US Open Golf Picks
by Frank Doyle of Sports Interaction - 6/14/2011
The US Open, above any tournament, takes pride in having its winner suffer. Four of the last ten winners didn’t even break par, with Angel Cabrera and Geoff Ogilvy limping home as Champions at an extraordinary five over par at Oakmont and Winged Foot, respectively.
Ernie Els and Ken Venturi both broke par to win the US Open the last two times it was held at the Blue Course at Congressional, but the fact is the that USGA likes its Champions to be mentally tough above anything. Nobody is strolling to a US Open title.
This year’s field is led by three golfers who have never won the US Open. Two of them, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood, the World Numbers 1 and 2, have never won a Major at all, while Phil Mickelson has won four Majors but finished second a heartbreaking five times in his National Championship.
Those three are 12/1 each to be the last man standing on Father’s Day. Short prices in a year where there have been so many longshot winners, with Donald being the best bet of the three. Donald has won some big tournaments to get that World No 1 ranking while Lee Westwood is 38 this year and it’s reasonable to wonder if he’ll ever actually win a Major. Time is not on his side.
Nobody would begrudge Mickelson a US Open after his past disappointments, and his four Majors are the most of any other golfer in the field. But Mickelson’s current form is poor and his arthritis is a worry. Mickelson isn’t a good bet for Congressional at that ante-post price.
Martin Kaymer started the season like a man who could dominate but the PGA Champion’s form has deserted him and he’s not a good bet at 22/1. Rory McIlroy has shrugged his final round nightmare at the Masters off his young shoulders and is a threat at 18/1, as is Nick Watney at 28/1. There’s been talk about Matt Kuchar, who hasn’t missed a cut this year out of fourteen starts. But winning isn’t the same as not losing, and until he wins it’s hard to have full faith in him. The same goes for Rickie Fowler.
My picks for the US Open are Hunter Mahan, Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson and, as an 80/1 longshot, Angel Cabrera. Sports Interaction has all the US Open action, from the outright, group betting, matchups and live betting on three-balls! Get your money down now!