US Open Odds: Dustin Johnson Strong Favorite After Dominating St. Jude Win

Posted on: June 11, 2018, 04:00h. 

Last updated on: June 11, 2018, 02:05h.

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The US Open odds are shortening on Dustin Johnson after the game’s top-ranked golfer won the St. Jude Classic in dominating fashion.

US Open odds Dustin Johnson Tiger
Dustin Johnson waves to the crown in Memphis after winning the St. Jude Classic. Golf’s #1 player now heads to the US Open to defend his ranking against the world’s best. (Image: Jim Weber/Associated Press)

DJ shot rounds of 67-63-65-66 (-19) to win by six shots over runner-up Andrew Putnam and ten shots clear of third-place finisher JB Holmes. Johnson ended the week with 21 birdies, two eagles, and 44 pars to just four bogeys and one double.

Johnson capped off the tournament by dunking his second shot on the par-4 18th for an eagle two.

“By the reaction from the crowd, I thought it might have gone in, but I couldn’t see it so it,” Johnson esaid. “What a cool way to end.”

And what a cool way to head to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club for the 118th US Open. Now once again ranked the No. 1 golfer on planet Earth, Johnson is the strong favorite as the world’s best golfers head to Long Island for the second major of the year.

The Westgate SuperBook has Johnson at 8/1. A $100 bet and DJ winning his second major — and second US Open — nets $800. Though there’s 156 players teeing off Thursday, the 8/1 line implies a winning chance of 11.11 percent.

“Playing the way I did all week gives me a lot of confidence. I think it was a big win. It was a big statement,” Johnson concluded.

DJ will play the first two rounds with 14-time major winner Tiger Woods and 2017 PGA champ Justin Thomas.

Wide Open Field, Fairways

The last time Shinnecock hosted the US Open was a disaster. The greens became so hard that just two players finished under par for the week, and criticism was widespread regarding the United States Golf Association’s (USGA) course setup.

Shinnecock has since undergone major renovations, and the USGA says this week the average fairway width will measure 41 yards. With wider fairways and a longer course (7,445 yards, par 70), odds understandably favor long hitters like Johnson.

Johnson averages 311 yards per drive, the 10th-longest on Tour. Bubba Watson, another long hitter, is seventh at nearly 313 yards.

“I will say this with confidence. Long hitters will have the advantage and one of them will hoist the trophy,” Watson’s caddie Ted Scott tweeted this week.

Bubba hasn’t traditionally played well at the US Open. That’s why despite a T5 finish at the Masters and two wins on Tour this year, he enters this week long at 50/1.

Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas can also pummel the ball, respectively ranked third and eighth in driving distance. They share the second-shortest US Open odds with Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler at 14/1.

Woods Remains a Favorite

It’s been a decade since Tiger Woods won his last major, the 2008 US Open at Southern Hills.

Woods hasn’t made a cut in a US Open since 2013, but that of course isn’t keeping bettors away. Tiger has the eighth-shortest odds at 20/1, a line he shares with Jon Rahm.

Longtime rival Phil Mickelson only needs the US Open to cap off the career grand slam. Lefty’s at 25/1.

2017 US Open winner Brooks Koepka recently returned after being confined to outside the ropes due to a torn tendon in his left wrist. The long-hitting 28-year-old is at 25/1 for this week.