US Open preview: Scheffler to serve up another Major win

The third major of the year is upon us this week as the players take to the Los Angeles Country Club for the 123rd US Open. With all the biggest names present on one of the toughest courses, this promises to be a real spectacle.

We put forward a few players that look set to go well this week.

Scheffler to go one better

World number one Scottie Scheffler will be seeking revenge at the Los Angeles Country Club this week having finished second, just one shot off the lead, at last year’s US Open, and he looks to have a good chance of ending up on the top of the leaderboard again this year.

Scheffler has had no problems in his career with irons and driver in hand, in fact he has been exceptional. The American holds that status not only overall, but in strokes-gained, off the tee, from tee-to-green, and also in approaching the green, all of which will be crucial on a course with fairways as narrow and rough as thick as at the Los Angeles Country Club.

It is on the green where Scheffler’s putter appears to have completely escaped him. The American finished just one shot off the leaders last year, but had his putter been at even a reasonably average standard it could have been a different story.

It was a similar story in the Memorial Tournament coming into this year’s US Open, where Viktor Hovland, the eventual winner, finished seven-under and gained six strokes with the putter. Scheffler, who finished six-under, lost over eight strokes with the putter, the worst of the 65 players who made the cut.

The world number one heads into the US Open as the 6/1 favourite and everything up to the green suggests that he could well run away with it if he can recover his putting to even a reasonable level. An in-form Scheffler will certainly be the one to beat in Los Angeles.

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Schauffele to set early pace

Although he has never won a major, Xander Schauffele has certainly been among the leading contenders before, with two second-placed finishes and one third place, with the third coming at the US Open in 2019.

Schauffele performed well in both 2019 and 2021 and he certainly set the pace early. The American was tied for second after the first round in 2019, just one shot off the lead. In 2021 he was tied for fifth after the first round and just two shots off the lead. It is also worth noting that the 2019 and 2021 competitions were both played in California, just as it will be this year. With players like Scheffler struggling for form with the putter, it may take them a round or two to get into full swing, and at 33/1 Schauffele could provide great value for a first-round leader bet.

Schauffele has never experienced winning a major and his odds of 16/1 reflect that, but the American cannot be counted out should he gain the usual early momentum which he often tends to generate.

Schauffele plays a consistent game all round and that could be crucial at such a tough course. His ranking of sixth when approaching the green, and twelfth for putting mean that should he be able to perform at the top level off the tee, he will certainly be in contention for a first US Open title.

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