BetMGM: Best U.S. Open Props & First Round Leader Bets
Here are the best prop bets and some first-round leader (FRL) predictions for the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club.
U.S. Open: First-Round Leader (FRL) Bets
The U.S. Open will begin Thursday, June 15 at Los Angeles Country Club, which will host a golf major for the first time.
The course hasn’t hosted a PGA Tour event since the 1940s, but it did host the 2017 Walker Cup, so a few players have seen the course before. One of those players is Max Homa, who shot a course record 61 in the 2013 Pac-12 Championship.
It is a par-70 and plays to 7,421 yards. It has five par-3s, all with varying yardages. One can play close to 290 yards, and another can play as short as 75 yards.
While it may seem like a long course, elevation changes make it play shorter, so longer hitters don’t necessarily have a big advantage.
Who could post the best score in Thursday’s first round? Below are my first-round leader bets for the week.
Scottie Scheffler +1600 First-Round Leader
This is purely based on value. Scheffler is +650 to win the entire tournament, but +1600 to be the leader after the first round. As the best player in the field, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if he led after the first round.
Scheffler has the best first-round scoring average on the PGA Tour this year at 68.38.
Viktor Hovland +2800 First-Round Leader
Fresh off his win at The Memorial, Hovland comes into the tournament with plenty of confidence. He’s another player who seems to play his best at the hardest courses, which will come into play this week.
Hovland ranks third on Tour this year with a 68.47 first-round scoring average.
Cameron Young +4500 First-Round Leader
Young hasn’t had as strong of a season as a year ago, but his game is best suited for majors. He’s one of the best drivers on Tour, and that will certainly help him this week.
The 26-year-old may not have the game at the moment to contend for all four rounds, but given his talent and value, this bet makes sense.
U.S. Open 2023: Best Prop Bets
Prop bets are a nice alternative to outright winners in golf betting each week. For example, instead of selecting a player to win, picking him to finish in the top 10 might have better value.
Given Scottie Scheffler has +650 odds to win this week and is a huge favorite, it may make sense to stay away from him.
Los Angeles Country Club is hosting the event for the first time, so there isn’t much data to go on. With that being said, reports from the course indicate it may not play like a typical U.S. Open and be more like Augusta National, where it’s about finding the best way to attack tricky pins.
Below are my best prop bets for the U.S. Open.
Cameron Smith Top-10 Finish +240
If the reports are true that this won’t play like a typical U.S. Open, that will be great news for Smith, who hasn’t had a great amount of success at the event in recent years. He has had a ton of success at the courses that have been compared to LACC – the Plantation Course and Augusta National.
Smith also hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in any event since the Masters.
Matt Fitzpatrick Top-20 Finish +125
After dealing with a neck injury this spring, the defending U.S. Open champion seems fully healthy. Although he missed the cut at the PGA Championship, he’s finished inside the top 20 in both of his events since.
Getting him at plus money to finish inside the top 20 is terrific value. He’s finished inside the top 12 in three of his last five U.S. Opens.
Hayden Buckley Top-40 Finish +188
Not many people know Buckley, but he’s having the best year of his career and is currently ranked No. 76 in the world.
He enjoys the most success at difficult courses, including a T-26 at the PGA Championship and a T-14 at the U.S. Open last year. He seems like a good bet to make the cut, and then he just needs to beat 20 more players to cash this bet.
Who are you betting on to win the U.S. Open? Bet on them risk-free at BetMGM using the offer below!
Ryan Hannable is a copy editor on the Web Content Team for BetMGM. Previously, he was a New England Patriots beat writer for WEEI in Boston. He also has published a golf book, “The Ultimate Book of Golf Trivia: 600 Questions and Answers.”
