Two rounds of the 2022 U.S. Open are completed and the scoring average on the second day was nearly a stroke better than the first.
Several golfers took advantage of the conditions, including co-leaders Collin Morikawa and Joel Dahmen, who couldn’t be more different.
Dahmen, 34, is a career grinder, winning once on the PGA Tour and never holding the 36-hole-lead in any tournament in his career. Morikawa, 25, has won two majors already, with the Open Championship and PGA Championship, and is trying to get the third leg of the career Grand Slam.
We look ahead to Saturday’s third round and the U.S. Open odds board to give you our best picks.
2022 U.S. Open Round 3 picks
- Collin Morikawa outright (+450)
- Xander Schauffele Top-5 finish (+240)
- Joo-Hyung Kim Top-20 finish (+330)
Picks were made on 6/17/2022 at 9:00 p.m. ET.
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Best 2022 U.S. Open Round 3 picks
Collin Morikawa outright (+450)
Better get Morikawa at +450 before he shoots another under-par score and his odds drop even further. The 25-year-old shot a 4-under 66 on Friday, the low round of the day.
What makes his two rounds of 5-under par even more remarkable is Morikawa said he didn’t have his best stuff in the 36 holes.
“It just shows maybe I'm not hitting it at center, but it doesn't mean I can't play well, and it doesn't mean the misses aren't going to be good,” Morikawa said on Friday. “I think even when I do play well, I'm going to miss shots, I'm going to have one-handed finishes. Today was just maybe slightly off in timing, but hopefully that was kind of the bad one out of the way swing-wise and we'll be back on tempo come the next two.”
Morikawa opened with a 69. The two other times he had a first-round score in the 60s at a major were the 2021 Open Championship and the 2020 PGA Championship. He won both of them.
It sure looks like Morikawa is in line to win his third of four career Grand Slam events.
Best odds: Collin Morikawa outright (+450 at FanDuel)
Xander Schauffele Top-5 finish (+240)
The odds were better for Schauffele to finish in the Top 5 before the tournament began at +400, but it’s still not too late to jump on this prop bet. His record at this major championship almost makes this bet a no-brainer.
From 2017 to last year, Schauffele has gone T5, T6, T3, fifth, and T7. He might not win, but he’s going to be in the mix on Sunday.
The 28-year-old is the prototypical U.S. Open player. He is 58th in fairways off the tee, at 63.4%, and ninth in shots gained. He is 16th in greens in regulation, at 69%, and second in sand save percentage at 67.2%.
Schauffele is doing what Schauffele does in U.S. Opens — lurking below the leaders, getting ready for Moving Day on Saturday. He shot an even-par 70 in the first round and was four shots out of the lead. On Friday, he posted a 1-under 69 and remained four back of leaders, Morikawa and Dahmen.
Look for a low number from Schauffele in the third round and a big jump up the leaderboard.
Best odds: Xander Schauffele Top-5 finish (+240 at BetMGM)
Joo-Hyung Kim Top-20 finish (+330)
I love when oddsmakers don’t know golfers and assume they will fold under pressure. Joo-Hyung Kim is not a household name, but he will be after the U.S. Open. He has accomplished more at 19 years old than some professionals do in a lifetime.
The South Korean has two wins on the Asian Tour, his first victory at 17, the second youngest professional to win on the Asian Tour. He also has two wins on the South Korean Tour, and three on the Asian Development Tour.
In two rounds of his first U.S. Open appearance, Kim has shot rounds of 72 and 68. His second-round 68 was one of only two bogey-free rounds on the day.
Not only is he doing this at 19, he is also scoring while driving the ball at a 286-yard average, dead last among the 149 golfers. He is, however, tied for 16th in fairways hits, tied for 57th in greens in regulation, and tied for 18th in putting.
Kim sits at a tie for 24th and with the open-round jitters behind him should be able to improve on his first 36 holes. At +330 to finish in the Top 20, it’s a great value bet.
Best odds: Joo-Hyung Kim Top-20 finish (+330 at DraftKings)
2022 U.S. Open odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks in your region. Odds are best used between rounds. When available, our fair line is updated once per hour between 6 a.m. ET and 11 p.m. ET.
