The US Open is here, and when you start to look at power rankings for the field’s top players, one thing becomes clear: This tournament is wide open.
Shinnecock Hills welcomes the golf world back to Long Island this week for one of the best tests in golf. The historic course is no stranger to hosting the national championship, and as we saw in 2018 with Brooks Koepka’s triumph, the best players rise to the top.
We’re also just a year removed from JJ Spaun’s exhilarating win at Oakmont, a reminder that anything can happen during golf’s stiffest test.
Let’s get into the US Open power rankings for Shinnecock Hills (betting odds via DraftKings Sportsbook).
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8. Russell Henley (37-1) — Henley leads the PGA Tour in driving accuracy. No one in the field is going to be able to set themselves up for a (relatively) manageable approach shot better than Henley. He’s starting to find his game at majors, too. Henley has three top-10 finishes in his last four majors, including a third-place finish at the Masters this year and a 10th-place finish at Oakmont last year. Few do more with less pop in the bat.
7. Tommy Fleetwood (24-1) — Remember when he shot 63 on Sunday at Shinnecock back in 2018? He finished second, the best US Open (and major) performance of his career. Theoretically, he shoudl feel pretty good coming back, and the missed cut at Oakmont last year was the exception (7-for-10 in his career). But also, he’s Tommy Fleetwood, and he doesn’t really win.
6. Matt Fitzpatrick (20-1) — The Englishman checks all the boxes. He’s not going to be intimidated by the conditions. He was nails at the Ryder Cup on Long Island last fall. Oh, and he already has a US Open championship to his name — at a northeast course (The Country Club), no less. There’s a lot to like about Fitzy, even if he’s no longer the hottest golfer in the world (he had three wins in a month earlier this spring). He just finished second at Canada last week, though, so he might be primed for another stint atop the leaderboard.
5. Jon Rahm (+1050) — Rahm has a US Open under his belt already, so it’s a tournament he can win. He’s elite off the tee and is a fantastic ball striker. All things being equal, he should probably be closer to the top of this list. The Masters wasn’t great, and his T-2 at the PGA Championship looks a lot more competitive than it was. It’s hard for him to shake the lingering LIV indifference right now, and if the wind blows, can Rahm steady himself? It’s simultaneously hard to see him winning, but it also wouldn’t be surprising … if that makes sense.
Top US Open Contenders at Shinnecock Hills
4. Xander Schauffele (17-1) — Schauffele just feels like a US Open champion. He hasn’t gotten there yet, though, but as The Fried Egg pointed out, the California kid has never finished worse than 15th in nine US Open appearances. The weather won’t rattle him, and if anything, he’s going to benefit from the conditions.
3. Cam Young (20-1) — Can he contend now that his momentum has stalled a bit? Young went on a heater earlier this year, going T-7, T-3, win, T-3, T-25, win at The Genesis, Arnold Palmer, The Players, the Masters, RBC and the Cadillac. He profiles well, especially off the tee. Ball-striking and short game will be the big test, but he’s proved he saves his best for the majors. He’s a local guy, too, who showed out on Long Island in the last year as Team USA’s best player at the Bethpage Black Ryder Cup.
2. Rory McIlroy (+970) — Anything at Oakmont last year would have been gravy following the Masters win for McIlroy. Same could be said this year, but maybe that frees him up? McIlroy’s a tough nut to crack right now. He’s not playing his best golf, but he typically rises to the major challenge. His golf maturity has been on full display at the US Open the last few years; last year, his streak of top 10s at the US Open ended at six (he still logged a top-20). The big question mark is going to be whether he can hit enough fairways.
1. Scottie Scheffler (+485) — He’s certainly not playing as well as he was a year ago, but the stars seem aligned. Scheffler will celebrate his 30th birthday on Sunday, and a win here would give him the career grand slam. Just about everyone believes there will be a slight emphasis on accuracy over length off the tee, an ability to avoid the huge numbers and elite iron play. There’s no one better suited to pass this test than Scheffler, and the weather (and the draw that comes with it, perhaps) might be the only thing that levels the playing field.
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