The 122nd U.S. Open and third major of the 2022 PGA season tees off this weekend at The Country Club in Brookline, MA, and all eyes will be on the gorgeous historic course. The world of professional golf has been galvanized recently by the many PGA Tour members who have signed with Saudi Arabian tour LIV Golf. However, this weekend will be all about tradition and the best players in the world battling for a major championship.
Of course, that means opportunities for bettors to win, too. Below, we’ll break down our favorite player props, tournament props, and parlays for the big event.
MORE U.S. OPEN: Betting preview | Best sleepers
U.S. Open betting strategy 2022: Best prop bets, parlays
Odds courtesy of DraftKings
Best bet to place top five: Rory McIlroy (+275)
McIlroy has recently demonstrated that he’s still the greatest in the world, and this course seems built for a player with his diverse skill set. He just won the RBC Canadian Open at -19, and he finished second at the Masters, fifth at the Wells Fargo Championship, and eighth at the PGA Championship. If you’re looking for a clean, conservative bet, you can’t find many less cut-and-dry than this one.
See also: Round 1 3-ball – McIlroy (+135) vs. Hideki Matsuyama (+225) vs. Xander Schauffele (+170). McIlroy’s the play.
Best value player prop (specific round): Matthew Fitzpatrick to place top five, end of Round 1 (+800)
Fitzpatrick won the 2013 U.S. Amateur at Brookline, so his course knowledge offers him an early advantage over the competition. His strengths off-the-tee and around-the-green will be vital to his success early and often this weekend. Expect Fitzpatrick to start hot out of the gate.
See also: Fitzpatrick to Lead After Round 1 and Win (+10,000)
Best “Make the Cut” parlay: McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Shane Lowry, and Fitzpatrick All Make the Cut (+120)
We already established that we like McIlroy and Fitzpatrick – now we get to add a few powerhouse picks and make a very strong parlay for plus odds. We’ll start with 2021 U.S. Open winner Rahm, who has a great chance of winning outright again. Then there’s Hovland, who has been very solid this year and placed in the top 15 of the U.S. Open in both 2019 and 2020. Lastly, Lowry’s tee-to-green and ball-striking stats make him a popular pick at Brookline, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s made the cut in six of his nine U.S. Opens.
Best long-shot prop: Shane Lowry to make Tournament hole in one (+10,000)
Lowry already has a hole in one this year – hole 17 at the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, a unique 137-yard par-three known as the “Island Green.” Now I’m betting Lowry will repeat history and circle a ‘1’ on TCC’s par-three 12th, which will make its triumphant return to the U.S. Open this weekend for the first time since 1913. In the two U.S. Open tournaments at TCC since 1913, the hole was excluded and replaced by three combined holes from the adjacent Primrose nine. It’s a 131-yarder with a short green, much like the Island Green. Lowry has the confidence and ability to ace this one and make us love Brookline forever.
Favorite general prop: European Winner (+225)
We cover a lot of bases by picking Europe to win this year’s U.S. Open – 31 of them, to be exact. Of course, we have McIlroy (Northern Ireland) and Rahm (Spain), two of the three favorites in the tournament. We also get Fitzpatrick (England), Lowry (Ireland), and Hovland (Norway), all of whom we have also mentioned have a chance. Then there’s Justin Rose (England), a long shot with a solid driver and iron game who I listed as a dark horse in my sleepers article earlier today. Getting +225 for those six seems like a gift in and of itself – getting those guys and 25 others from the field makes it a no-brainer prop. Put $100 on this one as a cherry on your prop sundae.
