Now the third major of the golfing season, the 2024 US Open is rightfully regarded as arguably the most difficult of the four Majors to win, in terms of how difficult the course is set up.
The USGA has often been criticised for making some courses almost unplayable. This is due to letting the rough grow much longer, shortening the width of fairways etc. This makes the US Open arguably the toughest Major in golf each year. Pinehurst No.2 will be no different with much more treacherous rough, and its trademark difficult greens.
But every year, the world’s finest golfers respond and one is eventually heralded as Champion. Last year seeing Wyndham Clark of the United States land his first Major title at Los Angeles Country Club in California.
Lastly, we will bring you some of the good betting options and latest odds from bet365 Sport to win the 2024 US Open as well as our picks for the best value golfers to back in the win and each way markets.
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But let’s firstly begin with a quick look back at the history of this famous golfing major.
US Open Golf History – Factfile
- The first US Open was contested in 1895 at Newport Country Club in Rhode Island. Englishman Horace Rawlins won the tournament.
- It took seventeen attempts before the first American Golfer won the US Open, that being John McDermott who won at Chicago Golf Club in 1911.
- Between 1926 and 1964, the tournament was won exclusively by US-born players.
- The youngest champion was John McDermott who won in 1911 aged just 19 years and 315 days.
- Hale Irwin was the oldest champion when winning in 1990 aged 45 years and 15 days.
- Phil Mickelson has finished as runner up in this tournament six times, winning once.
- Tiger Woods 15-stroke victory in 2000 is the largest margin of victory in this or any other Major golf tournament.
- The Prize Money for the winner has doubled since 2016. Dustin Johnson won $1,800,000 for winning that tournament. The 2024 winner will take home $3,600,000 (as did 2023 winner Wyndham Clark).
- All of the last three US Open tournaments have been won by just one stroke.
US Open Golf Most Successful Golfers
The greatest number of wins achieved by a golfer in the US Open during their career is four and this has been achieved by four golfers.
The full list of multiple US Open winners is shown below: Golfers still active are shown in italics.
4 Wins
- Willie Anderson (Sco)
- Bobby Jones (USA)
- Ben Hogan (USA)
- Jack Nicklaus (USA)
3 Wins
- Hale Irwin (USA)
- Tiger Woods (USA)
2 Wins
- Alex Smith (Sco)
- John McDermott (USA)
- Walter Hagen (USA)
- Gene Sarazen (USA)
- Ralph Guidahl (USA)
- Cary Middlecoff (USA)
- Julius Boros (USA)
- Billy Casper (USA)
- Lee Trevino (USA)
- Andy North (USA)
- Curtis Strange (USA)
- Ernie Els (RSA)
- Lee Janzen (USA)
- Retief Goosen (RSA)
- Brooks Koepka (USA)
US Open Golf Venues
Over the years, the US Open has been contested at 52 different courses, though predominantly these have been located in the Northeast and Midwest of the country.
The top ten venues for the US Open in terms of the number of times it has held the tournament is as follows:
- 9 – Oakmont Country Club (PA)
- 7 – Baltusrol Golf Club (NJ)
- 6 – Oakland Hills Country Club (MI), Pebble Beach (CA), Winged Foot (NY)
- 5 – Merion Golf Club (PA), Olympic Club (CA), Shinnecock Hills (NY)
- 4 – The Country Club (MA), Inverness Club (OH), Myopia Hunt Club (MA), Pinehurst* (NC)
- 3 – Chicago Golf Club (IL), Cherry Hills CC (CO), Oak Hill (NY), Medinah (IL), Southern Hills CC (OK), Congressional (MD)
- 2 – Torrey Pines (CA), Philadelphia Cricket Club (PA), Canterbury Golf Club (OH), Hazeltine (MN), Olympia Fields (IL), Bethpage Black (NY)
* Pinehurst’s total includes the 2024 US Open tournament.
US Open 2024
- Dates – 13th June to 16th June 2024
- Venue – Pinehurst Course No 2, Pinehurst Resort, North Carolina
- Fields – 156 players
- Defending Champion – Wyndham Clark (United States)
- Prize Fund – $20,000,000
- Winner’s Share – $3,600,000
The Course
This is the fourth time Pinehurst Number 2 has hosted the US Open. However, the popular course will host the tournament again in 2029, 2035, 2041 and 2047.
Previous US Open winners at Pinehurst are Payne Stewart (1999), Michael Campbell (2005) and Martin Kaymer (2014)
For the 124th US Open, the par 70 course will play at 7,550 yards and features just two holes under 200 yards.
