Shane Lowry has a score to settle in the US Open before making his merry way back to Portrush. Ben Coley is backing him to do it.
Antepost golf betting tips: US Open
1pt e.w. Shane Lowry at 66/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6)
1pt e.w. Davis Thompson at 200/1 (William Hill 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6)
It's a big year for Rory McIlroy – it's always a big year for Rory McIlroy – but what about his friend and teammate SHANE LOWRY?
The Irishman might already be losing sleep over his return to Portrush in the Open Championship, but before then the US Open comes with meaning of its own. It was here at Oakmont, three years before his glorious triumph back home, that Lowry led a major championship for the first time before ultimately finishing second behind Dustin Johnson. Might he get his own back on the golf course in 2025?
Lowry remains among a small group of players who seem totally at ease in the four biggest events on the calendar. He knows how to prepare, he knows that typically demanding conditions will always play to his strengths, and at this point he's had a look at winning all four. Whether or not he ever doubles his tally who can say, but at 66/1 he's a big price for a major which will definitely suit.
Lowry's overall US Open record features two top-10s and in the last two years, both at wider golf courses, he's finished 20th and 19th. Oakmont though is probably more visually appealing given the removal of trees which took place in the years leading up to the 2016 US Open, giving it an exposed, links-like feel even if it of course plays altogether differently, and he certainly took to it on his first visit eight years ago.
That ultimately disappointing end to an otherwise excellent week came after he'd won a WGC at Firestone in Ohio, the next-door state, and the ultra-reliable Lowry should turn up in June as a likely contender. The quest here of course is to be on the right side of the market and with 10 or 12 places likely come the event, we have to be cautious, but I feel Lowry would have to endure a bad spring to go off bigger than 40/1.
Given that he ended another solid year with third place in Dubai and is one of the most consistent, reliable operators in Europe, much more likely is that he arrives back at Oakmont as one of the best-of-the-rest behind the very elite names. We'll be on the right side of things playing now at 66s, even with just six places to go at.
Oakmont isn't the longest US Open venue but there's no denying the fact that length off the tee is enormously advantageous in this championship and has been for a decade. Just look at the list of champions: two for Brooks Koepka, two for Bryson DeChambeau, one each for Jon Rahm, Gary Woodland, Johnson and Wyndham Clark. Even Matt Fitzpatrick credited his Brookline performance to the gains he'd made off the tee.
This could be a great fit for Joaquin Niemann if he finds a way into the field and 40/1 Patrick Cantlay is undoubtedly on the generous side after a strong performance at Pinehurst, while at the head of the betting don't rule out a successful defence from Bryson DeChambeau. Koepka did it, Rahm looked for a time like he might, and DeChambeau himself was right in the mix for the 2021 US Open which Rahm eventually won.
Some might be tempted to try Johnson at 66s in the hope that he finds it within himself to relight the fire but that seems less and less likely with each passing month, so my only other selection is DAVIS THOMPSON at 150/1 and bigger.
This top talent in the making made his breakthrough in Illinois last summer shortly after a top-10 finish at Pinehurst. Since then he's continued to drive the ball to a very high standard and that club seems sure to power his climb up the rankings in 2025, with a Ryder Cup spot potentially on his radar.
At the moment he's 43rd in the world and therefore wouldn't be totally assured of a US Open place based on the rankings, with the cut-offs for qualification still months away, but that ninth place last year earns him a ticket back so we've no concerns as to his eligibility.
No doubt one of the brightest young talents on the PGA Tour, I have Thompson much closer to the likes of Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala than some would and along with Nick Dunlap, Austin Eckroat and Maverick McNealy, expect to see these players making Keegan Bradley think long and hard about the final spots in his team for Bethpage.
Perhaps their performances in the US Open will have some kind of bearing on that given some similarities between the courses and Thompson, who is 80-100/1 to win on his Masters debut despite that last having been achieved in 1979, looks a smashing option at a massive price for this more realistic target. His power and general prowess of the tee could be a major weapon.
Others of note have to include McNealy, winner of the final event of the 2024 season and a player with the potential to kick on now he has that first title tucked away. He finally showed something in a major when 23rd in the US PGA last year but while I'd slightly favour Oakmont over Quail Hollow, for now only a handful of firms have added him to the market and I'd want to see more anyway.
Eckroat's form ties in nicely with that of Lowry and 250/1 in a place looks good but he isn't as strong off the tee as Thompson and, when all's said and done, driver has become key to winning the US Open.
Posted at 1525 GMT on 23/12/24
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