2022 U.S. Open First Round Betting: McIlroy, Schauffele, Koepka Offer Value

Golf’s third major tournament of the year is quickly approaching as the 2022 U.S. Open is set to take place at the Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, beginning on Thursday, June 16.

Winning a major golf tournament is one of the toughest things to do in all of sports. One way that a golfer can give themselves their best shot to win the U.S. Open this week is by starting off with a strong Round 1 performance. Failure to do so increases the probability of them failing to make the cut.

The first-round leader in Brookline this week could be anybody’s guess. However, betting odds from BetOnline Sportsbook, along with the latest Round 1 trends, help shed some light on what could happen at the Country Club on Thursday.

U.S. Open Round 1 Trends

Before hopping into the latest betting odds, it’s important to look at how the past first-round U.S. Open leaders have played in recent history.

Over the last five years of the tournament’s history, golf fans haven’t seen the Round 1 leader go on to win the entire tournament. The closest we got to that was Louis Oosthuizen just last year, who was tied for the first-round lead at 67 before finishing as the runner-up behind Jon Rahm by just one stroke.

If you stretch things out to the last 10 years, Martin Kaymer is the only golfer to start as the U.S. Open first-round leader and end the tournament as the victor. After shooting a 65 in Round 1, Kaymer maintained the lead, finishing a whopping eight strokes ahead of runners-up Erik Compton and Rickie Fowler.

Judging by recent history alone, it’s clear that it’s incredibly difficult to be a wire-to-wire at any major tournament, let alone the U.S. Open. That’s not to say that it’s impossible, but it would take the performance of a lifetime to accomplish.

2022 U.S. Open First Round Odds

• Rory McIlroy (+1600)
• Justin Thomas (+2200)
• Jon Rahm (+2200)
• Scottie Scheffler (+2700)
• Xander Schauffele (+2900)
• Patrick Cantlay (+2900)
• Cameron Smith (+2900)
• Jordan Spieth (+2900)
• Sam Burns (+3100)
• Will Zalatoris (+3100)
• Hideki Matsuyama (+3300)
• Joaquin Niemann (+3700)
• Viktor Hovland (+4000)
• Matthew Fitzpatrick (+4100)
• Collin Morikawa (+4100)
• Billy Horschel (+4100)
• Shane Lowry (+4100)
• Cameron Young (+4100)

2022 U.S. Open First Round Best Bets

Below is a look at some of the more promising first-round betting options to put money on ahead of the 2022 U.S. Open.

Rory McIlroy (+1600)

When looking at potential first-round leaders, Rory McIlroy at +1600 odds is one option that stands out.

First of all, you want a golfer that has momentum on his side and that describes McIlroy to a tee. The 33-year-old PGA TOUR veteran just won last week’s RBC Canadian Open while also placing eighth or better in four of his last five outings.

Furthermore, McIlroy has shot a 67 or better in three of his last four events. Those are the kind of numbers you want to see from a potential first-round leader.

If that wasn’t convincing enough, McIlroy has an average first-round score of 68.3 in his last three trips to the U.S. Open. Taking that into consideration along with his recent play this season and it’s hard not to like McIlroy’s first-round odds this week.

Xander Schauffele (+2900)

If there’s someone known for their hot starts it’s none other than Xander Schauffele, who has +2900 odds to be the 2022 U.S. Open first-round leader this week.

When it comes to the 2022 PGA TOUR, Schauffele is averaging a first-round score of 68.7 in his last 11 stroke-play events. He’s finished with a 69 or better in seven of those outings, which includes a seriously impressive 59 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans two months ago.

Fortunately, the 28-year-old has also had a decent amount of Round 1 success at the U.S. Open as well.

Schauffele has finished with a 68 or better in three of his five career entries at the major tournament. He’s finished T-7 or better in each of those entries as well, proving that he’s a player to trust whenever the U.S. Open comes around.

Brooks Koepka (+5000)

Brooks Koepka might be having an inconsistent experience on the 2022 PGA TOUR, but he tends to leave an impact as far as the U.S. Open is concerned.

The tournament’s most recent back-to-back winner (2017 and 2018) has finished with either a 67 or 69 in three of his last four U.S. Open appearances. Although he’s yet to be the first-round leader, he was only two strokes back of the Round 1 lead in 2017.

On top of that, Koepka has shot a 70 or better in six of his last 10 2022 PGA TOUR appearances. That may not be the most consistent performance, but it still shows that he can step up when needed.

Only time will if Koepka can lead the pack on Thursday, but he’s more than worth the risk based on the value that his +5000 odds provide.

Will There Be a Wire-to-Wire Winner at the 2022 U.S. Open?

Being the Round 1 leader at the 2022 U.S. Open is one thing, but being the wire-to-wire winner is a completely different story.

If you’ve never heard of the term before, a wire-to-wire winner is when a golfer is in the lead after Round 1 and doesn’t lose that spot at all throughout the tournament. In other words, it’s just as tough as it sounds, especially with the competitors in this week’s field.

For fans hoping to see a wire-to-wire this week, there’s some bad news. BetOnline Sportsbook is favoring that there won’t be one this year at -2400 odds, which translates to an implied probability of 96%.

The best bet for a wire-to-wire winner would probably be McIlroy. Not only is he favored at +1600 to lead after Round 1, but he’s also BetOnline’s +1000 favorite to win the entire tournament.

After that, Justin Thomas is the next best option, sitting at +2200 to lead after Round 1 (T-No. 2) while owning the second-best odds (+1200) to win the event.

Other 2022 U.S. Open Stories on Betting News

• 2022 U.S. Open Golf Tournament Betting Odds & Favorites
• 2022 U.S. Open Betting: Koepka, McIlroy, Scheffler Among Best Bets