2024 US Open Betting Preview: Live Odds and Best Bets

Pinehurst No. 2 hosted one of the most memorable U.S. Opens in recent history the last time this championship was held on its historic grounds. Payne Stewart fist-pumped in iconic fashion after his 15-foot par putt dropped to give him the victory over Phil Mickelson, and the statue memorializing that moment overlooks the 18th green to this day.

Players from all over the world will journey to central North Carolina to compete in the 124th U.S. Open, and we're here to help identify which players will be popular picks to win at Pinehurst and who might be on the rise or slightly under the radar leading up to Major season.

Recapping the 2023 US Open

Wyndham Clark (-10) beat Rory McIlroy by a shot at Los Angeles Country Club to hoist his first Major championship trophy. The tournament started with a scoring frenzy led by Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele, who carded eight-under rounds of 62 to lead Clark and 2016 champion Dustin Johnson by two shots. It was the first time in U.S. Open history that no player shot worse than a 79 in Rounds 1 or 2 of the championship, while Fowler and Schauffele set a new scoring record in the 123rd edition of the tournament.

Clark and McIlroy battled the rest of the way, finishing as the only two players to not shoot a round over par as others like Fowler, Schauffele, and Johnson faded out of contention over the weekend. The top pair started the final round exactly how they finished, with Clark ahead by a shot after both players closed with rounds of even-par 70.

Despite a seemingly wayward tee shot on the 18th, Clark benefited from the massive fairway and miss area to the right of the hole and two-putted from beyond 50 feet to capture his first Major at +6500 pre-tournament odds.

2023's U.S. Open was the third in a row to crown a champion who prevailed by a single stroke. Matthew Fitzpatrick hit a memorable approach on 18 from the fairway bunker at The Country Club in 2022 to hold off Will Zalatoris and Scottie Scheffler. Before him, Jon Rahm secured his first Major victory with a birdie-birdie finish at Torrey Pines to cap off a round of 67 and a come-from-behind win over Louis Oosthuizen.

2024 US Open Betting Favorites

We covered Scheffler's sheer dominance in the ball-striking department during our PGA Championship preview and the difficulty he's experienced in lining up those performances with even average putting success. Golf fans then witnessed Scheffler put everything together at TPC Sawgrass for THE PLAYERS Championship.

Scheffler led the field in strokes gained tee-to-green and was second off-the-tee while gaining 0.31 shots per round on the greens. Those components added up to a one-shot victory for the top player in the world, marking the first time any player has won golf's "Fifth Major" in back-to-back years and vaulting him into clear-cut favorite status for the upcoming Majors. Scheffler is listed as short at +550 to win at Pinehurst.

McIlroy and Rahm have matching odds in Scheffler's wake, though that will likely shift after the results of The Masters and the PGA. We covered how close McIlroy came to his second U.S. Open title in 2023, and the Northern Irishman posted top-ten finishes in all four Majors during a "close but no cigar" kind of season. Rahm will attempt to defend his Masters victory from a year ago this April and has finished T12 and T10 in the U.S. Open since his triumph in 2021.

Brooks Koepka and Viktor Hovland are consistently in the top five to seven players on Major futures lists. Koepka plodded his way to a T17 result at LACC last year, and his most recent top-five finish at a U.S. Open came in 2021. We'll continue monitoring his game through the first two Majors of the season, but Koepka has thrived in big moments throughout his career.

Hovland was among our best bets to win at Augusta in April, but his play has yet to give us a huge confidence boost since locking in that wager a few weeks ago. The only portion of his game that ranks inside the top 30 in the world over his last 20 rounds is getting off the tee, and Hovland's short game woes have come back to bite him (122nd in DataGolf's rankings).

Players in Great Form

Last year's champ, Wyndham Clark, is reminding the golf world why he won a Major and earned an automatic Ryder Cup spot in 2023. The fourth-ranked golfer in the world won at Pebble Beach in February to cap off three wins in nine months and posted consecutive runner-up results at Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass in mid-March. He's still available at +3000 or longer at most outlets.

Xander Schauffele has been playing consistent, excellent golf since we turned the page to 2024. The Southern California native has four top fives and six top tens in eight tournaments since the Sentry in early January, including a tie for second at THE PLAYERS. He's also performed extremely well over his career in U.S. Opens, posting five top-fives in seven appearances. Schauffele is still searching for his first Major, and 2024 could be his year if he maintains this current pace.

A player who recently joined the Major champions club and is playing well enough to add another trophy to his shelf is Hideki Matsuyama. The 2021 Masters winner captured his ninth PGA Tour victory at The Genesis Invitational and followed that up with a T12 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and a T6 result at Sawgrass. Matsuyama ranks second in the world in strokes gained tee-to-green over his last 20 rounds and finished fourth at the 2022 U.S. Open before a T32 in 2023.

