Los Angeles Country Club looks poised to provide an exceptional test for every golfer in the field at the US Open.
The 123rd US Open is the first at LACC’s North course and also the first pro event since the course was renovated. LACC’s absence from the PGA Tour’s regular rotation and that renovation mean that no one will have much of a familiarity advantage.
The course is exceptionally unique too. No. 6 is a short par 4 that is officially listed at 335 yards but can and will play less than 300 yards. It could end up being one of the toughest holes on the course. The green isn’t easy to hit on the fly and if a player misses short and left, he could have an incredibly tough time getting a par.
No. 6 is followed by a par 3 that can play as long as 290 yards and No. 11 is a par 3 listed at 277 yards. The 11th hole is sandwiched between two par 4s around 400 yards that could serve as prime birdie opportunities. And the closing 18th is a gargantuan par 4 that plays nearly 500 yards with two large bunkers guarding the green on each side.
And since the tournament is being played on the West Coast on one of the longest weekends of the year, much of the nation will be treated to primetime golf. The leaders will tee off at approximately 5:30 pm ET on Saturday and Sunday. That’s perfect for betting purposes as both hardcore and casual golf fans will be enjoying their evenings with the tournament on television.
Here’s a quick look at the odds you need to know for the winner of the tournament. All odds are from BetMGM.
The favourites
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Scottie Scheffler (+650)
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Jon Rahm (+1000)
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Brooks Koepka (+1100)
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Rory McIlroy (+1100)
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Patrick Cantlay (+1600)
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Viktor Hofland (+1600)
Scheffler enters as the favorite following an exceptional tee-to-green performance at The Memorial two weeks ago. Just how good was he? Scheffler gained nearly 21 strokes tee-to-green per the PGA Tour’s metrics and was nine shots better than Si Woo Kim at No. 2 in the category. Scheffler didn’t win the tournament because he didn’t putt well. If he gets his putter working at LACC, watch out.
Rahm also makes sense as the No. 2 favorite following his win at the Masters and Koepka at No. 3 right behind Rahm also makes a whole lot of sense. Koepka is the only one of the three with a US Open win already and it’s not going to be a shock if he wins back-to-back majors for his third title.
Rory McIlroy’s odds are typically inflated before tournaments and it’s no different this week. McIlroy has been in position to grab the win after the first three rounds at both the Memorial and the RBC Canadian Open, but bad rounds on Sunday took him out of contention. His wedge game will need to be much better than it has been.
Good mid-tier value
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Max Homa (+2800)
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Collin Morikawa (+3300)
We’re going with two California natives who are playing together Thursday and Friday. Morikawa was playing well at the Memorial before he had to withdraw because of back spasms. If he’s fully healthy and feeling good, his iron game precision could be a massive asset.
Home has become a very good putter and can also be one of the best players on tour with his iron play. If he gets off the tee well, he could be in contention for his first major win.
Be wary
DeChambeau finished fourth at the PGA and is already a US Open winner. But we’re not sure how well the course sets up for him. Young is one of the biggest hitters on tour but missed the cut at the PGA and The Memorial before finishing T57 at the RBC Canadian Open.
Looking for a long shot?
Mitchell missed the cut at the RBC Canadian Open. And much like McIlroy, bad Sundays have been his undoing recently. He finished 19 shots behind Koepka at the PGA Championship after shooting a 77 in the fourth round and was in contention for a possible top 10 at The Memorial before a final-round 79. If Cashmere Keith can put it together for all four rounds, a result like his fifth-place finish just down the road at Riviera Country Club in February won’t be that much of a shock.