Just when golf fans thought the US Open, the PGA Tour’s third major of the season, would be the talk of the golf world, the PGA-LIV merger news hit.
We’re not going to take a side here unlike 95 percent of the rest of the golf world who think this is either the greatest news in golf history, or the end of professional golf as we know it.
Everybody just relax. This is all going to sort itself out and no matter your view of the merger, there’s not a darn thing any of us can do about it.
What we can do is focus on US Open expert picks, and who will lift the trophy on Sunday at Los Angeles Country Club.
US Open Golf Odds 2023: Futures & Major Betting Guide
This event is going to bring out the best in golf as both PGA Tour and LIV players will put their feelings aside and tee it up. We’re assuming there’s already been a lot of conversation as fences are trying to be mended.
But for this week, trust us: The top players will have nothing but winning the title on their minds once they step on the first tee. The top 50 players in the world rankings will be in the field except for those injured like Will Zalatoris (back).
Unfortunately, the media’s curiosity is two-fold this week, and some of those thoughts going forward could take some of the luster off this week’s epic tournament.
It shouldn’t.
Fortunately, we’re now turning off the outside noise of the tours all coming together to focus on picking a winner in this week’s major.
We’ve had two majors and both have given us high-profile winners: Jon Rahm put on the green jacket as the Masters winner, and Brooks Koepka got back into his form of winning majors with his victory at the PGA Championship.
This week, we’re going to look at a trio of high-profile names to tame Los Angeles Country Club and enter the winner’s circle.
That course will feature one of golf’s toughest challenges — and it’s a par-3. The 11th hole will stretch out to nearly 300 yards this week and offer quite the test. OK, it’s listed at 290 but what’s 10 yards between friends.
This will definitely favor the big hitters and over four rounds, it could be a key factor in determining the winner this week. Put a birdie on the scorecard anytime on this hole and you’re picking up a stroke–at least–on much of the field.
Two of the players we’re going to back will be betting and crowd favorites. The third will be a player who won’t necessarily be on many bettors’ radar, but probably should be.
Odds to Win US Open 2023
| Player | DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Scottie Scheffler | +700 |
| Jon Rahm | +1000 |
| Brooks Koepka | +1100 |
| Rory McIlroy | +1400 |
| Patrick Cantlay | +1400 |
| Viktor Hovland | +1800 |
| Xander Schauffele | +1800 |
| Cameron Smith | +2500 |
| Jordan Spieth | +2800 |
| Max Homa | +2800 |
| Collin Morikawa | +3000 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | +3000 |
| Matt Fitzpatrick | +3500 |
| Dustin Johnson | +3500 |
| Cameron Young | +4000 |
| Tony Finau | +4000 |
| Justin Rose | +4000 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | +4000 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | +4000 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | +4000 |
| Sungjae Im | +4500 |
| Justin Thomas | +5000 |
| Jason Day | +5000 |
| Shane Lowry | +6000 |
We list odds from DraftKings, but shop around at other top-rated sportsbooks to find the best prices on your plays.
If It’s a Major, Never Count Out Brooks Koepka
Brooks Koepka, at an enticing +1100, now has five majors under his belt including three PGA Championships (this year’s second major) and two US Opens.
That’s impressive in its own right, but add in the fact that in 2018 he won both the PGA Championship and US Open, and you’ve got a golfer who is laser-focused whenever he sees the word “major” on the schedule.
There’s more.
He won back-to-back US Opens in 2017 and 2018. He also won back-to-back PGA Championships in 2018 and 2019. Getting the picture here? Once he gets on a roll in the majors, he’s tough to beat.
He’s now back to the Koepka of old with his aw-shucks attitude. He’s smiling from ear-to-ear knowing that in 2024 he’s going to be front and center when it comes to the world golf rankings whenever and however the tours decide to consolidate everything.
He’s newly married with a new child. He’s made millions in the early stages of the LIV Tour to go along with millions in previous PGA Tour cashes.
What, Koepka worry? Not a chance. With one major already under his belt in 2023, he’s primed to go on another one of those Koepka runs where everyone else may be playing for second place money.
Keep Scottie Scheffler on Your Radar
It seems Scottie Scheffler is always in the picture. At +700 this week, he’s the favorite.
Here’s the kicker, he’s never gotten the headlines he probably deserves and may never see. Well, unless he backs up last year’s Player of the Year effort, which he’s on the way to doing despite the lack of fanfare.
That’s going up against the likes of Koepka, Rahm, Rory McIlroy and other big names. But, remember, Scheffler is reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year and the second-ranked player in the world.
You just wouldn’t know it with all of the talk in the golf world being about everything except Scheffler’s stellar play. His calm demeanor (at least that he shows on the course and to the public) often has fans overlooking him.
Not a good recipe when it comes to cashing betting tickets. He has two victories in 2023 and 12 — that’s right, count ‘em up — top-10 finishes in 16 events. He has one major under his belt, the 2022 Masters, but he’s been right there so many other times.
That includes the 2022 US Open where he wound up T-2. That second major may be just a few days away. Then maybe, just maybe, he will get to step into the superstar spotlight.
Not that it would change him in the least.
We’re Backing the Defending Champ
Matthew Fitzpatrick, at +2500 this week, had to wait more than his share of time to not only win a major but to even be a factor in any of the majors.
Prior to his victory last year, he only had one other top-10 finish in his previous 27 starts in majors. He’s starting to find his way on the PGA Tour.
He’s coming into this week off a T-20 at the RBC Canadian Open, where a so-so second round took him out of the mix. But that round didn’t take the fight out of Fitzpatrick, as he finished up with rounds of 69 and 70 to stay in the top-20.
The only reservation we have is the way he finished last year’s US Open. Oh, don’t get us wrong. He finished strong. Well, exceptionally strong.
He one-putted eight of his final nine holes in securing his first major. Not an easy thing to do. Now we need to figure out if he can play that well down the stretch again, especially with all of the duties that will be on his plate as the defending champ.
Fitzpatrick comes into this event with a victory in this wraparound season at the RBC Heritage. Recently, he’s been solid, as he was T-9 at the Memorial followed last week by his T-20 in Canada.
The last time a player went back-to-back at the US Open was Koepka in 2017-2018.
We figure it might be time for that to happen again.
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