US Open Field 2016: Predictions and Vegas Betting Odds for Notable Sleepers
The U.S. Open is usually the spot on the golf tour where the best golfers in the world show they are human.
That's because the United States Golf Association has no interest in making things easy and seeing the tour's top players reel off birdie after birdie and bring its selected course to its knees.
The USGA is not about to give the game's best a pass. Instead, it wants the conditions to be challenging and make the world's best golfers fight through adversity.
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This year, the best golfers in the world will compete for the U.S. Open title at the Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania (close to Pittsburgh), and it figures to be a 15-round slugfest for the competitors.
The last time the U.S. Open was played at Oakmont, Argentinian Angel Cabrera won the event with a score of five over par in 2007.
Difficult or not, many expect the winner to come from the usual suspects in defending champion Jordan Spieth, top-ranked Jason Day or long-ball phenom Rory McIlroy.
Usually, the best players in the world play their best golf at the major championships.
But golf is a game that is very difficult to predict, and long shots can make a run at the title. In this piece, we look at several sleepers who could make a run at the U.S. Open championship.
For our purposes, any player who is not listed in Odds Shark's top 10 of betting favorites is worthy of consideration for this article.
| Danny Willett | plus-4,000 | 9th | Will stay calm down the stretch. |
| Bubba Watson | plus-4,000 | 4th | Creative shotmaker in addition to overwhelming power. |
| Patrick Reed | plus-5,000 | 8th | Slowly but surely climbing. |
| Louis Oosthuizen | plus-6,600 | 3rd | Another huge performance at U.S. Open. |
| Daniel Berger | plus-6,600 | 12th | Solid performance. |
| Brandt Snedeker | plus-7,000 | 14th | Will fade over final 36 holes. |
| Martin Kaymer | plus-7,000 | 6th | Ready to make a run. |
| Zach Johnson | plus-8,000 | 15th | Must keep his cool if he wants to contend. |
| Kevin Kisner | plus-7,000 | 10th | Underrated long shot has a chance. |
| Jason Dufner | plus-10,000 | 20th | Not in best form but has nerves of steel. |
Danny Willett, plus-4,000
The Masters champion is right outside of the top 10 in betting favorites, so we gave him full consideration and believe that he has a legitimate chance to stay in contention throughout all four days of the tournament.
When Willett won the Masters, he was fairly consistent early on, and he was never out of contention even though Speith appeared to be on his way to beating up the famed Augusta, Georgia, course. When Spieth ran into trouble on Sunday, Willett was stoic and tough. The moment did not overwhelm him, and he put on a wonderful charge to win the tournament.
Willett may not win the U.S. Open, but he will make a solid showing and finish in the top 10.
Bubba Watson, plus-4,000
Like Willett, Watson is just outside of the top 10 betting favorites. Watson has to be given strong consideration in any big tournament he enters because of his spectacular power and shot-making ability.
While he does not display his best game as consistently as Day or Spieth, he is able to play with and beat the best players in the world when he is on top of his game. Watson ranks 18th in FedEx Cup points and fourth in the World Golf Rankings.
Watson ranks second with 1.087 shots gained off the tee, and that gives him the ability to stay in contention in any tournament.
Look for Watson to crack the top five at Oakmont.
Patrick Reed, plus-5,000
Expect Reed to be boiling when he tees off at Oakmont. At this point in his career, Reed told NBC (h/t GolfChannel.com) he expected to be one of the best golfers in the world. He thought he would have the same kind of status as Spieth, Day and McIlroy.
It hasn't worked out that way for Reed, but that doesn't mean he won't come around and start playing his best golf in the biggest tournaments and start living up to his own expectations.
Reed has not won a tournament this year, but he does have two second-place finishes and has earned nearly $3 million while ranking sixth in FedEx Cup points.
Reed tied for 14th in last year's U.S. Open, but he should be able to crack the top 10 this year.
Louis Oosthuizen, plus-6,600
Whenever there's a big event on the world golf stage, astute handicappers have to give Oosthuizen strong consideration. Oosthuizen tied for 15th at the Masters, and while he looked like he might be able to grind out a top-10 finish in that event, he did not display the consistency he is known for.
Oosthuizen has one of the purest golf swings in the world, and near-perfect ball striking is what it takes to become a legitimate contender at the U.S. Open. Oosthuizen tied for second in last year's U.S. Open, and when he is in contention, his consistent swing tends to hold up well over the final 36 holes.
Oosthuizen gains .549 strokes with his tee shots, which ranks 16th on the tour in that category. Look for Oosthuizen to make it into the top five at Oakmont.
Kevin Kisner, plus-8,000
Kisner comes in at a great price for a player who ranks eighth in FedEx Cup points and 26th in the World Golf Rankings.
Despite his solid performance, he is not getting a lot of respect from the handicappers, but he just may be able to bring about a huge payday for those who decide to wager on him.
Kisner has a victory, a second-place finish and has been in the top 10 five times this season. He ranks 16th on the tour with an average of 4.06 birdies per round.
If Kisner has a solid first round, he could play himself into contention. His robust price means he deserves consideration from those who are preparing to wager on the U.S. Open.
Stats and rankings via PGATour.com.
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