US Open 2015 Odds: Examining Betting Lines for Underrated Picks
If there's any golf tournament that has a tendency to produce unexpected champions, it's the U.S. Open. Lucas Glover found impeccable form at the right time to take the tournament in 2009. Angel Cabrera came out of nowhere to win the tournament in 2007, defeating an in-form Tiger Woods in the process. Michael Campbell did the same in 2005.
So, this year, while all eyes are fixed on world No. 1 Rory McIlroy and his attempt to claim his fifth major victory, or world No. 2 Jordan Spieth and his bid to win consecutive majors after emerging victorious in the Masters, be sure to pay attention to some unheralded players poised to make appearances on the leaderboard.
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But which underrated golfers have the best chance to succeed at Chambers Bay—a links-style course that resembles more of an Open Championship than a U.S. Open—this week? Before we attempt to tackle that inquiry, let's take a look at the current odds for the 2015 U.S. Open.
Tournament Odds
| Rory McIlroy | 7-1 |
| Jordan Spieth | 8-1 |
| Phil Mickelson | 16-1 |
| Dustin Johnson | 18-1 |
| Justin Rose | 18-1 |
| Rickie Fowler | 18-1 |
| Henrik Stenson | 25-1 |
| Adam Scott | 28-1 |
| Bubba Watson | 28-1 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | 28-1 |
| Jason Day | 33-1 |
| Jim Furyk | 33-1 |
| Jimmy Walker | 33-1 |
| Sergio Garcia | 33-1 |
| Martin Kaymer | 40-1 |
| Matt Kuchar | 40-1 |
| Patrick Reed | 40-1 |
| Billy Horschel | 50-1 |
| Brandt Snedeker | 50-1 |
| Brooks Koepka | 50-1 |
| Ryan Moore | 50-1 |
| Tiger Woods | 50-1 |
| Byeong-hun An | 66-1 |
| Keegan Bradley | 66-1 |
| Lee Westwood | 66-1 |
| Paul Casey | 66-1 |
| Zach Johnson | 66-1 |
Underrated Players to Watch
Hideki Matsuyama
Hideki Matsuyama is quietly having himself a fantastic season on the PGA Tour. He has yet to notch a win this year, but he's accumulated six top-10 finishes—including a fifth-place result in the Masters—and only one missed cut in 12 starts. He enters Chambers Bay with some nice momentum after notching a tie for fifth in the Memorial.
One of the tour's most well-rounded players, Matsuyama is phenomenal from tee to green, ranking ninth in greens in regulation and second in strokes gained tee to green. He also ranks third in total driving and third in ball-striking. Considering the importance of keeping the ball out of the greenside fescue by maintaining accurate approach shots at Chambers Bay, it's easy to speculate Matsuyama has an advantage here.
Matsuyama's one weakness is his putting. He enters the tournament ranked 122nd on tour in strokes gained-putting. Due to the all-around uncertainty of the undulating greens at Chambers Bay by some of the field, there will be far less of an advantage for the tour's best putters over its average putters.
Billy Horschel
Billy Horschel may very well be a dark horse in the 2015 U.S. Open. He wasn't in phenomenal form earlier this year, missing three cuts and notching just one top-20 finish in his first 12 events. However, he's been stellar of late and has now earned four top-20 finishes in his last four starts. That's called peaking at the right time.
Chambers Bay sets up nicely for Horschel's game. He's solid off of the tee, ranking 12th on tour in total driving, and he's an even better ball-striker, ranking eighth in that category. Horschel is accurate on his approach shots, ranking 16th in greens-in-regulation percentage, and he's a decent putter.
Horschel will be carrying plenty of momentum into the U.S. Open after a final-round 65 at TPC Southwind earned him a tie for eighth place—his second-best finish on the season. If he can remain accurate off of the tee and put himself in position to pick his landing spots of preference on the undulating greens, he should be able to remain well in the mix.
Rickie Fowler
Rickie Fowler didn't exactly ride his late surge in 2014 into the new season, as the world No. 9 couldn't do any better than a tie for 41st in his first four starts in 2015. In fact, he hasn't fared much better in most tournaments since and is coming off of a missed cut in the Memorial.
So, why should Fowler be considered as one of the top underrated players to watch in the U.S. Open? He has a knack for showing up on the biggest stages.
His four best appearances this season came in the four most prestigious tournaments. Fowler notched a tie for 12th in the WGC-Cadillac Championship, another tie for 12th in the Masters, a tie for ninth in the WGC-Cadillac Match Play and won The Players Championship.
Now, that's impressive. It also gives Fowler plenty of confidence heading into Chambers Bay. He shared his thoughts on notching his first major win, per the Associated Press (via FoxNews.com), saying, "But looking back on that, and then with what I did at The Players, I think I'm very much ready to go get in contention in a major and get the job done."
While Fowler's driving and ball-striking have been rather suspect at times this season, his ability around the greens has saved him on many occasions. He enters the U.S. Open ranked first on tour in save percentage from the fringe and fifth in overall putting average. Those two categories will be very important on the humongous greens at Chambers Bay.
All tournament odds courtesy of Odds Shark.
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