🏌‍♀Rory Makes Another U-Turn

Good Morning! The 124th US Open is all set to tee off tomorrow at Pinehurst No 2.

The pairings and tee times for Round 1 and 2 are out - click here to check them out and don’t forget to check out our top betting picks for the tournament.

Fun Fact: Last major played without Adam Scott - 2001 US Open.
Nick Dunlap, PGA Tour winner in the field this week was born in December 2003.

⛳ This day in history: One of the US Open championships that concluded on this date was Byron Nelson’s 36-hole playoff victory over Craig Wood and Denny Shute at Philadelphia Cricket Club.

ODDS AND PICKS
Our Top Picks For The US Open

🚩 The US Open tees off tomorrow, with stars across the globe assembling at Pinehurst No 2 to battle it out for the third Major of the year.

💰 Purse: $20 million, winner takes home $3.9 million.

Here are our top picks we’re betting on:

🚀 Most Likely to Win: While Scottie Scheffler (+333) may be vulnerable on some golf courses, Pinehurst No. 2 is ideally suited to his abilities. He excels as the best all-around driver, long iron player, and has the top short game in this field. Pinehurst highlights these strengths, meaning Scheffler won't need to rely heavily on his putting skills, unlike at Valhalla. This one is straightforward—don't overanalyze it.

🚀 Key Player in the Top 5: Collin Morikawa (+300) has finished in the top five in three straight events, including the PGA Championship and last week's Memorial. His recent success can be attributed to two factors: his approach play is nearly at its best, and his short game has significantly improved. Morikawa typically excels on challenging approach courses like Pinehurst, but his enhanced around-the-green skills make us even more confident in his prospects this week.

🚀 Key Player in the Top 10: Tommy Fleetwood (+320) thrives on USGA setups at firm and fast golf courses with short grass around the greens, whether it's Los Angeles Country Club, Shinnecock, or Erin Hills. He consistently performs well on these types of courses, and his accuracy off the tee is especially valuable at modern US Open venues where positioning is as crucial as power.

🚀 Key Player in the Top 20: Min Woo Lee (+240) has the driving skills to make a significant impact at Pinehurst. He ranks eighth in total driving and seventh in avoiding three-putts from 25-plus feet. This rare blend of long, accurate drives and excellent lag putting should be a major advantage for him at Pinehurst this week.

🚀 Underdog Likely to Emerge: Russell Henley (+1100) is a highly accurate driver, one of the top long iron players, and has a delicate touch around the greens. His performance notably improves on Bermudagrass. Henley has quietly secured top 20 finishes in two of his last three U.S. Opens, and I anticipate he'll make an even bigger impact this week at Pinehurst.

* All odds via BetMGM, at the time of publishing.

ALBATROSS
Scheffler Versus The Rest @ Pinehurst

Scottie Scheffler arrives at this week's US Open as the undisputed No 1. His recent win at the Memorial Tournament was his fifth in eight starts, with two runners-up and his worst finish being eighth. He has won three Signature Events, a second Masters, and a second PLAYERS in 2024, against the best fields of the year.

📍Leads the TOUR in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green, Greens in Regulation, and Proximity to the Hole.

📍2nd in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and Driving Accuracy.

📍First in Distance from the Edge of the Fairway, minimizing his tee misses.

📍Fourth in Scrambling and 14th in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green, demonstrating his ability to recover from mistakes.

Scheffler's +300 odds to win the tournament are the best a golfer has had to win a major since 2009, when Tiger Woods was a +180 favorite to win the PGA Championship.

🚫 Rahm Withdraws: Former Ole Miss golfer Jackson Suber is set to join the field for the US Open this weekend after Spaniard Jon Rahm withdrew for health reasons.

Rahm has an infected sore between his little toe and the next toe on his left foot. He is undergoing treatment, but has been working through pain and decided to back out of this week’s tournament as a result.

🎯 Woods Focused On Short Game: Delicate shots have troubled Tiger Woods as he continues to play through pain. While his ball speed and contact remain impressive, his limited practice affects his shorter shots.

Players will use a variety of clubs around the greens this week, demanding extensive preparation that Woods' body can't sustain. But Pinehurst's flat terrain and warm weather are advantageous for Woods and he looks completely focused on improving his short game.

TWEET
Worth Mentioning

EAGLE
Rory Calls Off Divorce Ahead Of US Open

Rory McIlroy has confirmed that his divorce from wife Erica Stoll is off after the pair resolved their differences. McIlroy filed for divorce from Stoll on the eve of the PGA Championship in May, saying the pair's marriage was "irretrievably broken."

Just ahead of the US Open, it has emerged that the divorce proceedings have been halted by a "notice of voluntary dismissal" filed on Tuesday. The pair were married in 2017 and have one child - their daughter Poppy Kennedy McIlroy who was born in 2020.

⛳️ Can Rory End His Major Drought?

McIlroy has come close many times, but his failure to win the Masters and complete the career grand slam, along with a tie for 12th at the PGA Championship has extended his major championship drought to a decade.

Despite this, McIlroy remains confident as he prepares to play alongside Masters champion Scottie Scheffler and PGA champion Xander Schauffele.

He has finished no worse than 15th in his last five starts. While his power is an advantage at Pinehurst, his underrated short game could be crucial, especially with the challenging false fronts and run-offs on the greens.

LOCKER ROOM
What else is making news

Merger Update: The PGA Tour and LIV Golf appear closer than ever to a monumental merger after a ‘draft agreement’ was reportedly signed ahead of the US Open.

Olympics: The US Open at Pinehurst is the last chance for male golfers to clinch Paris Olympic spots - check out the current qualification standings here.

Tribute: The United States Golf Association is honoring the late Grayson Murray this week at Pinehurst Resort, which is hosting the 2024 US Open. The USGA has adorned a locker with a message about Murray, a Raleigh native and two-time PGA Tour winner.

US Open: The wedge won't be the automatic go-to club around the greens at the 2024 US Open - here's why.

BIRDIE
These 6 Golfers Won Masters and US Open In The Same Season

A US Open win this week could gain Scottie Scheffler an entry to a very exclusive club - only six players have won The Masters and The US Open in the same season.

🏌‍♀Jordan Spieth: Spieth threatened his own period of dominance back in 2015, securing two PGA Tour wins, the Tour Championship and most impressively – two Major titles. To this date he remains the most recent player to hold the US Open and The Masters in the same year.

🏌‍♀Tiger Woods: Despite winning The Masters on five occasions, and The US Open on three, Woods only held the two titles together once – in 2002.

🏌‍♀Jack Nicklaus: Nicklaus held the title along with the Green Jacket in 1972, and similarly to Woods this was a record he only held once despite winning six Masters and four US Opens.

🏌‍♀Arnold Palmer: Palmer became only the third person to hold The Masters and The US Open, when winning the event in 1960. Surprisingly, that was the only time Palmer held the US Open, but in doing so he took his tally to three en route to a seven-Major haul.

🏌‍♀Ben Hogan: Hogan bucks the trend of only completing the US Open and Masters double once, as he held both titles concurrently in 1951 and 1953. He's the only person to achieve this feat twice.

🏌‍♀Craig Wood: The first person to achieve the double was Craig Wood, over 80 years ago in 1941. Wood won his Green Jacket by three shots from Byron Nelson, and later that season claimed the US Open at Colonial Country Club.

DRIVING RANGE
Chipping Secrets

In today's video, we bring to you an easy chipping technique in three simple steps to give reliable short game confidence and to stop duffing chip shots.

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