US Open picks: 3 matchup bets to target for the tournament

One last round of US Open picks for The Country Club at Brookline with our best matchup bets for the tournament this week.

The US Open is almost set to tee off after a three-day buildup since the RBC Canadian Open that honestly felt like a full week in itself. But soon enough, The Country Club will be buzzing not with LIV Golf drama (okay, maybe there will still be some of that), but with the players teeing it up and trying to take home a major championship.

Over the course of the week, we’ve looked at this tournament from every angle. We’ve looked at outright picks and best bets, dark horses that could win, DraftKings picks, under-the-radar contenders, and much more. But the one thing we haven’t tackled yet is the head-to-head matchups that you could potentially tackle.

Don’t worry. We’re going to cover that too. Looking at the odds board, these are the three tournament matchups that stand out as the best bets for the 2022 US Open.

Note: All odds are courtesy of WynnBet. For more betting picks and advice, check out BetSided.

US Open picks: 3 tournament matchup bets to target

3. Max Homa (+125) over Sungjae Im

The disrespect shown towards Max Homa in the betting markets continues to baffle me.

Now, I get why Sungjae Im is the favorite. On the whole, his game should fit Brookline extremely well with his emphasis on ball-striking and potentially around-the-green game as well. However, Homa has been better than Im on approach and is 10th best in this field in Strokes Gained: Approach over the past 40 rounds. He’s in the best form of his life and is coming off of one of his best major finishes ever with a T13 at the PGA Championship. Getting plus value on this is too good for a player in his current form.

2. Shane Lowry (-120) over Collin Morikawa

This is a matchup to absolutely hammer. Whether or not you realize it, Lowry has been one of the five best players in the world over the last few months. Over the last 40 rounds, he’s fourth in this field in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green in terms of players with more than one measured tournament. He’s gaining across the board and has just been reeling off quality finishes and looking primed to break through.

Morikawa, on the other hand, looks like a shell of the player he’s capable of being. He’s bleeding 0.57 strokes per round with the putter over his last 20 rounds and is losing strokes around the green as well. That’s something you can’t trust and, with the complete form of Lowry, I trust the Irishman to outdo the young two-time major champ.

1. Xander Schauffele (-120) over Patrick Cantlay

How can you not love this at pretty good value? I’m not foolish enough to fully back Xander Schauffele to win — even if he’s one of my outright picks because I can’t help myself — but there’s no denying that his game is tailor-made for US Open success. The results have shown that too as he’s been Top 10 in the last five years at this tournament with three Top 5 finishes as well.

Contrasting that is Cantlay, who has been unbelievably disappointing in majors routinely in his career. When you pair that with the fact that he’s also not been in top form otherwise, he’s a full fade for me, so getting -120 on Schauffele to just beat that with the X-Man’s history at the USGA’s major seems like an easy hammer.

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