U.S. Open 2021: 5 dark horse sleepers who can win at Torrey Pines

U.S. Open 2021 sleeper No. 2: Marc Leishman (+6500)

Outside of finishing top-five at The Masters and winning alongside countryman (and near inclusion in this list) Cam Smith at the Zurich Classic, there have been much better years for Marc Leishman than what we’ve seen from him. He’s only finished inside the top 20 of one individual PGA Tour event since the November Masters (outside of the return to Augusta in April) and has struggled to keep the ball in good spots off the tee.

Leishman’s driver would be the reason to look away from him for the 2021 U.S. Open because, not only has he struggled to be accurate with the big stick, he’s also traditionally not one of the bigger hitters in the world. That doesn’t seem to play that well at a course like this.

However, there are two things that stand out with Leishman. First, he tends to be a solid iron player, which can help him a bit if he gets off the mark from the tee box. More importantly, though, Leishman is one of the better scramblers in the world, especially when it comes to making saves around the green.

There are going to be penal areas at Torrey Pines around the greens and, frankly, players are going to have to save themselves with a little magic. While he may not be showing the best form, I can’t overlook a player of the Aussie’s caliber at this number.