The PGA Tour heads to Brookline, Massachusetts this week, for the 122nd U.S. Open, the third major of the spring. We have seen the world's #1 ranked, Scottie Scheffler win in Augusta, and more recently, last May, Justin Thomas take home the PGA Championship.
As drama stirs about the LIV golf league, we are all in for a real treat this weekend, as many players from LIV are back in the mix.
The Country Club in Brookline is a par 70 measuring north of 7,000 yards. This course has extremely small greens and rough that is as deep as it gets. Fairways, accuracy, and strokes gained on approach are the key to success this weekend.
For every major I submit my picks to a pool. I have yet to win this season, and usually finish very modestly in the middle, but I wanted to share my picks from each tier and justify my reasoning.
Before I dive into my picks, I want to reveal the Top-10 best odds to win according to Las Vegas:
+1000- Rory Mcllroy
+1200- Justin Thomas
+1300- Scottie Scheffler
+1300- Jon Rahm
+2000- Cameron Smith
+2200- Patrick Cantlay
+2200- Xander Schauffele
+2500- Collin Morikawa
+2500- Jordan Spieth
+2500- Matthew Fitzpatrick
Tier 1: Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Rory Mcllroy, Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas, Cameron Smith, Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, Sam Burns, Jordan Spieth
My Pick: Sam Burns- Sam Burns has been in amazing form lately. He has three wins, and nine top-10 finishes this season. As a bonus, we know that Sammy is one clutch dude, after sinking a 38-footer to win Schwab over his good buddy and world #1, Scottie Scheffler. This is a breakthrough season for Burns and his reputation as an elite golfer, and a US Open victory will not only give him his first major ever, but it would further solidify his dominant season!
Tier 2: Dustin Johnson, Xander Shauffele, Hideki Matsuyama, Billy Horschel, Abraham Ancer, Brooks Koepka, Joaquin Niemann, Tony Finau, Will Zalatoris, Matt Fitzpatrick
My Pick: Matt Fitzpatrick- I am not going to lie, this tier tripped me up a good bit. I am struggling to get behind any of these guys, however, my favorite pick is Matt Fitzpatrick. The 27-year-old Englishmen currently ranks #18th in the world right now and is coming off a top-10 finish at RBC last weekend. He doesn’t have the best history at the U.S Open, but he has recorded seven top-10 finishes this season and has made eleven of fourteen cuts. He finished T5 at the PGA Championship and is shooting to get not only his first-ever major but also his first-ever PGA tour win.
Tier 3: Sunjae Im, Louis Oosthuizen, Max Homa, Shane Lowry, Daniel Berger, Tyrell Hatton, Paul Casey, Harris English, Bryson Dechambeau, Corey Connors
My Pick: Louis Oosthuizen- I just want to send out a quick reminder that Oosthuizen finished 3rd here in 2020. His track record in 2022 in majors is not nearly as impressive as it was in 2021: T3 at The Open Championship and T2 at the PGA Championship. Unfortunately, he didn’t get off to the best start this spring and eventually joined DJ and Phill at LIV. He finished 12th in his first LIV tourney and is hoping to finally close on winning a major.
Tier 4: Cameron Young, Kevin Kisner, Kevin Na, Jason Kokrak, Harold Varner III, Taylor Gooch, Thomas Pieters, Patrick Reed, Tom Hoge, Tommy Fleetwood
My Pick: Tom Hoge- Hoge is currently ranked 39th in the world, and has recorded 4 top 10 finishes, and a victory at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He ranks 11th in strokes gained on approach shots and could see a lot of success if he can find a rhythm in his ball-striking game. He finished T9 at the PGA Championship and T39 at the masters, so you can expect Hoge to make the cut and maybe even exceed expectations if he's hitting the ball well.
Tier 5: Seamus Power, KH Lee, Adam Scott, Aaron Wise, Mito Pereira, Lucas Herbert, Keegan Bradley, Justin Rose, Russel Henley, Brian Harman
My Pick: Justin Rose- I was in a complete 50/50 toss-up between Justin Rose and Aaron Wise. I have heard so many good things about Wise, but I fear his poor putting may hold him back. Justin Rose finished T4 at RBC last weekend and shot a 60 on Sunday, which is freaking insane. He finished T13 at PGA in May and got cut at the Masters in April… Feel like he’s probably going to end up somewhere in the top 15-20, and hope he doesn’t get cut.
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