The US Open takes centre stage this week and Rory McIlroy will be in high spirits heading into the third major of the campaign. Last weekend, McIlroy fended off a superb challenge from Tony Finau to produce a successful defence of his RBC Canadian Open. McIlroy was in the winner’s circle for the 21st time on the PGA Tour as he carded a final round of 62 to post a total score of -19.
Brookline will host the US Open for the first time since 1988 and ardent golf fans will no doubt remember the over-exuberant scenes that took place at Brookline during an ill-tempered Ryder Cup in 1999, which the US won.
A lot has changed at Brookline since then and here are a few fascinating stats to chew over:
- Justin Thomas is aiming to win back-to-back majors after his PGA Championship triumph in May. Only five golfers have captured the PGA Championship and the US Open.
- The Country Club is now playing 250 yards longer at 7,264 yards (par 70), whereas the course previously was a par 71.
- Curtis Strange was the last winner at The Country Club in 1988 when he beat Nick Faldo in a playoff.
- 600 FedExCup points are up for grabs for the winner.
- The US Open has the largest purse of all four majors, with a total prize pool of $12.5million. And $2.25m will go to the winner.
Although the PGA Tour has been in the headlines over the past week with swathes of players such as Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson joining the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Series, the US Open will still be a fabulous spectacle for fans and those wishing to place wagers at online sports betting sites.
To put you in the picture, we have scoured the markets and picked out a couple of tips for you to get stuck into ahead of the first tee.
Scottie Scheffler the history maker
Scottie Scheffler has been sublime this season, having already racked up four wins on the PGA Tour. The American slipped into the Green Jacket in April and it was a seminal moment for the world No.1. Scheffler is aiming to become the sixth golfer in history to win the Masters and the US Open in the same season and you imagine he will be a dominant force in the years to come.
While the weight of history can be a burden for some players, Scheffler relishes the spotlight and he will take everything in his stride. Although he didn’t contend at the Canadian Open as he came in T18, he may well like Brookline and he will need to be accurate from tee to green.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Scheffler’s putter is red hot this week and there will be birdie opportunities, including at the par 4 10th which has been shortened from a 515-yard par 5 to a 499-yard par 4. Scheffler, if he gets on an early roll, could be hard to stop. If you fancy him in the outright market, then he’s available at +1400 with SugarHouse, which seems like an intriguing price.
No Overtime required
It’s fair to say that the US Open has been kind to homegrown players, with seven of the past 10 editions of the tournaments won by US golfers.
A cursory glance at the stats shows that playoffs in this major have been few and far between, with the last once coming in 2008 when Tiger Woods pipped Rocco Mediate to the honors at Torrey Pines in California. In terms of the US Open 72-hole record, McIlroy shot a total of 268 at Congressional in 2011, so perhaps that will be on the minds of Scheffler and co to try and surpass. We are liking the look of Scheffler to come out on top. But if you fancy tackling the winning margin market, then you can get a price of +350 with BetMGM for the margin of victory to be by 2 strokes, which could be worth following up on.
