The U.S. Open is golf’s most prestigious event. Though not the oldest major championship (The Open Championship reigns supreme), the U.S. Open is often regarded as the toughest test that golfers face on a yearly basis.
This year, the fanfare is at an all-time high, and that’s certainly saying something given the circumstances we entered this period in last season. Last year, LIV Golf was gaining steam and momentum, and several big names had already crossed the Rubicon of no return, resigning their memberships on the PGA Tour in exchange for wildly excessive paydays.
However, this year we enter the week off possibly the biggest golf news ever: the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and the DP World Tour all merging into one new entity that the PGA Tour would have operational control over, with the Saudi Arabian-powered Public Investment Fund acting as a majority investor. On top of all of this, Canadian Nick Taylor (250/1 this week) emerged victorious in a four-hole playoff over Tommy Fleetwood (40/1) to win last week’s RBC Canadian Open, so Canada is celebrating heavily right now.
Moving on to the event at hand, the U.S. Open moves to a venue that has not hosted a PGA Tour event in over 80 years: Los Angeles Country Club. We’ll dive into a course preview down below, so make sure you check that goodness out.
Last year, Matt Fitzpatrick (35/1) was able to fade a very talented field at The Country Club to win his first U.S. Open (and major) title after winning the U.S. Amateur nine years prior at the same venue. This year, Max Homa (30/1) returns to LACC, where he holds the course record. Can he make a run at his first major?
Let’s dive into it all here, as we talk odds, winner predictions, and best bets for this year’s U.S. Open.
U.S. Open Winner Odds 2023
U.S. Open winner odds are current as of Monday, June 12, at 5 p.m. ET and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Scottie Scheffler (+800)
- Jon Rahm (+1000)
- Brooks Koepka (+1100)
- Patrick Cantlay (+1400)
- Rory McIlroy (+1500)
- Viktor Hovland (+1800)
- Xander Schauffele (+2000)
- Max Homa (+3000)
- Collin Morikawa (+3000)
- Cameron Smith (+3000)
- Tyrrell Hatton (+3000)
- Jordan Spieth (+3000)
For a more in-depth look at the odds board and field for golf’s third major, check out our U.S. Open Odds & Field breakdown.
U.S. Open Winner Prediction
Jon Rahm (+1100) • FanDuel Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 unit
Will we have another major championship conclude with an elite-tier golfer standing on the podium holding the trophy? I think it’s a distinct possibility.
Being as much of a mystery to the golf community as it is, LACC will probably prove to be an immense challenge to each and every one of the 156 players in this field. That being said, majors are called majors for a reason, especially when it comes to the U.S. Open.
Over the last 10 years, there has only been one U.S. Open where the winner’s pre-tournament odds have eclipsed 45/1, and only three of those 10 have eclipsed 25/1. The best players in the world are routinely the ones on top at this event, so that’s why I’m taking Rahm here.
Despite struggling in last month’s PGA Championship, Rahm has still looked like the all-around best player in the world most of the time and can go supernova on any course. He ranks in the top 10 of this field in nearly every major metric we’re looking at this week, and his long-iron game might be the best on Tour right now.
U.S. Open Best Bet
Max Homa (+3000) • DraftKings Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 unit
A lot of the talk around the course this week will focus on Homa, and it’s not only because he holds the single-round course record of 61 that he set in 2013.
Homa has had a rough track record in majors so far in his career, failing to record any top-10 finishes. But if there is any course that seems right for him to go get to that spot, this is the one. He is a very good bentgrass putter and has been solid gaining strokes off the tee this season, which will help you majorly at a course like LACC.
- For the best props from LACC, check out our U.S. Open Prop Betting Tips
Given all the narratives surrounding him, he’ll be one of the chalkier picks to win this week, but this could be a time where the public bettor comes out victorious. I’ll be on him at this outright number as well as some placement plays.
U.S. Open Longshot Bets
Si Woo Kim (+12500) • Caesars Sportsbook
WAGER: 0.25 units
I’ve been on my soapbox about Si Woo over the past couple months, and for good reason: he’s having arguably his best PGA Tour season to date. He has a win at the Sony Open, five top-10 finishes, and only three missed cuts.
He’s not typically the best major tournament player, but as I noted in my Odds and Field article last week, he is a short-game specialist and his game off the tee has been solid this season. I don’t think he’ll have much trouble with the deep bunkers spotted around this course and he’s very good on long Par 3s.
Sahith Theegala (+14000) • FanDuel Sportsbook
WAGER: 0.25 units
Theegala is a big-game hunter who the golf world is collectively waiting on with bated breath to win his first tournament, and there are definitely signs that his first win could be a major. He has played well this year, with a T-40 at the PGA Championship and a ninth-place finish at The Masters, so we know he can play well on the big stage.
Theegala has steadily been improving parts of his game, but one of the biggest things with him is that he’s a golfer who specializes in a certain locale (specifically, the West Coast).
Theegala has three top-six finishes in four California events this season, and while the weather and course style will be different here, the Orange, Calif. native always plays his best in front of his home crowd. Also, the expenditure to bet on Theegala isn’t very high, so these odds are worth taking a swing on.
U.S. Open Course Preview
Los Angeles Country Club
- Par 70 (7,421 yards)
- The PGA Tour hasn’t held an event at LACC in over 80 years since the L.A. Opens of the 1940s, though the Walker Cup was hosted here in 2017.
- California typically hosts tournaments in early spring (February and March) but rarely in June. Very little recent rain could make this golf course look and play extremely firm. This is designer George Thomas’ crown jewel design and Gil Hanse recently restored it to prepare for this very tournament.
- LACC will pose a unique obstacle to players: non-penal rough bordering the fairways, but tons of elevation changes/sloping fairways will force you into layups and/or blind approach shots that result in extremely challenging up-and-downs if you miss the green.
- The course will probably not play as long as its 7,400-plus yard marker indicates; big emphasis on shot-making and short game play. Deep bunkers should torment all players.
- Very funky course layout with five par 4s over 490 yards and three par 3s over 225 yards, including two 270-plus yard par 3s. The Bermuda rough should come into play ONLY around the greens, which are smaller than average and place an emphasis on greens in regulation gained.
- The greens are bentgrass. They’ll run about 13 on the Stimpmeter and have a ton of back-to-front movement.
