Ricky Dimon
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The U.S. Open is here. Thursday morning marks the start of 2022’s third golf major, which is taking place at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. It may be true that there aren’t as many on-course storylines as there were at the Masters and last month’s PGA Championship, in part because Tiger Woods played in both of those tournaments. Now there is no Tiger and a whole lot of off-course controversy. LIV Golf has dominated recent headlines and it’s all anyone has been talking about at U.S. Open press conferences this week.
But enough about LIV. Here we are concerned with what really matters: what’s going to happen at the U.S. Open. Without further ado, let’s dive into some of the best two-ball bets for Thursday in Brookline.
Read our full 2022 U.S. Open preview from Diane Knox Balas, who had +1000 winner Rory McIlroy last week
Cameron Smith (+115) over Scottie Scheffler
Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
Smith is without question one of the best players on tour at the moment. He won the Players Championship and finished third at the Masters. Smith thrives on the big stage, with five top-10 performances in majors plus a recent T13 at the PGA Championship. It should also be noted that the 28-year-old Australian has broken 70 in six of eight first rounds this season – including a trio of 67s. Obviously going up against the world No. 1 is no easy task, but Scheffler has cooled off a bit since his Masters triumph. The American did not even make the cut at the PGA. Take the plus money with Smith and run.
Rory McIlroy (-135) over Xander Schauffele
There is no reason to get off the McIlroy bandwagon after Diane cashed him at +1000 last week. The RBC Canadian Open champion is rolling into the U.S. Open with a ton of confidence and that should propel him to a great first round – and probably a successful tournament as a whole. Three of McIlroy’s last four opening-round scores are 67, 65 (at the PGA Championship) and 66. Schauffele has broken 70 just once in his last four outings.
Diane Knox Balas also has her best prop bets for the U.S. Open
Cameron Young (-120) over Keegan Bradley
Young is sixth on the PGA Tour in Total Driving, which is perhaps the most important statistic for U.S. Opens. You have to be long and you also have to be accurate. Putting the ball in the rough is a death sentence; leaving yourself with long irons into greens is similarly crippling. Moreover, Young is in outstanding form. In his last four starts, the Wake Forest product has three top-three finishes – including a T3 at the PGA Championship. During this stretch, three of his opening scores are 63, 68 and 67. Bradley is also playing well, but he has broken 70 only once in his last events. Young should be a much bigger favorite, so grab him at -120 while you can.
A three-leg parlay with and Smith, McIlroy and Young pays out at +586 odds.
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