Several golfers will try to go back-to-back this week when the PGA Tour’s third major, the 2022 U.S. Open, tees off at The Country Club. When the event begins Thursday in Brookline, Mass., Justin Thomas will try to win a second consecutive major after taking the PGA Championship last month in a playoff with Will Zalatoris. Jon Rahm is seeking his second consecutive U.S. Open after winning his maiden major championship last year at Torrey Pines. Collin Morikawa can win a major for the third consecutive year to go with his 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 Open Championship crowns. McIlroy has four major titles, but his last came in 2014. Still, his victory last week has made him the 10-1 favorite in the latest 2022 U.S. Open odds from Caesars Sportsbook.
Thomas (11-1), Scottie Scheffler (12-1) and Rahm (14-1) also are high up in the 2022 U.S. Open field, followed by Cameron Smith (20-1). Jordan Spieth (22-1), Morikawa (25-1) and Zalatoris (25-1) also are expected to be among the top contenders in the 2022 U.S. Open golf tournament. Before making any 2022 U.S. Open picks or PGA Tour predictions, you need to see what proven golf insider Sal Johnson has to say.
The esteemed golf insider has been around the game for many years and knows what it takes to win on the PGA Tour. Before the PGA Championship, Johnson predicted that if Thomas made his putts he could definitely win. Thomas had his best week of the season on the greens, gaining more than 1.5 strokes putting to rank second in the field. The result? He beat Will Zalatoris in a playoff to win his second PGA Championship.
In his previous set of predictions for SportsLine, he nailed the Masters for the third time in four years. Johnson backed Scheffler, saying he was “on a run where he has been hard to beat, and I see it rolling on at Augusta National.” The 25-year-old got his fourth victory of the season.
Now Johnson, the first producer of “Inside the PGA Tour” and longtime ABC Sports golf producer who worked with Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, has released his highly confident 2022 U.S. Open picks. The picks from the founder of GOLFstats.com, the world’s top golf statistics database, will definitely surprise you. You can only see them at SportsLine.
Top 2022 U.S. Open expert picks
One shocking choice from Johnson: He is fading Viktor Hovland, even though the Norwegian is among the top 10 players in the world. He is priced at 22-1 at Caesars and has six worldwide wins at age 24. He has missed one cut this season and finished outside the top 50 once. But the latter came in his most recent event, the Memorial, and he hasn’t finished in the top 10 since March. He also has failed to crack the top 10 in his first 10 majors. Hovland is strong off the tee, on approach and putting, but has been horrible around the green (202nd in strokes gained).
On the other hand, the expert is keeping an eye on Scheffler, who has shaken off his missed cut at the PGA to post consecutive top-20 finishes. The week after his misstep at Southern Hills, he was in position to win the Charles Schwab before Sam Burns stormed the field on Sunday. The 25-year-olds went to a playoff, and Burns prevailed for his third win of the season. Scheffler missed out on his fifth, but remains the best all-around player on tour. He is second in greens in regulation (71.4 percent), sixth in scoring average (69.43) and 35th in strokes gained putting.
Johnson also is eager to see if Spieth’s up-and-down game can hit its peak and earn him his first major since 2017. He has won three, including the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay, but he hasn’t fared well in the first two this year. He missed the cut at Augusta and tied for 34th at the PGA, but finished in the top 20 in his other four outings since the Masters. That includes his victory at the RBC Heritage and a runner-up finish at the Byron Nelson his next time out. The 28-year-old is 10th in strokes gained tee to green, but 153rd in strokes gained putting.
How to make 2022 U.S. Open golf picks
Johnson is very high on a massive long shot who comes into the U.S. Open at more than 50-1. Johnson calls this golfer “one of the most underrated players on the PGA Tour.” His iron play is among the best on tour, and the expert knows if this player gets going around the greens he could pull off a stunner. You can find out who it is, and get the rest of Johnson’s U.S. Open picks, at SportsLine.
Who wins the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline? Where do Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth finish? And which massive long shot is a must-back? Check out the odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Sal Johnson’s full leaderboard, picks and analysis for the 2022 U.S. Open, all from the insider who is tuned in to what it takes to win on the PGA Tour, and find out.
2022 U.S. Open odds, field, top contenders
Scottie Scheffler 12-1
Jon Rahm 12-1
Rory McIlroy 14-1
Justin Thomas 14-1
Collin Morikawa 16-1
Dustin Johnson 16-1
Cameron Smith 18-1
Xander Schauffele 18-1
Brooks Koepka 18-1
Patrick Cantlay 20-1
Viktor Hovland 20-1
Jordan Spieth 22-1
Shane Lowry 25-1
Will Zalatoris 28-1
Bryson DeChambeau 28-1
Hideki Matsuyama 30-1
Matthew Fitzpatrick 35-1
Daniel Berger 35-1
Tony Finau 35-1
Joaquin Niemann 40-1
Paul Casey 40-1
Louis Oosthuizen 40-1
Tyrrell Hatton 40-1
Sam Burns 40-1
Webb Simpson 40-1
Tiger Woods 50-1
Tommy Fleetwood 50-1
Corey Conners 50-1
Justin Rose 50-1
Abraham Ancer 60-1
Harris English 60-1
Gary Woodland 65-1
Matthew Wolff 65-1
Marc Leishman 65-1
Patrick Reed 65-1
Jason Kokrak 65-1
Sungjae Im 65-1
Garrick Higgo 65-1
Jason Day 70-1
Christiaan Bezuidenhout 80-1
Phil Mickelson 80-1
Billy Horschel 80-1
Adam Scott 80-1
Max Homa 80-1
Sergio Garcia 80-1
Brian Harman 100-1
Russell Henley 100-1
Charley Hoffman 100-1
Lee Westwood 100-1
Branden Grace 100-1
Guido Migliozzi 125-1
Si-Woo Kim 125-1
Francesco Molinari 125-1
Bubba Watson 125-1
Thomas Pieters 125-1
Matt Wallace 125-1
Cameron Champ 125-1
Stewart Cink 150-1
Martin Kaymer 150-1
Ryan Palmer 150-1
Robert Macintyre 150-1
Carlos Ortiz 150-1
Kevin Kisner 150-1
Ian Poulter 150-1
Matt Kuchar 150-1
Kevin Streelman 150-1
Hudson Swafford 200-1
