U.S. Open Predictions and Best Bets - PGA Golf Picks June 18-21

U.S. Open Betting Preview

U.S. Open picks from WagerTalk golf handicapper Andy Lang are available before golfers tee off from Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, NY! Andy discusses his predictions, picks, who can trip you up, the course and more surrounding the U.S. Open starting June 18!

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U.S. Open	U.S. Open Betting Notes
When:	June 18-21
Where:	Shinnecock Hills Golf Club – Southampton, NY
Defending Champ:	J.J. Spaun
Current Favorite:	Scottie Scheffler (+550 at DraftKings)
TV:	NBC, USA Network, Peacock

U.S. Open Course: Shinnecock Hills Golf Club

The U.S. Open returns to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, one of the most historic and demanding venues in championship golf. Located on Long Island, Shinnecock is a classic links-style layout that plays as a par 70 at roughly 7,400 yards, but its true defense comes from firm conditions, rolling terrain, thick rough, and ever-present wind rather than sheer length.

The course features wide fairways by modern U.S. Open standards, but finding them is only half the battle. Players must then navigate severely sloping greens that can become extremely fast and difficult to hold. Missing in the wrong spots often leads to challenging recovery shots from thick

rough or tightly mown run-off areas. The combination of elevation changes and exposed terrain means wind can affect nearly every shot, forcing players to control trajectory and distance throughout the round.

Shinnecock has a reputation for identifying the most complete golfer in the field. Long hitters have an advantage on some of the demanding par-4s, but precision iron play, scrambling, and mental toughness are equally important.

When conditions firm up, par becomes a great score on many holes, and patience is often rewarded more than aggression. Expect a classic U.S. Open test where avoiding mistakes is just as important as making birdies, and where even the world’s best players will struggle to keep rounds bogey-free.

U.S. Open: Players That Can Trip You Up

Wyndham Clark is playing his best golf in quite some time, with finishes of 1st, 3rd, and 11th in his last three starts. The problem is that this course is a completely different animal from the setups that fueled that run. Clark’s U.S. Open résumé outside of his win at Los Angeles Country Club is surprisingly weak—three missed cuts and a 56th-place finish.

His driving is neither elite in distance nor accuracy, and this course has a way of exposing those weaknesses. Plenty of bettors will chase the recent form, but I’m not convinced this is the spot.

Ludvig Åberg has reached the point where the expectations exceed the results. For a player with his talent, he should be contending for major championships regularly, yet his major record is a mixed bag: four missed cuts, three Top 10s, a 12th, 21st, and 23rd.

He’s still being priced as a Top 8 player almost every week despite not consistently delivering. The last truly demanding course he faced was The Memorial, where he managed just 39th. At some point, potential has to become production, and I’m still waiting.

Cameron Young has had an outstanding season overall, but the recent trend worries me. He’s coming off finishes of 26th and 46th, and over the last 30 days he ranks outside the Top 50 in total strokes gained.

The short game has been especially concerning, with both putting and around-the-green play struggling badly. On a U.S. Open setup where scrambling is critical, that’s a dangerous combination.

He finished 4th in last year’s U.S. Open, but outside of that result, he hasn’t posted a Top 30 in the championship. I think the recent form makes him a risky bet this week.

U.S. Open: DraftKings Darlings

Si Woo Kim ($7,200) offers tremendous upside for this salary range. He already has six Top 10 finishes this season and has made the cut at both majors, proving he can handle elite competition. Over the last six months, he ranks 8th in total strokes gained, putting him among the best performers in this field.

What really stands out is his 10th-place finish at The Memorial, a course that shares many traits with this week’s setup—long, demanding, windy, and featuring thick rough. At this price, the ceiling is hard to ignore.

Sam Burns ($7,700) has quietly been one of the hottest golfers in the field over the last three months. He’s posted six Top 25 finishes in his last nine tournaments and ranks 12th in total strokes gained during that stretch.

The putter has been the driving force behind the surge, gaining +1.01 strokes putting, the second-best mark in the field. On a U.S. Open setup where grinding out pars and converting opportunities matters, Burns’ short game gives him a chance to outperform this number.

Patrick Reed ($7,900) continues to prove that major championships bring out his best golf. This season alone he’s finished 12th at The Masters and 10th at the PGA Championship, while also collecting two wins and a runner-up finish on the DP World Tour.

The strokes gained data is harder to evaluate because most of his recent success has come outside the PGA Tour, but even with that caveat he still ranks 12th in this field in total strokes gained. When the stage gets bigger and conditions get tougher, Reed consistently finds a way to contend. At under $8,000, he brings legitimate top-10 upside.

Rest Of Lineup: Russell Henley $8000, Tyrell Hatton $8700, Xander Schauffele $10100

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