The second golf major championship of the year just wrapped up as Brooks Koepka (+2000 pre tournament) won a thriller at Oak Hill Country Club. Now sports bettors will start to prepare for what will hopefully be a successful US Open in California, especially for our 2023 US Open betting preview.
The win this past weekend marked Koepka’s fifth career major victory, including his third PGA Championship, as the American continues to add to his all-time legacy. He proved once again that his ability to step up in big situations means that he’s a threat in any major he plays. Despite being behind after two days, Koepka pulled out a big weekend performance to secure the victory.
This is probably the sweetest one of them all just because of all the hard work that had to go in to this one. It’s special.
– Brooks Koepka after winning the PGA Championship last Sunday
Through two major championships this year, the LIV Golf players have performed very well. You can point to Phil Mickelson’s performance in The Masters and Koepka’s play in both tournaments as big examples. This is going to create more questions about these players’ eligibility for the Ryder Cup.
Before we get to that discussion, there are still more major championships to be played. The next one on the schedule is the US Open that will be taking place at Los Angeles Country Club in sunny California on June 15th. No matter if you won your bet on Koepka this past weekend or not, you’re going to want to read our 2023 US Open betting preview to start preparation for the next big event.
Los Angeles Country Club: Get to know the course and what type of player it favours
For the first time in 75 years, the US Open will be held in Los Angeles. What should golfers expect for the return to the City of Angels? As with any US Open, the course layout is expected to be very difficult and challenge all aspects of everyone’s game.
The golf course is an important factor to analyze when making a 2023 US Open betting preview. Knowing what types of golfers succeed on different types of courses, as well as what type of golfer will thrive on this specific course is crucial information.
Los Angeles Country Club has a bit of an unfamiliar format. It’s a par-70 with five par-threes and three par-fives. On a typical major championship golf course, there are only four par-threes and two par-fives.
The numerous par-threes will challenge golfers on their mid and short iron play. Being able to attack the pin rather than just get it on the green will be key for making up strokes, especially if a golfer finds themselves behind by a few strokes on the weekend.
Above all, the winning golfer is going to need to have nerves of steel to navigate this challenging course on Sunday with the world watching. The margin for error is so thin at Los Angeles Country Club that you need to be able to move past a bad shot without losing any confidence.
Taking all of these factors into consideration, we’ve outlined six golfers at three different price points that we feel are mispriced at the sportsbook. Keep reading for our full 2023 US Open betting preview.
2023 US Open betting preview: Best of the favourites
There are three golfers currently sitting with odds shorter than +1000 to win the tournament. Any 2023 US Open betting preview worth its salt must give these players a long, hard look and determine if they’re worth the short odds.
- Jon Rahm (+800)
- Scottie Scheffler (+800)
- Rory McIlroy (+900)
Notably, Koepka (+1200) is absent from that list despite just winning the PGA Championship, passing McIlroy in career major victories while doing so. However, no golfer has won two majors in the same year since 2018 when Koepka himself did it, winning both the PGA Championship and the US Open.
Of all the favourites, we suggest going with Scottie Scheffler for your 2023 US Open betting preview pick. Scheffler has performed very well in his two major appearances this year, finishing in the top ten both times and losing the PGA Championship by just two strokes.
He’s already won two tournaments this year in the Waste Management Phoenix Open and the Players Championship, both events with strong fields. Scheffler also excels in multiple aspects of the game, ranking first on tour in strokes gained off the tee, strokes gained tee-to-green, strokes gained total, and greens in regulation.
2023 US Open betting preview: Best of the mushy middle
After the usual contenders at the top of the list, there are plenty of golfers that fall in the mushy middle. For this section, we are looking at anyone between +2500 and +7500.
There have been some long shots that have won the US Open in the not too distant past. Gary Woodland was 60/1 leading up to his victory in 2019 and Koepka was 30/1 before he won for the first time in 2017.
This year, there are a few contenders that stand out in this range. Namely, Tony Finau (+3300) and Jason Day (+3500) are each worth taking a longer look at. In our 2023 US Open betting preview, we think that both have a chance to be in contention when Sunday rolls around.
For a long time, Finau was regarded as one of the most talented players on tour that just couldn’t put it all together over four days. He’s shed that reputation over the past year. He won twice at the end of the 2021-22 season and has already won twice again this season.
Finau is still looking for that first major and the US Open at Los Angeles Country Club could be the perfect set up. He’s a great iron player that ranks fourth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained tee-to-green and fifth in strokes gained approaching the green.
Jason Day is a player that many may have forgotten about but the Australian just recently won his first PGA Tour event in five years. He has a major championship victory under his belt from the 2015 PGA Championship and will lean on his strong putting to have another good showing at the Los Angeles Country Club.
2023 US Open betting preview: Best of the long shots
Beyond the +7500 number, there are a few intriguing players. While we don’t recommend placing massive bets, the research that we have put into this 2023 US Open betting preview has revealed that these players could be worth a sprinkle.
Phil Mickelson is an intriguing bet at +12500. His victory at the PGA Championship a few years back set the new record for the oldest major champion and winning another a few years later would be another historic achievement. However, he finished in the top five at The Masters and has shown that the tank isn’t fully empty just yet.
Daniel Berger (+10000) is another long shot worth taking a look at. He most recently won the Pebble Beach AT&T Pro-Am in 2021, a tournament that always features a high level of competition.
Finally, Kurt Kitayama (+8000) is the most intriguing of all the players listed at 75/1 or higher. He finished T4 in the PGA Championship and won the Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier in the season. He hits the ball hard and far, a recipe for success in the modern game.
2023 US Open betting preview: FAQ
Golf has four major championships that are considered to be more prestigious than other tournaments. They are The Masters, the PGA Championship, the US Open, and the British Open. The British Open is also sometimes referred to as “The Open”.
The 2023 US Open is being held at The Los Angeles Country Club on the North Course. It will be the first major championship to ever be held at the course.
The 2022 US Open golf championship was won by Matt Fitzpatrick. The tournament was hosted at The Country Club in Massachusetts.