cuts this campaign and already has two wins at the Waste Management Phoenix Open (second in a row) and Players Championship.
Aside from a T45 at his opening event (the CJ Cup in October), the Dallas, Texas native hasn’t placed worse than T12 and is coming off three consecutive top-three performances at the PGA Championship, Charles Schwab Challenge, and Memorial.
Scottie Scheffler results (h/t ESPN)
| DATE | TOURNAMENT | POS | OVERALL SCORE | EARNINGS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10/20 – 10/23 | Congaree Golf Club | T45 | 71-68-74-70 | 283 (-1) | $29,085 |
11/3 – 11/6 | World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba | T3 | 65-71-68-62 | 266 (-18) | $375,560 |
11/10 – 11/13 | Memorial Park Golf Course | T9 | 70-66-71-67 | 274 (-6) | $196,500 |
12/1 – 12/4 | Albany | 2 | 72-68-66-68 | 274 (-14) | — |
1/5 – 1/8 | Sentry Tournament of Champions Kapalua Resort (Plantation Course) | T7 | 66-66-69-70 | 271 (-21) | $368,750 |
1/19 – 1/22 | Pete Dye Stadium Course | T11 | 68-65-66-67 | 266 (-22) | $171,600 |
2/9 – 2/12 | TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Course) | 1 | 68-64-68-65 | 265 (-19) | $3,600,000 |
2/16 – 2/19 | Riviera Country Club | T12 | 70-68-70-68 | 276 (-8) | $445,000 |
3/2 – 3/5 | Arnold Palmer Invitational pres. by Mastercard Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge | T4 | 68-72-68-73 | 281 (-7) | $800,000 |
3/9 – 3/12 | TPC Sawgrass (THE PLAYERS Stadium Course) | 1 | 68-69-65-69 | 271 (-17) | $4,500,000 |
4/6 – 4/9 | Augusta National Golf Club | T10 | 68-75-71-70 | 284 (-4) | $432,000 |
4/13 – 4/16 | Harbour Town Golf Links | T11 | 68-65-69-70 | 272 (-12) | $445,000 |
5/11 – 5/14 | TPC Craig Ranch | T5 | 64-64-71-65 | 264 (-20) | $351,500 |
5/18 – 5/21 | Oak Hill Country Club | T2 | 67-68-73-65 | 273 (-7) | $1,540,000 |
5/25 – 5/28 | Colonial Country Club | T3 | 67-67-72-67 | 273 (-7) | $513,300 |
6/1 – 6/4 | The Memorial Tournament pres. by Workday Muirfield Village Golf Club | 3 | 74-73-68-67 | 282 (-6) | $1,380,000 |
Scheffler has performed admirably in prior U.S. Open appearances despite the difficult setups which he’ll once again face this time around. Last year, he tied for second at Brookline, one stroke behind victor Matt Fitzpatrick, and achieved a T7 in 2021 at Torrey Pines.
The 26-year-old has struggled with the flat stick in 2023 and ranks 148th in strokes gained putting. Although, it hasn’t stopped him from earning high finishes and contending every week.
At the Memorial (strong field), Scheffler couldn’t get the putter going and shot 74 and 73 in the first two rounds (made the cut on the number) before firing rounds of 67 and 68 in tough conditions and ended up a stroke away from making a playoff.
During the event, Scheffler gained 20.69 strokes from tee-to-green making it the second most in a single event in the PGA Tour ShotLink era since 2004 (h/t Justin Ray).
Since 2020, the Dallas native has played in 12 majors and finished inside the top 10 on eight occasions (66.6% of the time).
Scheffler’s notable stats
- Strokes gained total: 1st (2.544)
- SG: Tee-to-green: 1st (2.775)
- SG: Off-the-tee: 1st (1.096)
- SG: Approach the green: 1st (1.207)
- Greens in regulation %: 1st (73.89%)
- Scoring average: 1st (68.750)
- Scrambling from the rough: 2nd (67.09%)
- Total Driving: 2nd (44)
Brooks Koepka to finish top 20 @ (-138)
Scottie Scheffler might be the hottest player in terms of all-around tournament form, but no player has performed better in majors this year than Brooks Koepka.
With his win last month at the PGA Championship and T2 at the Masters where he led after 54 holes, the 32-year-old is highly touted to finish inside the top 20 this week.
Koepka Majors since 2014
- Starts: 33
- Wins: 5
- Top 20s or better: 23
- Top 20 percentage: 69.7%
- U.S. Open top 20 percentage: 77.7%
In nine appearances at the U.S. Open, Koepka has finished inside the top 20 on seven occasions which equates to 77.7% of the time. The West Palm Beach Florida native has a rich history at the event having won back-to-back in 2017 and 2018 (became first player in 29 years to achieve the feat).
Since April, Koepka has played in seven events (five LIV and two majors) and has ended up 12th or better in all of them.
Bet365’s odds of -138 are astronomically lower than other books listing him at -250.