Sahith Theegala has climbed to 15th in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) after a great start to this season. The former Pepperdine standout was fifth in the FedEx Cup standings heading into the Houston Open, with a runner-up finish at The Sentry, a solo fifth result at the Phoenix Open, and top tens at API and THE PLAYERS. It wouldn't be surprising to see him compete at Pinehurst as long as he can keep his tee shots in play.

Best Bets to Win 2024 US Open

Rory McIlroy +1200 (FanDuel)

Scheffler's early-season success has vaulted him into such a significant lead at the window that McIlroy almost seems like a steal at this number. Every new season brings the hope that McIlroy will end his Major drought, and Pinehurst would be an ideal venue for McIlroy to unburden himself of the weight he must feel with every missed opportunity.

Wyndham Clark +3500 (DraftKings)

Koepka went back-to-back at America's national championship in 2017-18, and Curtis Strange was the last man before him to accomplish that feat in the late '80s. We'd normally stay away from Clark given the slim chances that a player can win arguably the most demanding tournament on professional golf's calendar two years in a row, but his results during the Florida swing speak for themselves.

Hideki Matsuyama +4600 (FanDuel)

Matsuyama finished solo fourth at The Country Club in 2022, just three shots behind champion Matthew Fitzpatrick. It was Matsuyama's second top-five result at a U.S. Open in his career, and after a victory at Riviera, it's conceivable that he could rise to the top of a talented field at Pinehurst. If his putter gets hot, Matsuyama is a great bet at nearly 50-1.

Past Winners of the US Open

Curious about which golfers have won the US Open over the past couple of decades? We can help with that! The following table shows who has won this prestigious tournament from 2000 to 2023.

As you might imagine, Tiger Woods dominated the early portion of the century by winning 3 US Open titles from 2000 to 2008. Retief Goosen and Brooks Koepka are the other multi-winners from the past 22 years.

US Open FAQ

Looking to brush up on your US Open history? We've got your back! The following list of questions and answers can help you expand your golf knowledge.

Would you like us to answer a question you don't see listed here? Reach out to us anytime at [email protected] or on Twitter @EatWatchBet

What golfer has won the most US Open titles?

The golfer who has won the most US Open titles is Willie Anderson, who won the tournament a total of four times in 1901, 1903, 1904, and 1905. Three other golfers, namely, Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, and Jack Nicklaus, have each won the US Open four times as well.

When was the first US Open in golf held?

The first US Open in golf was held on October 4, 1895, at the Newport Country Club in Newport, Rhode Island, two weeks after the end of the inaugural US Amateur Championship. The tournament was organized by the United States Golf Association (USGA), which had been founded just one year earlier. The field consisted of ten professionals and one amateur, and the players competed in a single round of 36 holes. Horace Rawlins, a 21-year-old Englishman who worked as a golf pro at the host club, emerged as the winner, shooting a total of 173 strokes to claim the first US Open title.

Where is the US Open in golf typically played?

The US Open in golf is typically played at various courses throughout the United States. The United States Golf Association (USGA), which organizes the event, selects a different host course each year. Some courses have hosted the event multiple times, while others have only hosted it once. The US Open is known for being played on challenging courses that test the skills of even the best golfers in the world. Some of the most famous and historical courses to have hosted the US Open include Pebble Beach Golf Links, Oakmont Country Club, Winged Foot Golf Club, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, and Pinehurst Resort, among others.

What US Open tournament is considered to be the most memorable?

There have been many memorable US Open tournaments throughout the years, but one that is often considered to be the most memorable is the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, California. The tournament was won by Tiger Woods in a dramatic playoff against Rocco Mediate.

Woods, who was playing with a fractured leg and a torn ACL, birdied the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Mediate. The playoff went to sudden death, with Woods eventually winning on the first extra hole. It was his 14th major championship and his third US Open victory. The fact that he won the tournament while playing through such a severe injury made the victory all the more impressive and memorable. The 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines is often regarded as one of the greatest performances in golf history.

How much does it cost to attend the US Open?

The cost of attending the US Open in golf can vary depending on several factors, including the day of the week, the specific ticket package purchased, and the location of the seats. Generally, the cost of tickets for the US Open can range from around $50 to several hundred dollars per day, with prices typically increasing for weekend rounds and premium seating areas.

In addition to the cost of tickets, attendees may also need to factor in expenses such as transportation, parking, food, and souvenirs. The US Open is typically held at different venues each year, so the cost of attending can also be influenced by factors such as the location of the tournament and the local cost of living.