U.S. Open: Rory McIlroy Is Dangerous When on a Mission

• The 122nd US Open heads to The Country Club at Brookline
• Jon Rahm defends the title he won at Torrey Pines
• Rory McIlroy is the favorite after winning last week’s Canadian Open 

U.S. Open Odds

The odds for this tournament are provided by Caesars Sportsbook. Click on the odds below to head to Caesars Sportsbook and place a bet.

US Open Picks

Rory McIlroy is dangerous when on a mission and the Canadian Open winner can follow up here. Back the Northern Irishman for the win at +1000 with Caesars Sportsbook.

Xander Schauffele has top sevens in all five of his U.S. Open starts. He can take down Cameron Smith in a 72-hole match bet at -110 with bet365.

Tony Finau has been a Top 10 machine in major championships and arrives in great form. Back him for another Top 10 at +330 with DraftKings Sportsbook.

The 122nd U.S. Open takes us to Massachusetts and a course is well known to golf historians – The Country Club at Brookline.

This was the venue where Ben Crenshaw famously said “I have a good feeling about this” ahead of the USA’s incredible come-from-behind charge to beat Europe in Sunday’s singles at the 1999 Ryder Cup.

Eleven years earlier, Curtis Strange won the first of back-to-back US Opens at Brookline while in 2013 Matt Fitzpatrick won the US Amateur there.

It’s a little shorter than most recent U.S. Open tracks, measuring in at 7,264 yards. Par is 70.

In recent times, Gil Hanse has revamped The Country Club, returning the layout to its original look.

The outcome: a course that appears far more rugged and wild. Big rocks are part of the landscape – look out for the odd wild bounce – while the firm and fast Bentgrass greens are noticeably small and will be hard to hold.

That means, as it does in all U.S. Opens, scrambling is key so sharp short games are a definite requirement.

Strong driving is another key element and although big hitters have dominated this event, playing from the fairway looks a little more important at The Country Club.

In that case, the Total Driving stat (Driving Distance and Driving Accuracy) is worth perusing.

Jon Rahm is the defending champion after his dramatic victory at Torrey Pines last week and, a reminder, all those that jumped over to the LIV Tour are allowed to play in majors – for now.

Before you make any bets check our U.S. Open Betting Guide!

Back McIlroy for the Win

If one man seems fired up by events happening with LIV golf over the last few weeks, it’s Rory McIlroy.

The Northern Irishman is adamant he won’t take the Saudi money and noted after winning in Canada that he now has 21 PGA Tour wins which was “one more than someone else”.

That “someone else” was LIV golf CEO Greg Norman. Boom!

McIlroy can take his game up several gears when having a point to prove and I expect that “I’ll show you” feeling to carry over to this week as Rory bids to highlight that major wins and legacy trump cash.

His battle to land a fifth major – and a first since 2014 – has gone on too long but perhaps this is just the ‘X’ factor he needs.

In terms of his game, he played some outstanding golf to win in Canada last week and that followed a run of 18-8-5-2. The ‘8’ was the PGA Championship and the ‘2’ his runners-up finish in The Masters so he’s been playing strong stuff in the majors.

McIlroy is ranked 10th for Total Driving this season and 1st for Strokes Gained: Tee To Green.

His sharp short game is revealed by rankings of 22nd in Scrambling and 17th Around The Green while he’s 4th in the All-Around stats, a measure of everything.

Add in plenty of Irish support in the Boston area and McIlroy can ride the momentum and adulation to a thrilling Sunday victory.

Back him at +1000 for the win.

Schauffele Can Outscore Smith

On first glance, the 72-hole match bet between Xander Schauffele and Cameron Smith looks a tough one to call and perhaps you’d even side with the Aussie due to his higher world ranking (6th v 12th).

But good driving is a key component for U.S. Open success and that’s why Schauffele is the pick.

A look at the Total Driving charts shows Schauffele ranked 4th and Smith way down at 161st.

On those numbers, you’d expect Schauffle to have the better US Open record and that’s absolutely the case when comparing their finishes.

Schauffle has been an absolute stud in this tournament, never finishing outside the top seven in five appearances (5-6-3-5-7).

By contrast, Smith hasn’t finished better than 38th in each of his last five starts in the event and missed the cut last year.

Schauffele is playing solid golf again, posting tied 5th at the Byron Nelson, 13th at the PGA and 18th at Memorial.

Smith is in decent nick too although a harsh reading of his form would show no top 10s in his last five starts and a lackluster 48th in last week’s Canadian Open.

But this match bet is about driving and U.S. Open form and Schauffele is the call at -110 with bet365.

Take Finau for a Top 10

Former Open winner Henrik Stenson landed us the Top 10 bet at +300 in Sweden last Sunday and I’m going to get another major expert on board at The Country Club this week.

Tony Finau is one of the form horses heading to Massachusetts after adding to a second-place at the Mexico Open and fourth at the Charles Schwab Challenge with a runners-up finish to Rory in the Canadian Open on Sunday.

Finau fired 62-64 on the weekend – no one-shot lower over the final 36 holes – and looked full of confidence.

Then, of course, is his record in the majors. He’s posted no less than 10 top 10s in his last 23 starts at this level and, in the US Open, he has two top 10s in the last four editions.

It’s a no-brainer. Back Finau for a Top 10 at +330 with DraftKings Sportsbook.

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