U.S. Open Prop Bets

Pinehurst No. 2 has hosted the U.S. Open twice in the past (1999 and 2005) and has really given golfers trouble with just one player (Payne Stewart) being able to shoot better than par in that time. With that in mind, here are the best prop bets for the second major of the season…

Top Asian: Hideki Matsuyama (+100)
This bet won't equal a huge payoff, but Matsuyama has already proven that he does well under pressure with top-20 finishes in three of his first four major tournaments. He now also has a PGA Tour win under his belt after taking the Memorial Tournament at the beginning of this month. None of the next four Asian players on the list (Seung-Yul Noh, Thongchai Jaidee, Hyung-Sung Kim, Y.E. Yang) have finished better than 21st in a major tournament over the past two seasons. Not only does Matsuyama have a great chance at being the top Asian in the field, but he is also poised to win a major very soon.

Will there be a playoff: Yes (+250)
Without a clear-cut best player on tour at the moment, the top of the leaderboard should be crowded with tons of names. There has not been a playoff in the U.S. Open since 2008 when Tiger Woods defeated Rocco Mediate, but since The Masters, there have already been two tournaments that have gone into a playoff. With such a low-scoring course, there is a good chance we will see an exciting ending to this year’s installment of the U.S. Open.

Top Irish player: Graeme McDowell (+300)
Rory McIlroy is the obvious favorite in this category as the sixth-ranked player in the world, but Graeme McDowell has been great in the U.S. Open recently with top-20 finishes in four of the past five years; including a victory in 2010 and a runner-up finish in 2012. On the other hand, McIlroy dominated with a 16-under victory in the 2011 U.S. Open, but failed to make the cut in 2012 and then finished in 41st place last year. He seems better off in a shootout rather than a grind-it-out tournament, making this a more well-suited major for McDowell.

Matt Kuchar in the top 10?: Yes (+177)
Kuchar has been the model of consistency this year with top-10 finishes in nine of his 15 tournaments. He may have just one single-digit finish at the U.S. Open in his career (T6 in 2010), but Kuchar has shown to be much more impressive in the other majors with five top-10's (3 at The Masters, 1 at British Open and 1 at PGA Championship). Kuchar should be able to use his calm demeanor on the golf course to put together a solid tourney and be amongst the leaders come Sunday afternoon.

Will there be a Hole in One?: Yes (+165)
There have been only 39 hole-in-ones at the U.S. Open since 1907 with the last one coming back in 2006. The last time this tourney was played at Pinehurst No. 2, Peter Jacobsen nailed a shot on the 175-yard ninth hole, so it is only fitting that someone would be able to make one for the first time in nearly a decade at this major.