The PGA Tour will shift to the Erin Hills Golf Club in Wisconsin for the second major tournament of the season in the 2017 US Open. The United States Golf Association has traditionally set up the venues for this tournament to play exceptionally hard and we could see that again this week. This year’s tournament will mark the first time the US Open has been played in Wisconsin. If past results are any indication, this should be one of the most exciting tournaments of the year with the world’s best competing at the highest level once again. The winner share of the purse has been bumped up once again this year with the US Open champion set to take home $2.16 million.
Details
Event: US Open
Category: PGA
Date: June 15-18
Location: Erin Hills Golf Club, Erin, Wisconsin
A look at the winning scores recorded by the US Open winners over the last five years provides some insight in to how difficult this tournament has played. The last US Open winner to finish with a double-digit number under par was Rory McIlroy, who dominated at Congressional back in 2011. This will be the first major tournament hosted by Erin Hills so it will be interesting to see how the top golfers in the world respond to the unfamiliarity of playing at this course.
Past Five Winners
2016: Dustin Johnson -4
2015: Jordan Spieth -5
2014: Martin Kaymer -9
2013: Justin Rose +1
2012: Webb Simpson +1
What To Know About The Course
The Erin Hills course has been described as links-like and at 7,700 yards it is definitely a very long course. There has been talk about the tournament not being played from the tips so there is a chance the 2017 US Open actually feels a little bit shorter than pat editions of this tournament. The course is very exposed and built for wind so that could definitely impact the scoring numbers. Driving Accuracy should be an important statistic to consider when evaluating this week’s field. As always, Greens In Regulation and Putting numbers are two more key stats to consider when predicting a winner for the US Open.
The Field
Dustin Johnson returns as the defending US Open champion after winning this tournament a year ago. It should be no surprise that he is the sports betting favorite to win the event at +700 odds. Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and Jordan Spieth are all listed among the favorites as well ranging from +1200 odds to +1400 odds to win outright depending on the sportsbook. Jon Rahm, Rickie Fowler and Justin Rose round out the list of the top favorites for the 2017 US Open with Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott in the mix as well at +2500 and +3000 respectively. There are plenty of intriguing value picks as well for this week’s event including Hideki Matsuyama at +3300 and Francesco Molinari at +8000 to win outright.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Rickie Fowler over Rory McIlroy
McIlroy has been dealing with a rib injury that has limited his starts this season and hurt his performances when he has played. He hasn’t looked anything like the golfer that dominated when he won this tournament back in 2011 so we have no problem fading him in this spot. Meanwhile, Fowler is coming off a disappointing result at last week’s FedEx St. Jude Classic but that might be a blessing in disguise considering he missed the weekend and had a little more time to rest and prepare for this week’s event. Fowler’s game should be suited for this week’s course so look for him to deliver a strong performance and finish ahead of McIlroy at the US Open.
Top-Five Pick: Dustin Johnson
Tiger Woods is the only world No. 1 to win the US Open dating all the way back to 1988-89, but there are plenty of reasons to think that Johnson can repeat here. The sorts betting favorite and defending champion has been excellent at past US Open tournaments including last year’s win and his game is perfect for this course. D.J. has been extremely dominant throughout this season and we expect that trend to continue with another top-five finish at the 2017 US Open this week.
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