Congrats to Rory McIlroy for defending his title at the RBC Canadian Open last week. This was the first time in his career he has accomplished this feat. It was one of the best Sunday’s of the year with Justin Thomas, Tony Finau, and Rory batting it out at St. George’s. With that win, Rory moves to 7th all-time in PGA Tour wins by a player outside the United States with 21. Who did Rory pass? None other than Greg Norman who’s been in the news a lot lately but, I’ll touch more on him later. Justin Rose was also on 57 watch heading into the final three holes before bogeying two of the last three to shoot at 60. If he had shot -2 on those holes, he would have recorded the lowest round in PGA Tour history.
The 122nd edition of the U.S. Open takes place this week at The Country Club of Brookline, just outside of Boston. This will be the first time since 1988 that the U.S. Open will be held at this course. The last time we saw The Country Club of Brookline was back in 1999 when it hosted the Ryder Cup. The U.S. Amateur was also hosted here in 2013 where Matt Fitzpatrick won but, has undergone several renovations since.
In the 2021 U.S. Open, we saw Jon Rahm win his first Major title at Torrey Pines as the 10-1 favorite. Oddly enough, Torrey Pines was where Rahm won his first PGA Tour title back in 2017. Dating back to 2009, 10 of the last 13 U.S. Open winners had never captured a Major-championship prior.
As most know there is a new competitor to the PGA Tour, the LIV Golf Invitational Series backed by Greg Norman. It is a controversial new tour funded by Saudi Arabia in hopes of white washing their imagine. They have thrown some ridiculous amounts of money around to attract some major names in the sport of golf. Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Phil Mickelson headline the tour. While the PGA has rescinded their Tour cards, they are not the governing body of the U.S. Open, the USGA is. The USGA may later follow suit with the PGA Tour and ban them but, for this week those players are allowed to compete. It should be very interesting to see the interactions not only with the spectators but with other golfers as well. If one of these players does end up winning these week, the post round interview will be must watch TV.
Before I breakdown this tournament I just wanted to wish all of the dads out there a Happy Fathers Day, especially mine.
Tournament Information:
- Dates: June 16th, 2022 – June 19th, 2022
- Location: Brookline, Massachusetts, United States
- Course: The Country Club of Brookline
- Course Type: Classical/ Parkland
- Par: 70 (4x 3’s / 12x 4’s / 2x 5’s)
- Length: 7,254 yards
- Format: 72 hole stroke play
- Field/ Cut: 156 Players | Top 65 and Ties after 36 Holes
- Greens: Poa annua .110″
- Fairways: Poa/ Creeping Bentgrass .300″
- Rough: Blue grass/ Rye grass/ Poa annua 3″
- Purse: $12,500,000 / $2,250,000 Winner
- FedEx Cup Points: 600
- Bunkers: 82
- Water Hazards: 4 (In-Play on 4 Holes)
- Average Green Size: 4,388 sq. ft.
Course Architect/ Comparable Courses:
- Course Architect: Willie Campbell (1895), Rees Jones (1988)
- Renovation: Gil Hanse (2013, 2019)
- Comparable Courses:
- Pebble Beach – 2019 U.S. Open
- Torrey Pines – 2021 U.S. Open
- Olympia Fields – 2020 BMW Championship
TV Information:
- Round 1: Thursday, June 16th, 2022
- Peacock – 6:45 AM – 9:30 AM ET
- USA – 9:30 AM – 2:00 PM ET
- NBC – 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM ET
- USA – 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET
- Peacock – 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM ET
- Round 2: Friday, June 17th, 2022
- Peacock – 6:45 AM – 9:30 AM ET
- USA – 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM ET
- NBC – 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET
- Peacock – 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM ET
- Round 3: Saturday, June 18th, 2022
- Peacock – 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET
- NBC – 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM ET
- Round 4: Sunday, June 19th, 2022
- Peacock – 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM ET
- USA – 10:00 PM – 12:00 PM ET
- NBC – 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET
Weather:
- Thursday: Mostly Cloudy 72 F, 16 mp/h SSW, 61% Humidity, 20% Chance of Rain
- Friday: Isolated Thunderstorms 75 F, 14 mp/h WSW, 57% Humidity, 50% Chance of Rain
- Saturday: Partly Cloudy 66 F, 14 mp/h NW, 44% Humidity, 20% Chance of Rain
- Sunday: Partly Cloudy 64 F, 11 mp/h NNW, 43% Humidity, 10% Chance of Rain
Course/ Tournament History:
The United States Open Championship, also known as the US Open, it the annual open national championship of golf in the United States. It’s the third of four major championships.
The Country Club at Brookline has hosted four Major-championships it’s history, including this one. Originally founded as a horse racing track in 1882, The Country Club is one of the oldest country clubs in the Unites States. Willie Campbell designed the first six holes and as more land was acquired, Alex Campbell was able to complete the 18 hole layout in 1899. In 1927, another nine holes were added called the Primrose Course designed by William Flynn. For this U.S. Open, the USGA has comprised a layout of all 27 holes titled the Championship Course. The Country Club was also one of the five charter clubs that founded the USGA in 1894.
The first U.S. Open was played in 1895 on a nine-hole course at the Newport Country Club in Newport, RI. It was single day 36-hole competition. The first American born player to win the U.S. Open was John J. McDermott in 1911.
This will be the first time since 1988 that the U.S. Open will be held at this course. In that 1988 U.S. Open Curtis Strange defeated Nick Faldo in an 18-hole playoff to win his first consecutive U.S. Open titles.
The last time The Country Club of Brookline hosted a professional event was back in 1999 when it hosted the Ryder Cup. The United States would make a historic comeback to win that Ryder Cup 14 1/2 – 13 1/2 after being down 10-6 entering Sunday singles.
The U.S. Amateur was also hosted here in 2013 where Matt Fitzpatrick won but, has undergone several renovations since. Besides Fitzpatrick, that U.S. Amateur field also included Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Corey Conners, Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, Will Zalatoris, Talor Gooch, Cameron Young, and Aaron Wise.
Until 2017, the U.S. Open retained a full 18-hole playoff on the following day. However, since 2018, the USGA adopted a two-hole aggregate playoff format. If the playoff is still tied after two-holes, the format will switch to sudden death.
Winners of the U.S. Open will not only take home the prize money but will also receive a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour, are invited to play in the three other majors for the next five years, and are exempt from qualifying for the U.S. Open itself for 10 years.
Most tournament wins: Willie Anderson, Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus (4)
Course Guide/ Scorecard:
The Country Club of Brookline is a Par 70 that plays 7,254 yards. It features, four Par 3’s, twelve Par 4’s, and just two Par 5’s.
Of the two Par 5’s, Hole #8 is the only one that’s reachable in two. It’s the shortest of the two but, will challenge players on their approach shots with a false front that will reject shots on the front half of the green. Hole #14, is the other Par 5 that will require accuracy off the tee. If players are in bad position on their approach shot, it’ll force them to hit a blind shot into a multi-tiered green.
The Par 3’s will not be an easy challenge this week as the yardages vary quite drastically. Hole #11 is the shortest of the four playing at just 131 yards. It’s a downhill shot that will make players think twice about the yardage given the threats around the green. Four bunkers surround the green in the front with penal rough along the back edge.
While this course is short when compared to other major-championships, it will no doubt challenge golfers. From, blind approach shots to small undulating greens, The Country Club makes for a great venue.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | OUT | |
| PAR | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 35 |
| YARDAGE | 488 | 215 | 499 | 493 | 310 | 192 | 375 | 558 | 427 | 3556 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | OUT | |
| PAR | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 35 |
| YARDAGE | 499 | 131 | 473 | 450 | 619 | 510 | 202 | 373 | 451 | 3708 |
For a hole by hole overview of the course, you can click the following link.
Key Statistics:
- Strokes Gained: Approach
- Top 5 in Rankings; W. Zalatoris, R. Henley, C. Smith, S. Burns, C. Morikawa
- Strokes Gained: Around the Green
- Top 5 in Rankings; M. Kuchar, R. Sabbatini, T. Gooch, C. Kirk, S. Im
- Strokes Gained: Putting (Poa annua)
- Scrambling
- Top 5 in Rankings; M. Kuchar, S. Lowry, S. Im, M. Fitzpatrick, C. Bezuidenhout
- Bogey Avoidance
- Top 5 in Rankings; J. Thomas, S. Im, S. Lowry, S. Powers, M. Kuchar
- Greens in Regulation %
- Top 5 in Rankings; J. Rahm, S. Scheffler, R. Knox, C. Conners, S. Burns
- Par 4 Scoring: 450-500 yards
- Top 5 in Rankings; R. Armour, J. Thomas, R. Sabbatini, C. Young, S. Lowry
- Par 3 Scoring
- Top 5 in Rankings; L. Donald, T. Hoge, T. Gooch, A. Wise, X. Schauffele
- Comparable Courses and Event History
The Field/ Odds:
As with every Major-championship, we have a loaded field. 49 of the top 50 players based off the OWGR will tee it up in Brookline, Massachusetts this week. Paul Casey is the lone player inside the top 50 to miss the U.S. Open due to a back injury. Tiger Woods will skip the U.S. Open in order to get his body fully ready for The Open next month.
In terms of odds, the favorites have dominated the U.S. Open in the past few years. Since 2015, six of the eight winners have had odds of 25-1 or less. Those two outliers were Gary Woodland in 2019 (80-1) and Brooks Koepka in 2017 (45-1).
Rory McIlroy (+1100), is at the top of the board this week and fresh off a victory at the RBC Canadian Open last week. McIlory finished inside the top 10 in both previous major tournaments this season (Masters & PGA Championship). In his last three U.S. Open’s, Rory has finished inside the top 10 in each of them (T9, T8, T7). His last U.S. Open victory was back in 2011 where he won it at Congressional Country Club.
Jon Rahm (+1200), won the U.S. Open last year at Torrey Pines and will look to defend his title this week. The last player to win back to back U.S. Open’s was Brooks Koepka in 2017-18. Rahm has three top-10 finishes in his last five starts, including a win at the Mexico Open. In the two major-championships this season Rahm finished T27 at the Masters and T48 at the PGA Championship.
Justin Thomas (+1200), has one major to his name this year with the PGA Championship. Thomas was in the running last week at the RBC Canadian Open but, bogeyed the last two holes to finish solo third. JT has been playing some great golf this year with eight top-10’s in his last 13 starts. In the last two U.S. Opens, Thomas finished T8 and T19.
Scottie Scheffler (+1400), is having a career year and has already captured one major this season. After his win at the Masters, he struggled in the next major missing the cut at the PGA Championship. Despite that performance, he has finished inside the top-20 in seven of his eight major-championship starts as a professional. In the U.S. Open last year at Torrey Pines, he finished T7.
If you’re looking for players who have performed well in the Major-championships this season, here’s six players who have finished inside the top-15 in the first two majors of the year; Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Rory McIlroy, Cameron Smith, Justin Thomas, and Will Zalatoris.
Other previous U.S. Open winners in the field; Bryson DeChambeau (’20), Gary Woodland (’19), Brooks Koepka (’18,’17), Dustin Johnson (’16), Jordan Spieth (’15), Martin Kaymer (’14), Justin Rose (’13), Webb Simpson (’12), and Jim Furyk (’03).
Notable Withdraws: Paul Casey (back), Martin Kaymer
To see the most up to date odds, you can click the following link.
To find out how everyone in the field has qualified, you can click the following link.
Previous Winners Scores & Prices:
- 2021: Jon Rahm (-6) – Torrey Pines
- Price: 10-1
- 2020: Bryson DeChambeau (-6) – Winged Foot
- Price:25-1
- 2019: Gary Woodland (-13) – Pebble Beach
- Price: 80-1
- 2018: Brooks Koepka (+1) – Shinnecock Hills
- Price: 25-1
- 2017: Brooks Koepka (-16) – Erin Hills
- Price: 50-1
- 2016: Dustin Johnson (-4) – Oakmont
- Price: 16-1
Picks (Outright):
- Collin Morikawa (+3000) – DraftKings
- Risk 0.27 to win 8.10 Units
Collin Morikawa has two major-championships to his name winning the PGA Championship in 2020 and The Open in 2021. Last year, Morikawa finished T4 at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. Morikawa hasn’t been in the best of form as of late missing the cut at the Memorial, finishing T40 at the Charles Schwab Challenge, and then T55 at the PGA Championship. At Muirfield Village he really struggled around the green losing 1.96 strokes. Another issue for his has been his putting which he has lost strokes in each of his last four tournaments on the green.
Despite all of that, he still ranks inside the top-28 in SG: OTT, SG: APP, and SG:T2G. He’s one of the best iron players on the Tour which is crucial this week as these greens are very difficult to hit. Even though his short game was bad in his last start, he has gained strokes around the green in three of his last five tournaments. If he can putt well, he should compete like he did at the Genesis where he gained 1.74 strokes putting.
- Sam Burns (+3000) – DraftKings
- Risk 0.27 to win 8.10 Units
Sam Burns is having the best season of his career. In the 2021-22 season, Burns has won three PGA Tour events including the Sanderson Farms Championship, the Valspar Championship, and most recently the Charles Schwab Challenge.
Currently he ranks inside the top-18 in SG: APP, SG: Putting, SG: T2G, and total strokes gained. The major flaw, if you even want to call it that, has been his short game where he ranks 57th in SG: ATG. However, he has gained strokes in that category in three of his last four starts.
In the first major-championship of the year, Burns missed the cut at Augusta National. He lost strokes in approach which has been his path to victory this season. In the PGA Championship, he played much better gaining 2.35 total strokes over the field to finish T20. We know the key to victory at The Country Club will be players second shot so if Burns’ irons are on, he should have a great week.
- Matthew Fitzpatrick (+3000) – DraftKings
- Risk 0.27 to win 8.10 Units
So ummm, I may have a Matthew Fitzpatrick fetish. I have played him in the past two weeks and will be doing so again. He’s been on this weird trend lately where he has done very well in back to back tournaments but misses the cut in his third. Luckily for us, if that trend holds, he should do very well this week.
Fitzpatrick ranks inside the top-25 in every major category; SG: OTT, SG: APP, SG: ATG, SG: Putting, and SG: T2G. His success this season has all come down to one category, putting. In every tournament that he’s missed the cut in, he’s lost strokes on the green.
He also has some course knowledge as he won the 2013 US Amateur here. He has yet to win on Tour this season but has finished inside the top-10 in 7 of his 14 starts. It feels like he’s been due for a win this entire year. After backing him for a third straight week, I hope he can bring us another outright winner.
- Shane Lowry (+3500) – DraftKings
- Risk 0.23 to win 8.05 Units
Shane Lowry has made the cut in each of his last 11 starts. During that stretch, he has yet to capture a win with his best finish coming at The Honda Classic (2nd). In those 11 events, he has 8 top-25 finishes which includes 4 top-10 finishes. He’s struggled at U.S. Opens in the past with his best two finishes coming back in 2015 and 2016.
Currently, Lowry ranks inside the top-24 in SG: APP, SG: Putting, and SG: T2G. In terms of strokes gained categories, he struggles with his short game ranking 74th in SG: ATG. However, he has gained strokes in that category in four of his last five events. He’s been trending upwards and given his finishes at the first two major-championships, he should have a shot this week.
- Joaquin Niemann (+4000) – DraftKings
- Risk 0.20 to win 8.00 Units
Niemann won his second PGA Tour event earlier this season at The Genesis Invitational. He put on an absolute ball striking clinic gaining 2.02 strokes on approach. Following that victory, Niemann missed the cut at The Honda Classic but since then has yet to finish T35 or worse. In the two major-championships this season he finished T22 at Augusta National and T23 at the PGA Championship. He’s played in three U.S. Opens before but his best two finishes were in 2020 and 2021 where he placed T23 and T31.
Currently, he ranks inside the top-24 in SG: OTT, SG: APP, SG: ATG, and SG: T2G. What he struggles is with his putting. In the beginning of the season he lost strokes on the green in three of his first four events. If we look at a more recent sample size, he has gained strokes in that category in each of his last five starts. If he continues that upward trend on the green and his ball striking is on, Niemann should be in good position come Sunday.
- Sungjae Im (+4100) – FanDuel
- Risk 0.20 to win 8.20 Units
Sungjae Im won the Shriners Children’s Open earlier this season and has been playing some pretty good golf since. In his eighteen starts this season, he has made the cut sixteen times and finished inside the top-25 in twelve of those events. Im has only played in one major-championship this season as he had to withdraw from the PGA Championship due to a positive COVID-19 test. In the Masters Tournament he finished T8, gaining strokes in every major category. Sungaje has played in the last two U.S. Open’s finishing T22 and T35.
He ranks inside the top-12 in SG: OTT, SG: ATG, and SG: T2G. His two areas of concern are his approach play and putting. Despite that, Im has gained strokes on approach in each of his last four tournaments and has gained strokes on the green in two of those events. His approach play drives his success so if he can find those greens, he should do well. Even if he can’t his short game should allow him to compete.
Total Risk on Outrights: 1.44 Units
Picks (Top 20):
- Xander Schauffele (-115) – FanDuel
- Risk 1.15 to win 1.00 Units
When it comes to The Country Club, this course should suit him perfectly. He’s an elite ball striker that has the short game to match. Currently, he ranks inside the top-38 in SG: OTT, SG: APP, SG: ATG, and SG: T2G. His putting can be iffy sometimes but in he’s gained strokes on the green in three of his last four starts.
In his five U.S. Open’s Xander has never finished worse than T7. Schauffele has been dialed in as of late finishing inside the top-20 in each of his last three starts. He has played this course before so he will have some additional knowledge that the rest of the field doesn’t have.
- Corey Conners (+220) – FanDuel
- Risk 0.50 to win 1.10 Units
Conners last played at The Country Club in 2013, where he finished 2nd in the U.S. Amateur. He’s been playing some great golf as of late finishing T21 or better in five of his last six starts on Tour. The only outlying performance during that stretch was when he missed the cut at the PGA Championship. In his 18 events this season on Tour, he has finished inside the top-25 in ten of those tournaments.
He ranks inside the top-26 in SG: OTT, SG: APP, and SG: T2G. His short game is a concern but in terms of strokes gained around the green, it has been miniscule in the past three events. Conners approach play has been extremely solid as of late and his accuracy off the tee should put him in great position for those second shots.
Total Risk on Top 20: 1.65 Units
Picks (Top 40):
- Aaron Wise (+100) – DraftKings
- Risk 1.00 to win 1.00 Units
Aaron Wise has been trending in the right direction in his past three starts. The last time we saw Wise was at the Memorial where he finished solo 2nd. He played in one major-championship this season where he finished T23rd at the PGA Championship. Wise has competed in the U.S. Open twice before with his best finishing coming last year at Torrey Pines placing T35.
He ranks inside the top-40 in SG: OTT, SG: APP, and SG: T2G. Out of those categories, he ranks highest in approach (16th). Wise has gained strokes on approach in seven of his last eight tournaments. The major flaw in his game, has been his putting where he ranks 109th in terms of strokes gained. However, Wise has been much better with the flat stick as of late gaining strokes in four of his past five tournaments.
- Brian Harman (+165) – FanDuel
- Risk 1.00 to win 1.65 Units
Unlike most of my other placements this week, Harman does struggle with his iron play. He currently ranks 120th strokes gained on approach. After losing strokes in this category in his first five starts this season, he has turned it around and gained strokes on approach in three of his last four events. Outside of approach, he ranks inside the top-66 in SG: OTT, SG: ATG, and SG: Putting. One area of his game that should aid him this week is his accuracy off the tee as the rough is particularly long.
Harman has made the cut in four of his last five tournaments. In those four events, he never finished worse than T35. He did play in one major-championship this year, which was the Masters where he missed the cut. In Harman’s last four U.S. Open appearances, he has never finished worse than T38. His best finish was back in 2017 where he finished T2 at Erin Hills losing to Brooks by four strokes.
Total Risk on Top 40: 2.00 Units
Total Risk on the US Open: 5.09 Units
Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting.
