US Open Golf 2021: Odds, Favorites and Tournament Preview

The buildup to the 2021 U.S. Open carries a multitude of notable talking points. 

Pre-tournament favorite Jon Rahm will be back in the field after he was forced to withdraw from The Memorial due to a positive COVID-19 test.

Rahm has been cleared to participate at Torrey Pines Golf Course. He is expected to face stiff competition from Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and a handful of others.

DeChambeau and Koepka are embroiled in a back-and-forth off the course, and there is always the potential for the two rivals to play together in one of the weekend pairings. 

Then there is Phil Mickelson, who is coming off an unlikely win at the PGA Championship. The 50-year-old is playing in his home state and will have plenty of eyes on him.

Mickelson is still further down the odds chart at +5,000, but there should be some action on his potential success because of the triumph at Kiawah Island. 

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Jon Rahm (+800; bet $100 to win $800)

Bryson DeChambeau (+1200)

Rory McIlroy (+1200)

Justin Thomas (+1200)

Dustin Johnson (+1400)

Brooks Koepka (+1400)

Xander Schauffele (+1400)

Jordan Spieth (+1400)

Collin Morikawa (+2000)

Viktor Hovland (+2200)

Patrick Cantlay (+2500)

Hideki Matsuyama (+2500)

Patrick Reed (+2500)

Webb Simpson (+2500)

Tony Finau (+2800)

Tyrrell Hatton (+2800)

Rahm is the best player in the U.S. Open field yet to win a major. 

The 26-year-old Spaniard is in some of the best form of his life. He would likely have come into Torrey Pines off a victory had he not been withdrawn at the Memorial. He had a six-shot lead going into Sunday's final round. 

Rahm has three top-10 finishes at his last five majors, including a tie for third at the 2019 U.S. Open. 

Prior to his withdrawal at The Memorial, Rahm put together a run of six top-10 placings over eight PGA Tour appearances. 

During that stretch, Rahm landed inside the top 10 at the Players Championship, the Masters and the PGA Championship.

Rahm's form suggests he will be in the mix for his first major title come Sunday, and the oddsmakers seem to agree. 

Rahm is the pre-tournament favorite at +800 and the closest golfer to him is DeChambeau at +1200. 

At minimum, Rahm should be considered for top-five and top-10 prop bets as well as daily fantasy lineups since he has not displayed many flaws at the sport's highest level. 

DeChambeau comes into the 2021 U.S. Open with much different expectations to last year's event. 

The 27-year-old is now the reigning champion looking to defend his crown rather than the golfer with bigger muscles and longer drives than everyone in the field.

Of course, not everyone has approved of the method that debuted out of the quarantine period last summer. Koepka has emerged as his biggest critic and rival. 

Koepka is a two-time U.S. Open champion, and he has four total majors to his name, but DeChambeau does have the most-recent major win and is lower on the odds chart entering Torrey Pines. 

DeChambeau needs a strong performance at Torrey Pines to erase his poor showings from the season's first two majors. He landed a tie for 46th at the Masters and finished just inside the top 40 at the PGA Championship. 

Since Augusta, DeChambeau has turned in a single top-10 finish in five starts, and he only has two straight rounds in the 60s in that span.

DeChambeau's history at Torrey Pines is not promising. He missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open in 2017 and 2018. 

The recent form and his previous history at the course suggest DeChambeau could be the top golfer to fade this weekend. 

However, there is always a chance that the American turns his form around on a U.S. Open course, like he did at Winged Foot in 2020, which is why he is such an intriguing pick to win.

Statistics obtained from PGATour.com.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL).

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), or call or text the TN REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN).

21+. NJ/PA/WV/IN/IA/CO/IL/TN only. In partnership with Meadows Racetrack & Casino. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details