PGA odds: An oddsmaker’s take on the 2022 U.S. Open and LIV Golf

By Sam Panayotovich
FOX Sports Betting Analyst

The 2022 U.S. Open is finally here, but not without controversy. And if Dustin Johnson wins this major at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., the professional golf world might explode.

As you probably know by now, certain high-profile golfers that joined the brand-new LIV International Golf Series – like Johnson – will be participating this weekend in the Boston suburbs.

And while that decision has caused quite a commotion among some PGA Tour stalwarts, it’s just another day and another dollar for Las Vegas bookmakers that are writing bets on the event.

“It doesn’t affect anything behind the counter at all,” Westgate SuperBook vice president of risk management Jeff Sherman told FOX Sports. “It’s business as usual for us. Open the markets, take bets and move the numbers.

“We don’t worry about things we can’t control.”

Sherman wrote a $1,000 bet on Johnson at 40-1 odds, and if the double-dipper finishes atop the leaderboard, that wager will pay out $40,000. The SuperBook is clearly bullish that Johnson won’t win because they’re still dealing DJ at 35-1, while other sportsbooks are notably lower.

Other notable wagers include a $1,500 pop on Bryson DeChambeau at 60-1 to win $90,000 and a $2,000 ticket on Scottie Scheffler at 25-1 to win $50,000.

“Our best result is Patrick Cantlay,” Sherman reported. “We do very well if he wins this weekend. We got ahead of the move on Rory [McIlory] last weekend, so there’s not much liability there. And we’re solid on Jon Rahm, too. He’s a little higher than usual, but you can’t go too high on a guy like that.

“There’s steady action on Rahm, but nothing too crazy.”

Xander Schauffele is a polarizing figure on the PGA Tour. Some bettors can’t get enough, while others stay far away from betting him to win outright. The SuperBook respects Schauffele more than most shops because they’ve currently got him at 20-1 while other shops are offering 25-1 or higher.

“He’s got five straight top-seven finishes at the U.S. Open,” Sherman said. “He fits these USGA courses exceptionally well. And he’s rounding into form with a top-five finish at the Byron Nelson, followed by Top 20s in his last two events.

“We’re seeing respected money on Schauffele in the head-to-head markets, and I know others are betting him in the Top 5 and Top 10 markets, too. Tony Finau is another guy that’s drawing attention in those areas. Those are two guys that might not be getting a ton of support to win outright, but they can make money in other ways.”

Speaking of making money, Phil Mickelson reportedly received around a 200 million dollar signing bonus to join LIV, yet he’ll also be participating in this year’s U.S. Open. As you can imagine, that situation has ruffled plenty of feathers across the golf world and some critics are out for blood. 

But none of that stuff matters behind the counter at the end of the day.

Mickelson has always been a magnet for betting handle for decades, and Sherman believes Lefty is the second-best player for the bookmaking business behind Tiger Woods since he started making and moving golf numbers in the desert. He just doesn’t think Mickelson is a serious contender at Brookline.

“We’ve got Phil at 300-1,” Sherman cracked. “And we’re open for business.” 

Sam Panayotovich is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and NESN. He previously worked for WGN Radio, NBC Sports and VSiN. He’ll probably pick against your favorite team. Follow him on Twitter @spshoot.