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U.S. Open 2020: 5 dark horse golfers who could win at Winged Foot

By Cody Williams

NORTON, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 21: Matthew Wolff of the United States watches his tee shot on the 12th hole during the second round of The Northern Trust at TPC Boston on August 21, 2020 in Norton, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
NORTON, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 21: Matthew Wolff of the United States watches his tee shot on the 12th hole during the second round of The Northern Trust at TPC Boston on August 21, 2020 in Norton, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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U.S. Open sleepers
Gary Woodland, U.S. Open (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images) /

These five golfers are sleepers to win the 2020 U.S. Open from Winged Foot Golf Club.

The 2020 U.S. Open will be the first major championship of a 2020-21 season on the PGA Tour in which there will be six majors completed due to COVID-19 shutting down action throughout the spring and early summer. And the venue will be one that’s going to separate the survivors from those who crumble amid extremely difficult conditions: Winged Foot Golf Club.

Anytime there’s a previous U.S. Open (1974) at a course that earned the moniker “The Massacre at Winged Foot” as the winner (Hale Irwin) finished at 7-over and the cut-line was at 13-over, you know we’re talking about a difficult track. This will be the sixth U.S. Open competed at Winged Foot and only once in the previous five trips has the winner finished under par.

Located in Mamaroneck, NY, Winged Foot is going to present an immense challenge for everyone in the field. The greens have been referenced as some of the most difficult in the world and golfers must approach them either from extremely narrow fairways on longer holes or out of lethally thick and long rough.

So who’s going to win? Dustin Johnson (+850) is the favorite heading into the 2020 U.S. Open, followed by Jon Rahm at (+1000), Justin Thomas (+1400), Xander Schauffele (+1600) and Rory McIlroy (+1800). But just last year at Pebble Beach for this major — albeit an entirely different challenge — Gary Woodland emerged as the victor after opening with +8000 odds.

There’s no doubt that a course like Winged Foot is going to separate the best players in the world and of the week. Having said that, these types of conditions and this tournament, in general, tend to allow some sleepers to pop up and have a chance to win. After all, Geoff Ogilvy, the winner at the last U.S. Open hosted at this course in 2006, opened with +8000 odds as well.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the best sleepers, the guys who are slipping under the radar behind the favorites that have a legitimate chance to come up as dark horses and win the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

Note: All odds are via GolfBet on The Action Network. 

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