The full list of holes and yardages are shown below:
Pinehurst Number 2 – Holes
- 1st – 395 yards (par 4)
- 2nd – 500 yards (par 4)
- 3rd – 387 yards (par 4)
- 4th – 528 yards (par 4)
- 5th – 588 yards (par 5)
- 6th – 228 yards (par 3)
- 7th – 426 yards (par 4)
- 8th – 494 yards (par 4)
- 9th – 184 yards (par 3) – Out – 3728 yards (par 35)
- 10th – 617 yards (par 5)
- 11th – 478 yards (par 4)
- 12th – 486 yards (par 4)
- 13th – 381 yards (par 4)
- 14th – 472 yards (par 4)
- 15th – 197 yards (par 3)
- 16th – 536 yards (par 4)
- 17th – 207 yards (par 3)
- 18th – 448 yards (par 4) – In – 3822 yards (par 35)
Pinehurst No 2’s trademark is its incredibly difficult greens. These crowned greens punish shots hit either short, long, or wide, meaning inaccurate shots will likely roll off the greens. This forces players to play a tricky chip shot to get back onto the putting surface.
The Field
Who is Playing?
While many top stars in world golf will be in action at the 2024 US Open, there has been criticism from some about what is perceived to be a relatively weak field of 156 players.
Ostensibly, this is due to a number of LIV Golf players not being ranked high enough on the Official World Golf Rankings to secure themselves a place in the tournament.
Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler will lead a strong American challenge which will also feature a number of previous US Open winners, including defending champion Wyndham Clark, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Gary Woodland, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick.
Three-time US Open winner Tiger Woods has been granted a special exemption to play.
Alongside the pre-qualified and invited players, there will be a number of players that secured their place through one of a number of qualifying tournaments. These were held in the United States, Japan, the UK and Canada in late May and early June.
Some of the bigger names to earn their spot through the qualifiers include: Sergio Garcia, Cameron Davis, Seamus Power, Daniel Burger, Matt Kuchar, Francesco Molinari, Ryo Ishikawa, Matteo Manassero, Edoardo Molinari and Robert Rock.
Who is Absent?
A number of big. names won’t be playing in the 2024 US Open.
That list includes: Ian Poulter, Graham McDowell, Patrick Reed, Louis Oosthuizen, Joaquin Niemann, Carlos Ortiz, Zach Johnson, Luke List, Talor Gooch, Keith Mitchell, Patrick Rodgers, Abraham Ancer, Luke Donald, Harold Varner III, Joel Dahmen, Paul Casey, and Danny Willett.
US Open 2024 – Betting Tips And Odds
The brilliant form of Scottie Scheffler over the last three years, and in particular this season, sees the World Number 1 installed as the red-hot favourite to win his second Major of the year.
Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele, who will play alongside Scheffler in the first two rounds of this year’s tournament, are both second-favourites at odds of 12.00. Outside of those three only three more golfers, Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa (both 15.00) and Bryson DeChambeau (19.00) have odds less than 21.00.
Let’s now take a look at some of the odds for the top players in the field:
- 4.0 fav – Scottie Scheffler
- 12.00 – Rory McIlroy
- 12.00 – Xander Schauffele
- 15.00 – Viktor Hovland
- 15.00 – Collin Morikawa
- 19.00 – Bryson DeChambeau
- 21.00 – Brooks Koepka
- 21.00 – Ludovic Aberg
- 29.00 – Jon Rahm
- 29.00 – Tommy Fleetwood
- 36.00 – Justin Thomas
- 41.00 – Cameron Smith
- 41.00 – Matt Fitzpatrick
- 46.00 – Max Homa
- 46.00 – Hideki Matsuyama
- 51.00 – Patrick Cantlay
- 51.00 – Tyrell Hatton
- 51.00 – Sahith Theegala
- 56.00 – Shane Lowry
- 56.00 – Tom Kim
- 56.00 – Tony Finau
- 61.00 – bar
Our Tips To Back at the 2024 US Open
We have had some success with our golf tips in recent times, so let’s take a look now at the players to back to win the tournament and as a good longer-odds each way bet.
- To Win – Scottie Scheffler – 4.0 fav
- Each Way (Top 8 and ties – 1/5 odds) – Ludvig Aberg (21.00), Tyrrell Hatton (51.00), Shane Lowry (56.00), Cameron Young (61.00), Justin Rose (101.00)
Remember to tune in for the start of the tournament on the 13th June to 16th June at Pinehurst Course No 2.
