The third men’s major championship of the season is here as the best players in the world have made their way to Los Angeles Country Club for the 2023 U.S. Open.
After outlasting Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris at The Country Club outside Boston last year, Matt Fitzpatrick enters the week as the defending champion. The Englishman most recently tied for 20th at the RBC Canadian Open.
World No. 1 Scheffler is the betting favorite at +700, followed by Jon Rahm at +1100 and Brooks Koepka at +1200.
Cam Smith at 30/1 has the best odds to host the trophy of any LIV golfer in the field.
Golf course
Los Angeles Country Club | Par 70 | 7,423 yards
Important statistics
- The last eight U.S. Open winners finished T-13 or better in their previous major championship (ex. Fitzpatrick finished T-5 at the 2022 PGA Championship). (Stat from @DGBetting_)
- The last 10 U.S. Open champions averaged +1.92 strokes gained per round in the three months prior to their victory. Here are the players who fit that bill entering this week: Scheffler, Koepka, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland, Rory McIlroy, Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Jordan Spieth. (Stat from @AmateurStatus)
Odds
| Player | Odds | Player | Odds |
| Scottie Scheffler | (+700) | Tyrrell Hatton | (+3300) |
| Jon Rahm | (+1100) | Collin Morikawa | (+3500) |
| Brooks Koepka | (+1200) | Matt Fitzpatrick | (+3500) |
| Rory McIlroy | (+1400) | Tony Finau | (+3700) |
| Patrick Cantlay | (+1700) | Dustin Johnson | (+4000) |
| Viktor Hovland | (+1700) | Hideki Matsuyama | (+4000) |
| Xander Schauffele | (+1900) | Tommy Fleetwood | (+4000) |
| Jordan Spieth | (+2500) | Bryson DeChambeau | (+4500) |
| Cameron Smith | (+3000) | Justin Thomas | (+4500) |
| Max Homa | (+3100) | Justin Rose | (+4800) |
Scottie Scheffler (7/1)
Scheffler is hitting the ball like prime Tiger Woods right now, but he can’t buy a putt. At the Memorial, Scheffler gained 20.7 strokes tee-to-green, almost twice as much as Rahm, who was second on the list at 11.4. However, the Texan lost 8.516 strokes with the putter.
On Monday, Scheffler was spotted working with a new flat stick, a wide-body Scotty Cameron Newport 2 Plus.
One potential equipment change to watch this week: Scottie Scheffler was spotted with a wide-body @ScottyCameron Newport 2 Plus putter. https://t.co/oJybYye4ol pic.twitter.com/vsQ7tWPeDG
— Jonathan Wall (@jonathanrwall) June 12, 2023
Scheffler qualifies for both key statistics listed above, as he tied for second at the PGA Championship last month.
Rory McIlroy (14/1)
McIlroy has failed to capitalize the last few weeks, coming up short at the Memorial — he was in the final group on Sunday — and the RBC Canadian Open — he was two back with 18 to play. However, his game is trending in the right direction.
The Northern Irishman enters the week with three straight top-10 finishes and has played tremendous golf at the U.S. Open over the last four years: T-5 (2022), T-7 (2021), T-8 (2020) and T-9 (2019).
Like Scheffler, McIlroy meets the criteria for both key statistics thanks to his T-7 performance at Oak Hill.
Cam Smith (30/1)
The Aussie has finished 11th or better in four straight LIV Golf League starts. After tying for 34th at the Masters in April, Smith tied for ninth at the PGA last month.
Despite a dodgy record at the U.S. Open, Smith is feeling confident about his chances: ‘The driver is starting to feel really good, and I think there’s a few opportunities around here to make birdies, so I think that falls into my hands a little bit,” he said Monday.
Max Homa (31/1)
The King of California — four of Homa’s six Tour wins have come in the Golden State — is back in his hometown this week as he tries to capture his first major championship.
Although he tied for 55th at the PGA Championship, Homa finished T-8 at the Wells Fargo and T-9 at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
At the 2013 Pac-12 Championship, Homa fired a course-record 61 at LACC.
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