The second golf major of the 2018 PGA Tour season – the US Open heads to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton New York to once again test the skills and the patience of the top golfers in the world. The USGA is notorious for setting up the course with punishing rough and slick greens and for this reason the US Open is arguably the toughest of the 4 majors to win.
Below is our 2018 Us Open betting preview with current odds and a look at the top contenders this year.
US Open Preview 2018 - Shinnecock Hills
This will be the 5th time that the US Open will be played at Shinnecock Hills and it is scheduled to be played there again in 2026. The last time was in 2004 when Retief Goosen beat out runner up Phil Mickelson (who again came in second at a US Open). Shinnecock is set up as a links style course and in previous years most players finished above par for the week. This won’t be a birdie fest at all and it may at times be survival over shot making.
Course - Shinnecock Hill Golf Club - Southhampton, New York
Shinnecock was designed by Willie Davis and was established in 1891. It is a Par 70, 7445 yards. It has a course rating of 74.5
Prize Pool - $12,000,000. The winner of the US Open gets $2,160,000.
FedEx Cup Points - 600
US Open Golf Betting Lines
Not much of a surprise across most betting sites with your top 5 favorites - Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods and Rickie Fowler. I'm a bit surprised Tiger is still so high given that he now seems to be struggling to find his game after his sizzling start to the comeback.
Here are the current odds as of May 2018 from Bovada. They will change a bit leading up to the US Open so check often.
US Open Favorites To Win
Spieth made quite a run at the Masters only to just fall short. Spieth has won the US Open on a really tough course similar to Shinnecock and has won an Open Championship which is a links style course like this one. No reason not to think that a second US Open isn’t in the cards for Spieth.
Even though he finished a solid 10th at Augusta he was a non-factor all week. DJ is just too good not to consider as a favorite to win the US Open in 2018 and with his distance off the tee he should do well if he keeps the ball straight and in the fairway. Not really my pick to win but he also has won the US Open and finished in second in another so a tough course like Shinnecock shouldn’t be an issue.
Rory folded like a cheap suit at the Masters playing average golf when a simple 3-4 under par would have given him his green jacket and career slam - Maybe next year! As for the US Open, Rory is still one of the best players in the world although his putting is what let him down at Augusta and a good putter will be key to winning at Shinnecock.
He wasn’t the story at the Masters but he had the quietest 2nd place finish ever. He shot a -5 on the Sunday and most of that was because of his putter. If his putting is still strong on Father’s Day Sunday at the US Open, Fowler could finally be a majors winner.
Why not Phil? He skipped last year’s US Open because of his daughter’s graduation although some wondered if the pressure of his past US Open history is a bit tiring to deal with each year. He is playing good golf and is generally a good putter and can still hit it far off the tee. He came in second at Shinnecock back in 2004 so he does have a good history there. Not a top favorite to win but he would love a US Open title before calling it a career.
2018 US Open Schedule and Field
Date | Event |
|---|---|
Thursday, June 14th | Round 1 |
Friday, June 15th | Round 2 |
Saturday, June 16th | Round 3 |
Sunday, June 17th | Round 4 |
The Field For The 2018 US Open
The US Open has a field of 156 players who either make it into the tournament through qualifying conditions or special exemptions. Players have until the Friday before the tournament in order to commit to playing.
Current Expected US Open Field
Past US Open Golf Champions
Year Won | Golfer | Course |
|---|---|---|
2017 | Brooks Koepka | Erin Hills |
2016 | Dustin Johnson | Oakmont |
2015 | Jordan Spieth | Chambers Bay |
2014 | Martin Kaymer | Pinehurst |
2013 | Justin Rose | Merion Golf Club |
