The PGA Tour has been in the news a lot lately, but this week most of the headlines will be about what happens inside the ropes. The third major of the season is here, with the U.S. Open set to tee off out in California. The Los Angeles Country Club North Course brings a ton of challenges to the players and to the betting market. There are massive hazards and rough around bunkers, wild lengths of the five par 3’s on the course and plenty of unknowns on how this will play. With the field so strong and the course so unique, there are a lot of opportunities in the outright market to make a splash. Odds can and will move, but here are a few guys around whom to build betting cards for the 2023 U.S. Open.
2023 U.S. Open Odds & Bets: It’s Xander Schauffele’s Time
2023 U.S. Open Outright Bet: Xander Schauffele (20-1, DraftKings)
There is no doubt Xander Schauffele is going to be a popular winning pick from the masses this week, but it is warranted. Schauffele is a U.S. Open machine, having finished 14th or better in every start and finishing top 10 five times. This type of setup suits Schauffele, and now he heads to California, which is where he is from and where he went to college.
In terms of form, Schauffele is doing what he needs to, especially off the tee. He has not missed a cut this year, comes in with six straight top-25 finishes and seemingly has few to no red flags. The biggest knock on Schauffele is a lot of quality finishes without wins, but when a golfer is playing this well, the wins are bound to come. At 20-1, Schauffele is a great bet to be in the hunt come Sunday.
2023 U.S. Open Outright Bet: Hideki Matsuyama (40-1, DraftKings)
It is a major field, so there are going to be quality golfers even working down into the mid-range prices. Hideki Matsuyama is quietly getting back into form after a neck injury derailed part of his season. He has made six straight cuts, including a fifth at THE PLAYERS and a 16th at The Masters, all with his usual crisp ball striking. Coming to a course with some outrageous par 3’s (two can play almost 300 yards), Matsuyama’s ability with long irons will come in handy.
A bunch of books have moved Matsuyama down to 35-1, which is where he likely will ultimately land. But Matsuyama has a major on his resume and, like Schauffele, plays well on these difficult U.S. Open tests. He has missed just one U.S. Open cut in a decade, and that should continue to put him right where he needs to be for another chance at a major victory this week.
2023 U.S. Open Longshot Bet: Patrick Reed (80-1, DraftKings)
When breaking down the Los Angeles Country Club, one can only speculate on what skillsets will translate and what type of golfer is most likely to succeed. Ultimately, until the rounds start, how the course will play is mostly a guessing game, which somehow leads to Patrick Reed as a longshot outright bet. He does not do it like most in that his ball-striking numbers will never jump off the page. However, no one can argue with the results, as Reed tends to play his best in the biggest of spots. He finished fourth at Augusta and 18th at the PGA, and he is built for the type of golf that the Los Angeles Country Club might require.
Like many of the LIV guys, it is hard to gauge how well Reed is playing, but clearly the first two majors of the year showed LIV golfers can compete and win whenever they tee it up. At the PGA Championship, Reed gained nearly seven strokes putting and actually lost with the irons, showing he can mask it even without crisp iron play. If this course turns out to be a scramble fest, which is possible, then Reed will be on the short list of guys most suited for those conditions. At 80-1, he is built for these moments, and he is one of the best longshots among those who actually have a chance to win the event if the dots connect.
