US Open Golf
US Open Round 3 Best Bets: 12/1 Each Way Selection Ahead Of Saturday’s Play
William Hill News look ahead to the third round of the 2026 US Open, with our tipster providing his best bets and predictions after a thrilling couple of days at Shinnecock Hills.
Wyndham Clark retains a four-shot lead heading into the third round of the U.S. Open. Shooting one under on Friday, Clark saw Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, and Tom Kim make ground, but he still has a significant advantage over the field with 36 holes left to play at Shinnecock.
The in-play betting markets price Clark as the 13/8 favourite ahead of Schauffele and Matt Fitzpatrick (both 13/2). A rough back nine left Rory McIlroy on evens overnight and the Grand Slam winner is out at 14/1. Also at evens for the tournament, Scottie Scheffler is 10/1 for the tournament with Morikawa splitting the two superstars.
Who Missed the Cut?
Bryson DeChambeau made it four missed cuts in the last five majors with a score of +5. Brooks Koepka at 10 over, Patrick Reed at five over, and J.J. Spaun at +8 were among the other big-name casualties.
Jake Knapp, Adam Scott, Viktor Hovland, Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Patrick Cantlay, and Harris English were among the other recognisable names to miss out.
Robert MacIntyre, Jacob Bridgeman, and Chris Gotterup only just survived for Saturday, with +4 coming in one stroke ahead of the cut.
Potential Gains
Clark has played superbly through the first 36 holes. A four-stroke lead is hardly unassailable, though, particularly with the punishing nature of Shinnecock’s greens. We’ve seen several accomplished players post big numbers – Clark’s lead could disappear within a couple of holes.
In the chasing pack, there are some obvious areas of improvement that could see players surge. Fitzpatrick, for instance, struggled off the tee on Friday. Only two less accurate drivers made the cut – imagine what he could do if he can start finding fairways more consistently.
Akshay Bhatia’s putter was pretty cold. His approach play was exemplary on Friday and he’s among the 10 best players tee-to-green. Generally an elite putter, it’s not out of the question that Bhatia gets cooking on the greens and putts himself into contention.
Ben Kohles also falls into this group. He’s only one over. Tee-to-green, he’s been one of the better players in the field, but his putting has been a problem. With how tight the leaderboard is behind Clark, surely Kohles has some value at 7/2 for a top 20 finish?
Value Bets
This course is too unforgiving to back Clark at 13/8 with only a four-shot lead. Several of the world’s best players are within striking distance.
Schauffele and Morikawa are coming off exceptional rounds on Friday. Morikawa’s driving accuracy and putting combination stands him in good stead with his typical elite iron play – a 12/1 each-way bet looks appealing.
Sixth in tee-to-green strokes gained, Sahith Theegala shot three under on Friday. He’s somehow still 11/4 to finish in the top 10. There’s really been no weakness in his game so far and he’s crucially hitting plenty of fairways.
The 5/6 price on Alex Fitzpatrick has some value, too. Fitzpatrick has played solid all-around golf through the first two rounds and has more than coped with the challenges Shinnecock provides.
*Odds subject to change – prices accurate at the time of writing*
