Rory McIlroy is the favourite at Brookline this week and the Northern Irishman is hard to ignore as we select our US Open golf tips.
The Country Club is the venue for the 122nd staging of the tournament, where John Rahm is the defending champion and McIlroy goes in search of his fifth major and first since 2014.
Rahm, Justin Thomas and Scottie Scheffler are not far behind McIlroy at the head of the betting, so here’s our three off the tee and their US Open golf odds:
RORY MCILROY @ 12.0
Thomas won the toss last week and we stuck him at the top of our Canadian Open shortlist instead of McIlroy. We live and learn.
The two had a tussle that would have been suited to this battleground at Brookline and are primed to go at it again.
This time McIlroy gets the nod. He closed with a 62 at St George’s to defend his title and win for the first time in 2022.
Earlier this year, big-game hunter McIlroy was second at The Masters and eighth at the US PGA and now, from the PGA Tour stats, leads on strokes gained from tee to green and adjusted scoring.
The 2011 champion, top-10 in the last three US Opens, made as big a statement off the course last week when he spoke about Greg Norman and LIV Golf and will have plenty of support from the lively Boston crowd.
TONY FINAU @ 34.0
It is surely just a matter of time before big Tony lands a big prize.
The 32-year-old has been tipped for a major since finishing inside the top 10 in three out of four in 2018.
He followed that run by posting six more top-10s in his next 13 but this year’s share of 35th at The Masters and tie for 30th at the US PGA were nothing much to write home about.
However, he is in much better form now. He tied for fourth at the Charles Schwab Challenge and took second on his own behind McIlroy in Canada. He also secured a share of second place at the Mexico Open at the start of May.
Key to the upturn and crucial heading to Massachusetts, Finau has raised his game with the putter and his scrambling stats have also been improving.
COREY CONNERS @ 51.0
Handled the expectations in his homeland and got better as the week went on at the Canadian Open, closing with a 62 for sixth place on his own.
Conners knows his way around Brookline. He lost to winner Matt Fitzpatrick in the semi-final of the US Amateur nine years ago, the last time a big event was staged at the Country Club.
Hasn’t made a US Open cut in his three attempts but this track and the current shape of his game look like the ideal combination to buck that trend, so plenty will keep the faith in their each-way US Open golf predictions.
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