US Open Odds 2015: Latest Vegas Lines for Underrated Sleepers in the Field
The U.S. Open may turn out to be a brilliant battle between No. 1 player in the world Rory McIlroy and rising star Jordan Spieth, who dominated the field in the Masters earlier this year.
But while the tour's superstars figure to play well, it doesn't always work out that way. Golf is perhaps the least predictable of all the sports, and momentum, excellent stats and a top-rate track record don't guarantee a golfer anything in the next tournament.
So while the U.S. Open could be the tournament for the biggest names to shine, it could also be a time for an underrated sleeper or two to step up and show the golf world that he is capable of winning the most important tournament played on North American soil.
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The Chamber Bay location makes it even tougher to predict a winner. The links-style course has never hosted a PGA event, and the state of Washington has never hosted a U.S. Open. This is new territory for all the contenders.
In this piece, we look at the sleepers who have the best chance of stringing four consistent rounds together and coming up with an unexpected victory. In addition to booting out McIlroy and Spieth, we also are eschewing Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler. All of these players are listed at odds of 18-1 or better, according to Odds Shark, and are not sleepers.
We are also bypassing Tiger Woods, even though he is listed at 50-1. While Tiger's game has been asleep for the past two seasons, we could never in good conscience refer to him as a sleeper.
| Golfer | Odds |
| Hideki Matsuyama | 33-1 |
| Jason Day | 33-1 |
| Martin Kaymer | 40-1 |
| Matt Kuchar | 40-1 |
| Patrick Reed | 40-1 |
| Brandt Snedeker | 50-1 |
| Brooks Koepka | 50-1 |
| Ryan Moore | 66-1 |
| Keegan Bradley | 66-1 |
| Zach Johnson | 66-1 |
Martin Kaymer (40-1) is not getting much respect from those who have done much of the early wagering on the U.S. Open even though he is the defending champion.
Kaymer won last year's event at Pinehurst, North Carolina, by eight strokes, and he says the key was maintaining his concentration. “I was focused so much on myself, on getting the job done mentally," Kaymer told Ewan Murray of The Guardian. "I didn’t need to worry about the way I was playing the game, there was a reason I was leading by five shots (going into the final round). I was playing well enough."
The German has an excellent track record at the big events, having won the 2010 PGA Championship and the 2014 Players Championship in addition to last year's national title. Kaymer has shown the ability to stay calm at the biggest moments, and that allows him to keep the ball in the fairway when other competitors start to feel the heat and find the rough.
Kaymer has not performed particularly well in the PGA events he has played this year, having won slightly more than $389,000. However, he won more than $4.5 million last year, and he could have an opportunity to show off his tee-to-green accuracy and sharp putting ability at Chambers Bay.
Matt Kuchar has fallen a bit recently, and he is considered a long shot at 40-1. For a while, Kuchar seemed to be the hot contender on nearly everybody's list when it came to winning a major, but that description appears to have slipped away.
Kuchar is winless in 16 events this season, but he has a second- and third-place finish to his credit, and he has made the cut 15 times while earning nearly $1.5 million.
Kuchar has seven tour victories to his credit, and his putting appears to be his best attribute going into the U.S. Open. He has gained an average of .609 strokes with the flat stick, and that ranks seventh on the tour.
Brandt Snedeker appears to be a major outsider at odds of 50-1, but he's got a lot going for him as he prepares to play Chambers Bay. Snedeker currently ranks eighth in the FedEx Cup standings, and that alone means he should be getting more respect than the current odds indicate.
Like Kuchar, Snedeker has never won a major tournament, but he does have seven tour victories, including this year's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Snedeker has been very busy this year, and he has made the cut in 14 of the 17 events he has entered. He has earned slightly more than $2.8 million this season.
Snedeker is not a long driver, as he is averaging 285.5 yards off the tee, and that ranks 125th on the tour. However, he has been red-hot with the putter, gaining an average of .642 strokes on the green, ranking sixth among tour players.
Brooks Koepka may be a winning play at odds of 50-1. Koepka has been enjoying a solid year, having earned more than $2.2 million this year with one tournament victory (Waste Management Phoenix Open) and another third-place finish.
Koepka is a big hitter who is averaging 304.3 yards off the tee, and that ranks 10th on the tour. Koepka has done well with the putter as well, and any golfer who can combine long distance with accurate putting has a chance to compete.
"As far as a prediction for today I'm sticking with what I told @JimCantore on Thursday @weatherchannel that @BKoepka will win @fesjcmemphis
— George Savaricas (@GeorgeSavaricas) June 14, 2015"
Koepka leads the tour with 14 eagles thus far this season, and if he can pick up one or two of those at key moments, it may help him work his way into contention.
Ryan Moore is a major long shot at 66-1, and he is likely to be one of the crowd favorites because he is from Tacoma, Washington. Moore ranks 21st in FedEx Cup points this season, and he has one victory in the CIMB Open, while making the cut in 12 of 15 events.
Moore could have an advantage on this links-style course because he is quite accurate off the tee. Moore is hitting the fairway on 70.10 percent of his tee shots, and that ranks 10th among tour golfers.
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