The third golf major of the season takes place this weekend at The Country Club in Massachusetts. The world’s best players will be in action at the U.S. Open despite the speculation that surrounded the players that competed in the controversial Saudi-backed LIV event last weekend. All the attention will be on the greens this weekend, but which players could be among the leading contenders to win the major?
U.S. Open 2022 Odds
The BetXchange market for the U.S. Open this year only highlights how competitive this weekend looks set to be. Rory McIlroy is currently the player at the top of the betting, as he is an 11/1 chance with the bookmaker. Meanwhile, previous major winners this year Justin Thomas and Scottie Scheffler are 12/1 and 16/1 chances, respectively. Last year’s champion Jon Rahm is the third choice at the current prices, as the Spanish star is also a 16/1 chance with BetXchange.
Event Details & Records
The U.S. Open is the most lucrative of the golf majors that are played throughout the season, as there is a prize purse of $12.5 million available to players. This stroke play event is played across 72 holes, with the par for the major being 70. A total length of 7,264 yards is covered at The Country Club in Massachusetts, which hosts the event for the fourth time in history.
Rory McIlroy holds the records for best aggregate score and to par score at the U.S. Open, as the Northern Irish star finished with scores of 268 and -16 when winning the major in 2011. Meanwhile, the par record is shared with Brooks Koepka, who won the major in 2017. Jon Rahm is the defending champion coming into the weekend this year, as he finished a shot clear of Louis Oosthuizen in San Diego 12 months ago.
Leading Contenders
McIlroy currently heads the BetXchange market, and it looks challenging to bet against the four-time major winner making a bold bid this weekend. He comes into the competition after achieving top-ten finishes in both the PGA Championship and The Masters, and was also successful at the Canadian Open last weekend to continue his momentum. It may be hard to bet against the favourite this weekend.
The two previous major winners also feature at the top of the betting, with Scheffler and Thomas both looking to land a second major victory of the year. However, neither player has ever finished in the top two of this event. Jon Rahm will be looking to successfully defend his title, but it hasn’t been the perfect year for the former number one to this point.
One player that could potentially go well again this weekend is Will Zalatoris, who was denied a first major win at the PGA Championship last month. He looks like a safe bet to win a major at some point, and that could come this weekend.
U.S. Open 2022 Prediction
We are very keen on McIlroy’s chances this weekend based on the reasons given above. However, we would also be willing to take a chance on Matt Fitzpatrick at a price, as the English star has enjoyed an excellent year to this point and previously won the U.S. Amateur at The Country Club.
Picks:
