This year’s U.S. Open returns to Oakmont Country Club, arguably the world's hardest golf course. Many players designate this course as the most punishing test in championship golf. This will be the 10th time the U.S. Open is hosted here, the most by any venue.
Oakmont demands relentless precision off the tee, ability to avoid danger in the rough and bunker areas while finding consistent ball striking and execution on lightning-fast, contoured greens.
Players face a setup that mirrors the brutal grind of Winged Foot, with very narrow landing areas in the fairways bordered by 5–6 inches of rough and the longest par‑3 in tournament history at a staggering 300 yards.
Back in 2016, the last time Oakmont hosted the U.S. Open, the cut line finished at +6, and only the champion managed to reach -4. The majority of the field finished at par or worse. Par will be a good score for most of these players this week and experts believe we could see a par score or worse win it this year.
Bryson’s game is tailor-made for Oakmont. He is the defending U.S. Open champion, and in a recent practice round, he called it one of the toughest courses he’s ever played.
He also won at Winged Foot, where he has an overwhelming advantage with his club head speed to not only outdrive the competition but can get it out of the deep rough better than most. His distance advantage may be neutralized a bit here, but his improved control and ability to bounce back after a bad shot set him apart!
Rahm has quietly reasserted himself at the majors, putting together three straight top‑15 finishes, including two in the top 10.
When Rahm is locked in, he has elite iron play, he can find success putting inside 10 feet, and if built for this grind. He has not finished outside the top 10 except for 1 tournament this season between LIV and the 2 majors!
Xander will be an automatic play for me at the US Open until things completely fall off the rails. Xander has yet to finish lower than T14 in eight U.S. Opens.
He has finished T7, T10, T14, T7, 5th, T3, T6, T5, and at plus money, we have to take this and hope he finds it this week. Xander has not been as dominant in years past, but it is coming!
Fleetwood’s ball-striking and consistency make him a strong fit for a place where bogey avoidance is key. He consistently finds himself inside the top 30, regardless of most venues.
He has put together quite a resume this season. With 10 finishes inside the top 22 and four top 26 finishes in his last six majors, he offers good value in the top‑30 market.
Not only has Shane been on fire this season, but he finished 2nd place here back in 2016 and, in a recent interview, said this is one of his favorite properties to be on.
With 9 top 30 finishes this season, he missed the cut at the PGA, and I expect a bounce back in this major. Before that missed cut, he had made eight straight cuts in majors, finishing inside the top 30 in six of those eight majors! Lowry thrives on tough setups, and I think he can manage his way around Oakmont.
Åberg enters with momentum, and I’d be remiss not to play him here as one of the brightest young stars in the game. He has had a Jekyll and Hyde type of season with one win, three top 10s, five top 16s, and five finishes of T54 or worse.
I love his position here coming off a missed cut at the PGA, followed by a T16 and T13. He looked fantastic last week, and he could put on a ball-striking display this week if he can consistently find the fairway.
Scheffler is hard to justify at his current outright price, or top 5 finish, and I have had success with these parlays in the past. Putting two of the most dependable players, not only overall, but at U.S. Opens together, makes really good sense here.
Scheffler hasn’t finished worse than T8 since March 17th and owns three top 7s in his last four U.S. Opens. Pairing him with Bryson to make the top 20 in any event is a near lock.