There's no other tournament as difficult as the US Open. The US Open is one of the most difficult tests of golfing ability. Only players that can play well under extreme stress have a chance of succeeding at it. With its punishment (tough) course setups, narrow fairways and fast greens, the tournament's setup means there is a big distinction between the winners (contenders) and losers (pretenders).
As we approach the tournament again in 2026, focus shifts back to elite golfers from around the globe such as Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, and Scottie Scheffler who will be favoured to performing well at the event.
This article outlines the most likely contenders to win, highlights the latest odds for those contenders and provides you with the best strategies to utilise when betting in order to help you make more informed decisions for betting prior to this tournament.
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US Open favorites
Here are US Open odds favorites for the 2026 golf tournament in LA.
Rory McIlroy : Young Rory McIlroy wasn’t necessarily much of a U.S. Open player. While he did win a rain-soaked one in 2011, the more standard U.S. Opens gave him a ton of trouble including 3 consecutive missed cuts from 2016-2018. But he seems to have figured it out as he embraces more difficult setups with a 9th, 8th, 7th and 5th in his last 4 tries.
Scottie Scheffler : Scheffler unfortunately missed the 2020 U.S. Open due to COVID while he was in good form, so he’s played just 2 of them since becoming a PGA Tour cardholder. With finishes of 7th and 2nd, it’s clear the World No. 2 enjoys the setups, and he’s already become one of the best in the world at a tough venue. Loves firm conditions and got experience here in the Walker Cup.
Justin Thomas : Despite his success in the PGA Championship, there’s certainly a narrative Thomas has to break that he struggles on tougher golf courses. He’s struggled to get in the mix as often as he should in the other majors, and his only real peek at a U.S. Open came at the easy Erin Hills. L.A.C.C.’s open fairways should help his game a bit.
Jon Rahm : Rahm himself struggled in U.S. Opens early in his career, which is no surprise considering how quickly he can lose his patience if things are going wrong. But he’s mostly gotten over that now, and he’s one of the best in the world on tough golf courses. He’ll be looking to get in the mix after failing to get in contention at a major in 2022.
Xander Schauffele : Schauffele posted his worst result ever at a U.S. Open last year … 14th. The Southern California native has been superb in U.S. Opens with 5 finishes of 7th or better in 6 starts, and he was playing some of the best golf of his career to end the 2022 season. Schauffele loves when the venue is difficult, so we should expect him to be one of the favorites going into L.A.
Patrick Cantlay : Cantlay is probably the premiere player in golf that has yet to really get involved much in majors. It’s a bit surprising considering his ability to win at all types of different venues and in different conditions on the PGA Tour. He has started to look okay at U.S. Opens with a 15th and 14th in his last 2 tries after mostly struggling in his first 4.
Cameron Smith : The Open Championship winner at St. Andrews would like to revisit memories of his first U.S. Open this time around as he’s struggled in the championship heavily in his last 6 starts. Ever since finishing 4th as a debutant at Chambers Bay, Smith has made just 3 cuts and hasn’t finished better than 38th.
US Open odds: How to bet the US Open
A player betting will have odds that range between +500 for the favorite to +100,000 for the least likely winner of a golf tournament with a total of 156 players in the tournament.
Odds will be constantly adjusted and updated throughout the entire year based upon (1) how the golfer is performing, (2) the golfer’s injury status, (3) the OWGR performance, and (4) how much money is being wagered on that particular player. Therefore, an increase in the amount of money placed on a player will typically result in a decrease in the player’s betting line.
As a way to predict a golf tournament’s outcome, prop bets use characteristics of each player (like ranking, prior performance) and combine them will many other characteristics like nationality as a set to determine the size of each prop’s odds. The type of golfers included in the prop will have a major effect on the odds for that prop. The greater the quality of golfers in the prop pool, the lower the odds will be on that prop. Golfers included in prop pools will have an individual statistical probability of winning the tournament.
Golfers can be matched up head-to-head or in groups of three during each round or throughout the entire tournament with regard to matchup (or head-to-head) bets. Odds for matchup bets will typically be less than most other types of bets, and they can provide good wagers for protecting against losing another type of wager and you have a small probability of making money on a wager.
Standard tournament betting would provide the best opportunity to bet on a forecasted winning golfer. Typically, there are two or three top golfers in a tournament with very good win odds when you use forecasts as a selecting an outright winner.
A good strategy to use for betting a long-shot will be to make an each-way bet (the same way you would use for a regular each-way bet). Each-way bets consist of two separate wagers consisting of two aspects, one being for the outright winner of the tournament and the other for a specified range of the top finishers (i.e. finish within the top 3 or top 5) who are needed to cash the given each-way payout.
US Open odds: betting strategy
Most things require research because research helps you succeed. There are many tools you can use to help with golf betting. The three areas you should always look at are Course History, Current Form, and Key Stats.
Course History will be hard to get for the US Open. The last time the US Open was hosted at Winged Foot was back in 2006. However, all US Open venues have similar conditions to each other, particularly in terms of course length. So, golfers will either need to avoid trouble on the course or recover quickly to complete their rounds successfully. Putting is also key.
Current Form refers to how well a golfer has been playing leading up to an event; however, beware! Hot and cold streaks will come and go quickly. Each course will also have corresponding Key Stats based on successful scoring there. Become familiar with what types of shots work best on a course and what the greens are composed of physically before placing any bets!
You should keep an eye on the US Open's odds before the tournament; it would be advisable to take screenshots of the opening numbers, to review how those numbers change as time progresses. When betting on a favorite, look for those who have recently lost some games or didn't get a lot of bets placed on them. If you're looking to place a bet on a longshot, try to avoid doing so if their odds have dropped significantly due to recent success. It is difficult to win Majors, and not all players will win.
The majority of your bankroll should be spent on prop bets, matchups and place bets because it is much safer to collect multiple smaller payouts rather than trying to win with a longshot payout; Longshots are like putting your flight in the air with less than a 50-50 chance of arriving on Sunday afternoon to see your dream (bet) become a reality.