US Open Golf Tournament 2022: Top Odds, Predictions and Storylines for Thursday
The 2022 U.S. Open has arrived, and a field of talented golfers will hit the greens at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, on Thursday. Only one will emerge as the champion on Sunday evening.
It's the third major tournament on the 2022 calendar, following the Masters and the PGA Championship. The first two were won by Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas, respectively, and they will be among the top contenders this weekend.
Each of the past three U.S. Opens has been won by a golfer who had never previously captured a title at a major tournament: Gary Woodland (2019), Bryson DeChambeau (2020) and Jon Rahm (2021). Will that streak continue this year, or will a more accomplished golfer end up as the champion?
Here are the latest odds for the 2022 U.S. Open, followed by some predictions and storylines to watch for Thursday's opening round.
Top Odds to Win
Rory McIlroy: +1000 (bet $100 to win $1,000)
Justin Thomas: +1100
Jon Rahm: +1300
Scottie Scheffler: +1400
Patrick Cantlay: +2000
Xander Schauffele: +2000
Cameron Smith: +2200
Jordan Spieth: +3000
Will Zalatoris: +2500
Shane Lowry: +2500
Sam Burns: +2800
Matthew Fitzpatrick: +3000
Collin Morikawa: +3000
Dustin Johnson: +3500
Joaquin Niemann: +3500
Tony Finau: +3500
Viktor Hovland: +3500
Will McIlroy Carry Over Recent Momentum?
Rory McIlroy has been on a roll since mid-April when he finished second at the Masters. That started a run of five straight events in which the 33-year-old has finished 18th or better, and he's been in the top eight in all but one of them. He's also coming off a win at last weekend's RBC Canadian Open.
With how well McIlroy has been playing, this appears to be a great opportunity for him to end his major drought, which extends to the 2014 PGA Championship.
McIlroy is a former U.S. Open champion, but his lone win at the event came in 2011. Since then, he has four top-10 finishes, three of which came in 2019, 2020 and 2021. So he's been playing consistently well at the U.S. Open in recent years.
And expect him to get off to a strong start to begin the 2022 edition. McIlroy should contend for the win this weekend, and he'll put himself in a good position to do so by starting on the right note.
Prediction: McIlroy ends up in the top 10 after first round
Close to Home, Bradley Seeking Strong Start
The Country Club will be an unfamiliar course to many golfers in the field, given the U.S. Open hasn't been held there since 1988. But for Keegan Bradley, he should feel a bit more comfortable. That's because he's going to be close to home.
The 36-year-old Bradley is a New England native who spent his final year of high school in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. So there are going to be a lot of people in the area cheering for Bradley to win his second career major title this weekend, and his first since winning the 2011 PGA Championship.
Bradley has never finished better than fourth at the U.S. Open, and he missed the cut every year from 2018-20 before not featuring in 2021. But he's been playing well of late, posting four top-eight finishes over the past three months.
The pressure will be on for Bradley to perform well close to home, but don't be surprised if he rises to the occasion, at least early in the tournament. Bradley has recorded some impressive scores in opening rounds in 2022, a trend that will continue Thursday.
Prediction: Bradley ends up in the top five after the first round
Rahm Begins Defense of US Open Title
Last year, Jon Rahm broke through for his first career major title at the U.S. Open. He hasn't won another major since then, but he now has the opportunity to win this tournament in back-to-back years, a feat that was last achieved by Brooks Koepka in 2017 and 2018.
There's a good chance that Rahm will get off to a strong start. In the 11 tournaments he's played in 2022, he's shot a 69 or better in seven of them. He didn't start quite as well at either of the first two majors, but he still had decent showings at those tournaments.
Will Rahm win the U.S. Open again? It'll be tough, especially with how well some of the top-ranked golfers have been playing.
Still, it wouldn't be surprising to see Rahm be in contention deep into the weekend. And he should get off on the right note on Thursday, perhaps even sitting at the top of the leaderboard at the end of the first round.
Prediction: Rahm will be in first place after the first round
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