US Open: Schauffele to revel in early tee time & 70/1 first round leader tip

Updated on 3:47pm GMT 15 June 2022

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Content Editor at Free Super Tips, Alex was born in the shadow of Old Trafford and is an avid Man Utd fan. After graduating from university he combined his love of football, writing and betting to join FST and now closely follows goings-on in all of the top European leagues.

It’s a turbulent time in the world of golf but the PGA Tour rolls on this week as the elite players head to Massachusetts for the US Open.

Rory McIlroy leads the markets as 10/1 favourite but the likes of Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler are in hot pursuit as they set their eyes on the top prize of $2.25m.

We’ve enlisted golf tipping supremo Steve Palmer to get his thoughts on the US Open outright market along with a first round leader selection.

US Open predictions & betting tips

Course – The Country Club, Brookline, Massachusetts
Par – 70
Field – 156
Where to watch – Sky Sports Main Event from 1pm on Thursday

US Open winner prediction – Xander Schauffele at 22/1

For the second Major running, it appears that a significant draw bias will blight the first two rounds, so US Open punters should probably be concentrating on players who have been handed a morning tee-time on Thursday.

Justin Thomas is well suited to The Country Club at Brookline, but the US PGA champion is a late Thursday starter who seems likely to suffer strong winds throughout round one, so the Kentucky man may need another come-from-behind effort to win this Major.

The bigger odds about Xander Schauffele (22/1) and Joaquin Niemann (33/1) are the preferred punts.

Both men are out in the Thursday morning calm and can lay a strong foundation for the tournament before the breeze blows all day on Friday.

Schauffele has an incredible record in the US Open, with form figures of 5-6-3-5-7, and it is a tournament he relishes. The cool Californian is always at his best on tough courses and this week’s Brookline assignment will certainly fall into that category.

Schauffele has no statistical weakness and is 12th on the PGA Tour for strokes-gained-on-approach – a crucial attribute given how small the greens are at this venue. Schauffele is the Olympic champion and he won the Zurich Classic pairs event alongside Patrick Cantlay in April.

US Open outsider prediction – Joaquin Niemann at 33/1

Niemann is a 23-year-old who appears to have come of age. The cocksure Chilean, who was world number one amateur for 44 weeks and always destined for greatness, won a top-class Genesis Invitational in February.

He finished third in the Memorial last time out. Niemann played alongside Tiger Woods in the first round of the Masters in April – the most high-pressure threeball of the year as Tiger made his comeback amid chaotic scenes – and Niemann handled the occasion superbly to card a 69.

He seems ready to win Majors.

US Open first round leader tips

With strong winds forecast for Thursday afternoon, the first-round-leader market holds some great appeal for those lucky enough to start early in the day.

Davis Riley is one of those and has already shown he is capable of some incredible rounds when he’s on form, such as the 62 he shot on the Saturday in the Valspar Championship in March.

The 25-year-old has opened with a 67 in his last two tournaments and can set the pace early on Thursday.

Alternatively, outright tip Xander Schauffele could get his week off to a good start teeing off in the group behind Riley.

Schaufelle has never finished outside the top seven in his five US Open starts and his opening rounds make for great reading in this Major, posting a 66, 72, 66, 68 and 72.