Who to back at the US Open
US Open betting: Keel’s top tip
I don’t think there is anyone better equipped to win this week than Justin Rose.
For me, he ticks every single box and he ought to go very close as he goes in search of his second major championship trophy.
Shinnecock Hills is bound to play extremely tough. But that goes without saying – after all, this is a US Open.
But Rose is one of the few players out on tour that prefers playing golf courses that are tough – the sort where par is a good score on every hole.
He showed that at Merion in 2013 where he finished with a total score of one-over-par to win.
Playing as a par-70 at just under 7,500 yards, Shinnecock Hills will be a brute, where par-4 scoring average will likely be the key. Rose actually ranks joint top on the PGA Tour in that statistic alongside the favourite, Dustin Johnson, and Henrik Stenson.
Rose, of course, is in great form too. A couple of weeks ago he put on a clinic to win the Fort Worth Invitational at Colonial. He then backed that up with a tie for 6th at Muirfield Village.
He’s generally around third favourite to win at 16/1 with the bookies, and I make that the best bet.
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Tom Irwin
Tom is a lifetime golfer, now over 30 years playing the game. 2023 marks 10 years in golf publishing and he is still holding down a + handicap at Alwoodley in Leeds. He has played over 600 golf courses, and has been a member of at least four including his first love Louth, in Lincolnshire. Tom likes unbranded clothing, natural fibres, and pencil bags. Seacroft in Lincolnshire is where it starts and ends.
