Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports

Golf best bets: 3 outright bets to target for the U.S. Open

By Jack Dougherty | Last updated 6/12/23

You smell that? That's the sweet scent of U.S. Open week, as the best players in the world are set to congregate at Los Angeles Country Club for the third major championship of the year. Before we really break down the tournament this week, let's take a look at the three outright bets that immediately caught my eye.

Xander Schauffele +2000

I tend to stay away from Xander Schauffele in the outright market, especially at major championships. Despite his 10 top-10 finishes in majors, the talented 29-year-old hasn't proven yet that he can get it done over four days, yet he's consistently priced in the teens. We're getting a slight discount this week at 20/1, so I think now is the time to fire on the California product in his home state.

Collin Morikawa +3000

LACC hasn't hosted a professional golf tournament since 1940, so there's almost no course history to speak of in this field. Collin Morikawa, though, boasts some rare experience on this historic track. Morikawa competed in the 2017 Walker Cup at LACC, and he went 4-0 to lead Team USA to a 19-7 victory over Team Great Britain and Ireland. I really like his chances this week.

Justin Thomas +5000

This is the first price that jumped off the page to me. Justin Thomas, a two-time major champion and 15-time PGA Tour winner, is priced below Tommy Fleetwood, Tony Finau, Cameron Young, and Justin Rose at a venue that should fit his game perfectly. I know his form isn't encouraging right now (one top-20 finish and two missed cuts in his last five starts), but 50/1 is far too high for a player of JT's caliber.

All betting odds courtesy of DraftKings.

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