Xander Schauffele to finish top 30 (-163)
Xander Schauffele is arriving at the U.S. Open in fine shape. Schauffele has 12 top 30 finishes in 14 complete events this season, which means he has finished in the top 30 85.7% of the time. This excludes his one withdrawal from the Sentry Tournament of Champions when he was forced to withdraw due to injury after 26 holes.
Consistency is Schauffele’s specialty. He’s currently the leader in consecutive cuts on the PGA Tour with 26.
Schauffele major results
- Majors played: 24
- Top 30s: 18
- Top 30 percentage: 75%
Schauffele has played the best at the U.S. Open compared to any other major. He’s only finished worse than tied for seventh once and has never ended worse than T14.
U.S. Open results
- 2017: T5
- 2018: T6
- 2019: 3rd
- 2020: 5th
- 2021: T7
- 2022: T14
The -163 odds for a top 30 are a safe bet. He’s also available at even money for a top 20.
Head-to-head matchup tips
The following matchups are determined by which golfer finishes with a lower score over the span of the entire tournament.
Tyrrell Hatton over Sungjae Im @ -125
Tyrrell Hatton has risen up the ranks to No. 14 in the Official World Golf Rankings and has put together a stellar season.
The Englishman has yet to win this year but has done everything but that. Hatton has earned six top-six finishes in 14 events and has only missed one cut all season (the week before the Masters).
The PGA Tour winner has finished inside the top 20 in 10-of-14 events with his most memorable result being a solo second at the Players Championship. He’s on a streak of six top 20s and played well at both majors recording a T34 at the Masters and a T15 at the PGA Championship.
While his game has been trending upward, his competitor Sungjae Im has been in a downward spiral. Despite being usually one of the most consistent golfers on tour, the last few weeks have been troublesome for the South Korean.
The 25-year-old missed the cut at the PGA Championship after an opening round 80 followed by a 73. The next week he missed the cut once again at the Charles Schwab Challenge and proceeded to follow it up with a T41 at Memorial.
Hatton vs. Im results since March
| Tournament | Hatton result | Im result |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | T4 | T21 |
| The Players Championship | 2nd | T6 |
| The Masters | T34 | T16 |
| RBC Heritage | T19 | T7 |
| Wells Fargo Championship | T3 | T8 |
| PGA Championship | T15 | Missed cut |
| The Memorial | T12 | T41 |
Since the start of March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the two golfers have played in seven events together with Hatton earning a better result in five of them (71.4%).
I’m going to ride with the hot hand and assume Im hasn’t fixed his issues fast enough to beat Hatton this week at a venue that suits the Englishman’s game.
Ryan Fox over Adrian Meronk @ (-115)
Ryan Fox has quietly put together an impressive campaign on the PGA Tour which has earned him temporary status as a member for the remainder of the season.
The New Zealand native played well at both majors in 2023 with a T26 at the Masters followed by a T23 at last month’s PGA Championship. He’s also finished inside the top 30 in three straight events and only missed two cuts this year.
Fox’s 2022-23 PGA Tour results (h/t ESPN)
| DATE | TOURNAMENT | POS | OVERALL SCORE | EARNINGS | |
| 3/2 – 3/5 | Arnold Palmer Invitational pres. by Mastercard Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge | T14 | 73-73-71-67 | 284 (-4) | $325,000 |
| 3/9 – 3/12 | THE PLAYERS Championship TPC Sawgrass (THE PLAYERS Stadium Course) | T27 | 74-68-70-71 | 283 (-5) | $167,656 |
| 3/30 – 4/2 | Valero Texas Open TPC San Antonio (Oaks Course) | Missed Cut | 75-75 | 150 (+6) | — |
| 4/6 – 4/9 | Masters Tournament Augusta National Golf Club | T26 | 70-71-74-73 | 288 (E) | $147,000 |
| 4/13 – 4/16 | RBC Heritage Harbour Town Golf Links | Withdrawn | 41 | (E) | — |
| 5/18 – 5/21 | PGA Championship Oak Hill Country Club | T23 | 68-73-71-71 | 283 (+3) | $165,000 |
| 5/25 – 5/28 | Charles Schwab Challenge Colonial Country Club | T21 | 67-71-69-72 | 279 (-1) | $82,324 |
| 6/1 – 6/4 | The Memorial Tournament pres. by Workday Muirfield Village Golf Club | T30 | 77-70-73-70 | 290 (+2) | $117,250 |
In three tournaments played together, Fox has finished higher in each one. The 36-year-old plays better on bentgrass and has an opportunity to do well in his third-straight major at LACC.
Fox vs. Meronk in PGA events
| Tournament | Fox result | Meronk result |
| Arnold Palmer Inv. | T14 | Missed cut |
| Masters | T26 | Missed cut |
| PGA Championship | T23 | T40 |
Meronk has missed more cuts (four) than he’s made in seven events and has just one finish inside the top 40 at the Honda Classic where he finished T14 with a weak field.
Fox has played extremely well in tournaments with stronger fields such as at the Players Championship and Memorial.
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