After a relatively tame Thursday for PGA betting, Winged Foot bared its teeth in a major way Friday – and it's only going to get worse for the remaining players in the U.S. Open betting field this weekend.
Only three players broke par on a wild Friday that saw the 36-hole cut wind up at a whopping +7 and some serious star power ended up on the wrong side of that line, including Tiger Woods, Collin Morikawa, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson, Jordan Spieth and Sergio Garcia. Patrick Reed holds a one-shot advantage at 4-under through the opening two rounds, with Bryson DeChambeau alone in second. Three others – including first-round leader Justin Thomas – sit at 2-under.
With the third round set to tee off at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y., we give our PGA golf picks, predictions and best bets for the U.S. Open Round 3 odds.
US Open Round 3 picks and predictions
Patrick Reed Third-Round Leader (+275)
A two-shot lead in a tournament like this means very little. After all, with Winged Foot having already yielded more than its share of double-bogey-or-worse scores, an advantage like that can disappear with one errant tee shot.
But Reed has played sensational golf through the first two rounds, capitalizing on the few birdie opportunities this course has given him while limiting his mistakes more than the majority of his competitors. His steady play makes him the best candidate to lead after Round 3.
Justin Thomas Third-Round Leader (+450)
Thomas played mostly responsible golf on his back nine after struggling over his first nine holes, recording four bogeys over a five-hole span to fall out of the first-round lead he had painstakingly built.
He rebounded with a pair of birdies down the stretch, after a costly double-bogey on No. 1, and is just two shots off the pace despite playing one of his poorer rounds in recent memory. His all-around game is built for grinds like the one golfers will face this weekend, so it'll be no surprise to see him back on top Saturday.
Best Finishing Position: Paul Casey Over Abraham Ancer (-137)
Casey and Ancer head into the weekend a full 10 shots off the pace, but both golfers came to their +6 36-hole results in vastly different ways.
Ancer carded an opening-round 71 to remain within striking distance but stumbled to a 75 on Friday, carding just one birdie while racking up six bogeys. Casey, on the other hand, followed up an ugly 76 with an impressive even-par 70 in much more difficult scoring conditions in Round 2. And that bodes well for him, with things only getting tougher from here.
Tournament Winning Score: Even Par or Worse (+126)
Friday gave everyone a glimpse into what this tournament is going to look like over the final 36 holes: the rough will remain punishing and the greens will still be a living nightmare – and now, those pin placements are going to become even more unrelenting.
Only six players sit below par after the first two rounds, and there's a great chance all six are going to give enough shots back over the final two days to leave the winner sitting at even par or worse.
US Open Round 3 Betting Card
- Patrick Reed Third-Round Leader (+275)
- Justin Thomas Third-Round Leader (+450)
- Best Finishing Position: Paul Casey Over Abraham Ancer (-137)
- Tournament Winning Score: Even Par or Worse (+126)
Where Can I Bet on Golf?
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