One of the most anticipated golf majors ever is here. We’re talking about the US Open that takes place right as the feud between the PGA Tour and the new LIV Golf league escalates. Here’s a complete breakdown of the tourney, that runs from June 16 to 19. We also have three best bets to make on the 2022 US Open.
But before we get to any of that, we must begin with the current US Open odds. Every player in the 156-player field has a betting line to win, but rather than waste your time with that, let’s take a gander at the betting favorites, per top online sportsbooks:
| Golfer |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Rory McIlroy | +900 | +900 |
| Justin Thomas | +1100 | +1100 |
| Jon Rahm | +1300 | +1300 |
| Scottie Scheffler | +1400 | +1400 |
| Cameron Smith | +2000 | +2000 |
| Xander Schauffele | +2200 | +2200 |
| Patrick Cantlay | +2200 | +2200 |
| Will Zalatoris | +2200 | +2200 |
| Collin Morikawa | +2500 | +2500 |
| Jordan Spieth | +2500 | +2500 |
Who Is Playing At The 2022 US Open?
The playing field at the 2022 US Open is loaded per usual. It includes 29 of the world’s top-30-ranked golfers — the lone outlier being Paul Casey (ranked 27th overall), who has an injured back. But more than that, the field includes both PGA holdouts and LIV “defectors.” That’s created a new level of intrigue or drama, depending on your perspective, on golf's third major of the year.
The list of defectors to the Saudi Arabian government-backed league now includes 20 PGA pros. In response, the PGA exiled these players from competing at Tour events for now and seemingly forever. Major tournaments, however, are independently run and the PGA has no direct jurisdiction over them, hence why the rule won’t apply this week at The Country Club just outside of Boston.
Players that’ve taken the Saudi riches to play in the LIV include Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, and most notably, Phil Mickelson. And yes, this is about money and only that. The $12.5 in prize money on the line at the US Open pales in comparison to Mickelson’s reported $200 deal with the LIV league. Johnson was believed to have earned $125 million. All of this cash is guaranteed, whether they win events or not.
Betting Picks For 2022 US Open
There’s a multitude of bets available for the 2022 US Open — and it goes beyond just who wins the competition outright. The prop betting market is particularly heavy-handed with odds on who finishes top-5, top-10, and so forth, plus other wagers. Given all these options, we’ve made three picks on completely-different bets below. Here’s what we’re taking this week:
Bet On McIlroy To Finish Top-10
Rory McIlroy is the odds-on favorite to take the US Open at top-rated golf betting sites. We like McIlroy’s chances, but we don’t love ‘em — which makes him a particularly good bet to finish near the top. Look for McIlroy props to finish either in the top-5 or top-10. Speaking of which, here are the current odds for top players to place in the top-10:
| Golfer | | |
|---|---|---|
| Rory McIlroy | +130 | +130 |
| Justin Thomas | +150 | +150 |
| Jon Rahm | +170 | +170 |
| Scottie Scheffler | +170 | +170 |
| Cameron Smith | +225 | +225 |
| Xander Schauffele | +240 | +240 |
| Patrick Cantlay | +260 | +260 |
| Collin Morikawa | +260 | +260 |
| Jordan Spieth | +260 | +260 |
Our gut feeling immediately goes to the top-10 bet for McIlroy. After all, that’s been the trend for Rory at this event where he has three straight top-10 finishes, albeit at all different courses. We can’t put our finger on it, but Rory is just missing that “killer instinct” needed to win a major, hence his eight-year dry spell.
Bet On Mickelson To Miss The Cut
No single player personifies this PGA vs. LIV rivalry more than Mickelson. He was somewhat forced into a four-and-a-half month exile over the whole ordeal, which means Lefty has hardly teed up professionally this year. In fact, Mickelson has played just three rounds of competitive golf in the last five months or so. That lack of playing time gives us a bad feeling about Mickelson’s chances this week. Throw in the distractions swirling around him for taking the Saudi’s “blood money” and Mickelson is perfect fade material. We’ll be stunned if he makes it to Saturday’s round.
Wager On Zalatoris To Win Straight Up
The 25-year-old Will Zalatoris has just one professional win but finds himself as one of the betting favorites in Boston. Why? Welp, because he’s sneakily red-hot right now. Zalatoris has placed top-10 in five of his last seven tourneys played. And get this, since 2020, no player has gained more strokes per round (2.54) in majors than Zalatoris. This kid is on the ascent and it’s not a bad idea to latch yourself onto him while he’s still flying under the radar.
How To Watch & Bet The 2022 US Open
Given everything we’ve said, how can you not watch the 2022 US Open this week? At this point, all the tension can be cut with a butter knife, and to see it live on TV, we’ve listed the full broadcasting schedule for those inside the United States:
- Thursday, June 16 — 9:30 am to 2 pm EST (USA Network): 2 pm to 5 pm EST (NBC); 5 pm to 7 pm (USA Network)
- Friday, June 17 — 9:30 am to 4 pm EST (USA Network): 4 pm to 7 pm EST (NBC)
- Saturday, June 18 — 12 pm to 8 pm EST (NBC)
- Sunday, June 19 — 10 am to 12 pm EST (USA Network); 12 pm to 7 pm EST (NBC)
You have our betting picks, you have a TV schedule, and now you just need a trusty online bookie to place your wagers at. Welp, look no further than the bookmakers featured underneath. Any one of these sites will have you covered this week with bettor-friendly prices on US Open bets and killer sportsbook bonuses. Get on this right away!
