The best golfers in the world are headed to Pebble Beach, California for the third major golf event of the year: the 2019 U.S. Open. Traditionally, the U.S. Open is the second major of the year, but tweaks to the PGA Tour schedule led to it moving a little further down the calendar.
Brooks Koepka is the defending two-time champion at this event, so it’s no surprise that he is among the favourites with Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy. Can he make it a three-peat? Let’s take a closer look at the field and zero in on five good bets:
Brooks Koepka
US Open Odds: +800
After a strong start to the RBC Canadian Open, Brooks Koepka’s determination seemed to veer over the final two rounds when he shot a 72 and 70 on the weekend. Was he already looking ahead to the US Open? Koepka has dominated this tournament over the past couple of years, winning each of the last two times and placing fourth or better in three of the last five.
Setting aside the 50th-place result at the RBC Canadian Open, Koepka has finished first, fourth, 22nd and second in his previous four tournaments. That’s a very good sign for sports bettors.
Patrick Cantlay
US Open Odds: +2000
Cantlay is the highest golfer on the board (in terms of odds to win it) that has never won a major. While he’s not a household name, his recent play is why he’s up there.
Cantlay produced an impressive win at the Memorial and has registered four straight Top 10 finishes, including a T-3rd at the RBC Canadian Open last week. There aren’t many golfers that are hotter than Cantlay right now. That makes him an intriguing gambling value play.
Justin Rose
US Open Odds: +2500
Speaking of value, Rose is another excellent alternative option at +2500 odds. While he hasn’t done much lately, Rose always seems to be a threat at major tournaments. He won the U.S. Open in 2003 and tends to be hit or miss. In three of his last six starts at the U.S. Open, he’s finished 12th or better. In the other three, he’s placed 27th and has been cut twice.
The No. 4 golfer in the world rankings started the year with three Top 3’s in his first four appearances – including a win at the Farmers Insurance Open back. He’s faded a bit of late but if he regains that touch, he’ll be in contention.
Hideki Matsuyama
US Open Odds: +3000
Like Cantlay, Matsuyama has never won a major. However, he has been close on a number of occasions. For his career, he has now collected seven Top 10 results at the majors, including two at the U.S. Open.
Phil Mickelson
US Open Odds: +5000
Mickelson is a big name who always seems to play well at Pebble Beach. He won this event in 2012 and was the US Open runner-up last year. There’s no question that he’s struggled recently. He missed the cut at the Memorial, the Wells Fargo, THE PLAYERS, Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Waste Management Open. At the same time, he did pick up a win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and placed second at the Desert Classic.
At +5000, he’s offering a juicy payday. If you don’t think he’ll pull it off, though, you can also get him at +400 to finish in the Top 10.