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US Open 2018 Betting: The Good, The Bad and Tiger Woods
The year’s second Major will take place at the beautiful Shinnecock Hill Golf Course from 14th June to 17th June. As ever with the Majors, many of those who don’t usually have a flutter on golf make an exception for the big event. Indeed, many of those who don’t watch golf each week will be glued to the action taking place in New York.
It is a big event for the bookmakers, but one where savvy punters can make a tidy profit. In light of that, here is a look at some of the best US Open bets you can make, as well as ones to avoid:
The Good:
As you might expect, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth lead the way in the US Open odds. Any of the trio is available around the 10/1 mark with most major bookmakers. However, Bet365 have but Spieth in at a generous 14/1, around the same price as Jason Day and Justin Thomas. That is by some distance the best odds in a Major for Spieth since his breakout year in 2015. Moreover, you can check out these free bet offers to back him.
Going by form, Justin Rose is also worth a look. He looked excellent in winning the Fort Worth Invitational by three strokes ahead of Brooks Koepka. The 2013 US Open champion has also found a good level of consistency in the last few months and looks a fairly generous punt at 20/1 with Bet Victor.
The Majors can also bring about plenty of value when backing longshots. It does not necessarily mean they need to win the tournament, as an each-way (some bookmakers will pay eight places) or top ten finish might still offer generous odds. Step forward Charles Howell III. The 38-year-old doesn’t have a great record in the Majors, but he has shown some fine form recently (one top 10 finish and two top 30 finishes before The Memorial). The sweetener is that Howell can be found at a massive 150/1 with Betfred and Sportingbet. Better do it each-way though.
The Bad:
Sergio Garcia has not had the best season so far, with a 4th place finish at the Valspar Championship his best result to date. He looks more like the guy who blew up and shot a 13 at the Masters 2018 than the guy who won the Masters 2017. 25/1 (Coral, 888sport) just doesn’t sit right.
Similar to Sergio, Phil Mickelson, while an undoubted legend of the game, is not the force he once was. Yes, he has it in him to add another Major one day, and he is certainly not too old to do so. However, the odds should reflect that a bit better. 22/1 (Marathon Bet) does not.
And a final word on Tiger Woods
Most fans want to see Woods win a big one again. Indeed, most punters long for those halcyon days when a bet on Tiger saw healthy returns more often than not. The bookmakers got into a bit of a tizzy when Woods showed some good form before the Masters, with some of them even installing him as favourite. 888sport have not learned their lesson and have put Woods in at 10/1 for the US Open. Has he shown enough to merit that? Not recently. He should be, at the very least, triple those odds.
