Ben Coley found an 11/2 winning double on day one of the US Open and returns with two multiples for the second round at LACC.
Golf betting tips: US Open round two
1pt double Ancer and Del Rey at 15/2 (Sky Bet, Betfair, Paddy Power)
1pt treble Rodgers, Rahm and Sargent at 10/1 (General - 11s with Unibet)
The question what do you want from a US Open returned on Thursday and, for some, the answer was as simple as 'not this' as two players shot 62 and LACC proved more accommodating than had been anticipated.
For me personally, the priority is to see players challenged in all areas, set fair, firm questions which allow the best to thrive while others are hit with severe punishment. Substance over scoring. And for the most part, I felt it was a fabulous day's golf which sets us up for the week.
Yes, the USGA will now seek to turn the screw, to ensure that Rickie Fowler's record-breaking 62 isn't matched for a second time, and that's the right approach. As we have seen in the recent past, if you begin the week on the edge, you can't stay there. By giving themselves room to breathe and the players the opportunity to score, organisers have an appropriate level of control.
To the golf itself and it was a mixed day for outright selections. Jon Rahm played poorly but broke par; Jordan Spieth played poorly and shot 72. Both have a job on to get into the tournament. Fowler played beautifully and so did Si Woo Kim, while Min Woo Lee sits alongside Rahm and two strokes out of the top 10, whereas Sahith Theegala's chances have already disappeared.
The only real regret is seeing Xander Schauffele play so well having cost himself all hope in the first four holes of the PGA Championship, when selected at a slightly bigger price. Nevertheless there are 54 holes still to play and were I to reenter the market so soon, it would be Dustin Johnson giving me most to think about. For the first time in a long time, Johnson hit the ball beautifully on his way to a 64.
At 8/1, bookmakers are, perhaps rightly, still treating Johnson like a poor version of the former world number one. A couple of years ago, it would have been unthinkable that he sits in front of Rory McIlroy at this point but can be backed at almost twice the price. All this being said, Johnson does have to prove that he's found his long-game in the weeks that have passed since Oak Hill, where it was notably absent.
In terms of three-balls, we began the week with an 11/2 winning double but a degree of frustration, after Carlos Ortiz played poorly and failed to land the other multiple, and Sam Bennett, considered at as big as 5/1 to beat Cam Smith and Matt Fitzpatrick, did precisely that.
The David Puig-Sebastian Munoz double is now under 4/1 for round two so we'll pivot to ABRAHAM ANCER first of all, a 2/1 chance to beat Andrew Putnam and Victor Perez.
Putnam won this group narrowly on Thursday on the strength of his superior putting, with Ancer doing the best work from tee-to-green. As you may know by now that to me is eye-catching and especially so when in the simplest of terms, Ancer is the superior golfer.
Perez remains a threat as we can't assume he'll struggle as badly as he did in the first round, especially as his approach play was back on track, but he did drive the ball terribly and was exposed around the green, which has been his achilles heel at times in the past.
Ancer, who won't mind any firming up of conditions, should be joint-favourite with Putnam and until he is would be considered value. Should he continue to gain a couple of strokes with his long-game then he'll take a fair bit of beating and Putnam has scope to regress quite markedly.
As I've written before, backing day one winners at reduced prices isn't ordinarily of great appeal, but such was ALEJANDRO DEL REY's level of dominance than he can't be left alone as outsider of three.
Luke List and Wilco Nienaber struggled badly in this trio of bombers, particularly on the greens but in other departments too, whereas Del Rey was the best driver in the field (albeit largely thanks to one almighty smash at the sixth hole).
This impressive Spaniard has popped up regularly on leaderboards this spring and came through qualifying in England alongside Nienaber, who was most disappointing in a five-over 75. Of course, the South African is the type to swing from one extreme to another, but the market is paying him and List too much respect.
In the evening it's tempting to chance amateur Wenyi Ding against Jordan Smith and Michael Kim, Ding having again impressed with his long-game, while the few firms offering 11/10 about Paul Barjon might be worth a visit given his power advantage and how far ahead of his partners he looked to be throughout the first round.
I'll stick to selections available with more bookmakers and go in again with PATRICK RODGERS, who has been trimmed slightly but remains rock-solid to beat short-hitting Ryan Armour and Jens Dantorp, as he has once already.
Rodgers will need to tidy up off the tee but despite a shocking day in that department, he was still too good. To lose ground to these two playing partners in the area he should be gaining it and still win by three tells you much about the gulf in class.
RAHM to beat Schauffele and Viktor Hovland makes some appeal at a best of 13/8 with so much scope to improve and I'll add him to a small-stakes treble completed by GORDON SARGENT, who was strong in all departments on his US Open debut.
I don't like betting in the marquee groups as a rule as you've got three world-class players all capable of something special, but we're nicely compensated in price here for the fact Rahm suffered a rare off day with driver. I don't expect it to happen again.
Finally, Sargent is considered one of the brightest young talents in the game and although he's now challenging Thomas Pieters for favouritism within this group, that seems appropriate given the impression he made, and the fact that a badly struggling Aaron Wise props up the leaderboard.
It should be a choice of two, and the vote goes to the younger man who finished off his first round so well, with Pieters always prone to a rough day when the going gets tough as it may as we head into the evening.
Posted at 0745 BST on 16/06/23
More US Open content
- US Open outright preview: Ben Coley's tips
- US Open specials: Best bets from the side markets
- Hole-by-hole guide to Los Angeles Country Club
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