If DJ, JD, Wee Mac, et al are the Astroturf of golf betting, then sleepers such as Kevin Kisner and Shane Lowry represent the grassroots movement at the 2017 U.S. Open. So, people who bet on golf, let’s get to know these potential dark horses better.
Kevin Kisner +6050
After missing the cut at the Wells Fargo and finishing tied for 56th at the Players Championship, Kisner decided to shift gears and win the Dean & Deluca and finish T6 in the Memorial en route to the US Open. Kisner ranks 10th in strokes gained-tee to green and 23rdin strokes gained-putting in the PGA Tour. The World No. 20 is rather short off the tee which would be a setback at the 7,741-yard course in Erin Hills, but precision could very well prove to be more important than distance, all things considered. Kisner finished T49 in the 2016 US Open. By way of comparison, Martin Kaymer finished T59 the year before he won the 2014 edition.
Jason Dufner +7550
According to CBS Sports’ Kyle Porter, Dufner is “one of just three guys to finish top 10 in each of the last three U.S. Opens.” Actually, he finished T18 in 2015 and missed the cut in 2014 but still, close enough? What is true is that the Dufman is a hot off a win at the Memorial Tournament where he beat Rickie Fowler and Anirban Lahiri by three strokes does indeed have three top 10 finishes in the US Open, albeit not in a row (T4 in 2012 and 2013, and T8 last year).
Shane Lowry +7550
The Golf betting illuminati do not expect Lowry to improve upon his runner-up finish in 2016, and it really is either win or regress for the pudgy Irish golfer. After either missing the cut or not playing from 2010 and 2014, Lowry cracked the top 10 in 2015 and finished – along with Jim Furyk and Scott Piercy – three strikes behind winner Dustin Johnson last year.
Tyrrell Hatton N/A
Like Kisner, Hatton is short of the tee but tends to gain his fair share of strokes, especially putting – in which he leads the PGA Tour. Master Porter informs us, this time correctly, that Hatton has “two top 10s in his last three majors.” Tied for 5th at last year’s US Open and for 10th in the 2016 PGA Championship, to be specific. So, fans who bet on golf, as Joe Cocker would say, you can leave your Hatton.
Byeong-Hun An +8050
If a South Korean won the “unofficial fifth major,” why couldn’t another do him one better and win the US Open?
Bernd Wiesberger
Wiesberger is your traditional golf betting long shot. The Austrian prefers to spend most of his time in the European scene, but is always a fixture in the four majors. And by always we mean seldom because he more often than not misses the cut. Wiesberger usually fares better in exotic locales such as China, where he won the Shenzhen International and placed 4th in the Volvo China Open this year. However, he did finish 12th in the 2017 Players Championship.