The PGA Tour returns to Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California, for the second time this year, this time for the 121st US Open. Torrey Pines annually hosts the Farmers Insurance Open but this week will hold its first US Open since 2008. Below, we look at the fantasy golf power rankings and odds for the 2021 US Open, with PGA Tour picks and predictions.
The third major of 2021 is the fifth of the 2020-21 Tour season. Bryson DeChambeau won his first major at the 2020 US Open in September at Winged Foot Golf Club, and he’ll look to become the first back-to-back US Open champ since rival Brooks Koepka won in 2017 and 2018.
Torrey Pines will play to 7,600-7,800 yards and to a par of 71. Conditions will also be much more difficult than they were for the Farmers Insurance Open in January.
Also see:
2021 US Open: Fantasy Golf Top 20
Odds provided by BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Odds last updated Monday at 9:15 p.m. ET.
20. Marc Leishman (+7000)
Won the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open at 15-under par and had runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2014. He returned to the winner’s circle with partner Cameron Smith at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans earlier this year. His 35 rounds played on Torrey Pines South Course are fourth-most in the field.
19. Sungjae Im (+7000)
Put together a solid weekend at the Palmetto Championship to finish T-35 last week. He averaged 1.30 Strokes Gained: Approach and 1.08 SG: Tee-to-Green per round.
18. Abraham Ancer (+6600)
Comes off a missed cut at the Porsche European Open after a strong run on the PGA Tour that included three straight top-10 finishes at the Valspar Championship (5), Wells Fargo Championship (2) and PGA Championship (T-8). His driver and irons are strong, but he needs to be better around the greens.
17. Daniel Berger (+5000)
Tenth on Tour this season with 1.72 total strokes gained on the field per round. He has one win and four other top-10 finishes against just two missed cuts through 12 events in 2021, but he missed the cut at the Masters and tied for 75th at the PGA Championship.
16. Cameron Smith (+5500)
Averaging 0.44 SG: Around-the-Green and 0.62 SG: Putting per round to nicely complement a strong iron game. He’s also 31st on Tour in bogey avoidance and can avoid the high scores that plague US Open scorecards.
Place your legal, online 2021 US Open bets in CO, IA, IN, MI, NJ, PA, TN, VA, WV and Washington D.C. at BetMGM. Risk-free first bet! Terms and conditions apply. Bet now!
15. Will Zalatoris (+4000)
Twenty-third in bogey avoidance, T-29 in par 4 efficiency from 450-500 yards and third in SG: Approach per round. He tied for sixth at the US Open in the fall and has six top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour since, including both the Masters and PGA Championship.
14. Scottie Scheffler (+4000)
Hasn’t finished outside the top 20 in any of his last four major appearances, including a T-8 at the PGA Championship last month. His third-place finish at the Memorial Tournament was his fifth top 10 through 15 events to begin the 2021 schedule.
13. Patrick Reed (+2800)
Won the Farmers Insurance Open in January; however, the US Open will be played solely on Torrey Pines South Course and the conditions will be much tougher with thicker rough and faster greens. He gained 1.31 strokes per round around the greens in January, but that area of the game will be much tougher, in particular.
12. Patrick Cantlay (+2500)
Defeated Collin Morikawa in a playoff to win the Memorial Tournament after Jon Rahm was forced to withdraw with the 54-hole lead. The US Open has historically been his worst of the four majors, but his short game has been strong on the 2020-21 season with 0.46 SG: Around-the-Green per round.
11. Jordan Spieth (+2000)
The greatest weakness in his resurgent 2021 schedule has been accuracy off the tee. That’s likely to be met with greater consequence at Torrey Pines than at any of the eight courses where he placed in the top 10 this year.
Play our new free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
10. Xander Schauffele (+1800)
Enters the week No. 2 in the Golfweek/Sagarin world rankings and second in total strokes gained on the field per round for the season. He finished T-6 or better in each of his four career US Open appearances, but he missed the cut at the PGA Championship last month.
9. Justin Thomas (+2000)
He hasn’t finished better than T-13 in any of his last seven events following victory at The Players. He’s second on Tour in SG: Approach and fifth in SG: Tee-to-Green but has limited experience at Torrey Pines.
8. Rory McIlroy (+2000)
Averaging 2.40 strokes gained on the field over nine career rounds on the South Course. He had a disappointing T-49 finish at the PGA Championship but improved to T-18 at the Memorial Tournament with 1.01 SG: Approach per round and a strong putting performance.
7. Viktor Hovland (+2500)
The two-time PGA Tour winner had one of his two 2021 runner-up finishes at the Farmers in January. He’s fourth among qualified golfers in SG: Off-the-Tee, and has finished T-13 and T-12 in two US Open appearances.
6. Collin Morikawa (+2200)
Followed up his 2020 PGA Championship win with a missed cut at the US Open, but has rebounded with strong showings at the first two majors of 2021. He’s first on Tour in both SG: Approach and SG: Tee-to-Green, and tied for first in par 4 efficiency from the key distance of 450-500 yards.
5. Tony Finau (+2500)
Four straight top-10 finishes and nine in his last 13 major appearances. He has gained an average of 2.06 strokes per round on the South Course over 21 rounds.
4. Dustin Johnson (+1400)
No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking but fifth in the Golfweek rankings. Coming off a T-10 finish against a weak field at the Palmetto Championship in which he averaged 1.82 SG: Tee-to-Green per round.
3. Brooks Koepka (+1800)
The two-time US Open champ and four-time major winner missed the cut at the Palmetto Championship due to an awful short game and putting performance. The conditions will be much more fitting to his game this week.
2. Bryson DeChambeau (+1800)
The winner of the 2020 US Open by six strokes is being slighted a bit by the odds this week. He’s No. 1 among qualified golfers in SG: Off-the-Tee and fourth in SG: Tee-to-Green. His added power and distance are best-suited to the US Open conditions.
1. Jon Rahm (+1000)
The No. 1 player in the Golfweek rankings was forced to withdraw from the Memorial with a six-stroke lead after the third round. He eyes his first career major win at a course where he has averaged 2.05 strokes gained per round over 15 career rounds.
Get some action on the 2021 US Open by signing up and betting at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
Golfweek:
- Photos: US Open 2021 at Torrey Pines
- Three colleges have a combined 20 golfers in the field at the US Open
Follow @EstenMcLaren on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage. This information is for entertainment purposes only. We make no representations or warranties as to the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any content.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1364]