2022 U.S. Open Final Round Preview and Pick

After a day of carnage, Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick lead a race to the finish at the U.S. Open. Zalatoris’ 67 and Fitzpatrick’s 68 Saturday were enough to dub them co-leaders at 4 under par at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. But Jon Rahm is just one shot behind, Scottie Scheffler is tied for fourth at 2 under and Rory McIlroy is among the group at 1 under. Zalatoris, Fitzpatrick, and Rahm opened as triple co-favorites to win at FanDuel, all at +380. Fitzpatrick then moved slightly ahead of his peers, to +350. Let’s break down how to bet Sunday’s final round.

The Top Three

Of the top three on the board, only Rahm has won a major, coming at this exact championship last year at Torrey Pines. In that victory, he overcame his reputation for having a temper that could unravel his game in a moment’s notice. You need a cool head to win a USGA championship, after all. But he sounded incredibly frustrated during Saturday’s round of 71 when the fickle winds left him exclaiming things like “For crying out loud” near broadcast mics and cameras. Zalatoris has been a frequent bridesmaid in his young career, earning five top 10s in his first eight major starts, including a second-place finish last month at the PGA Championship when he lost to Justin Thomas in a playoff. Then there’s Fitzpatrick, an accomplished DP World Tour player who has yet to win on American turf as a professional but has the course knowledge at The Country Club, where he won the U.S. Amateur in 2013. Is he ready to break through at a major?

The Dark Horses

Adam Hadwin (+2700) took the lead in the first round, shooting the only 66 of the day. Though he fell back to earth a bit Friday, he salvaged his position by birdieing the final two holes, and Saturday’s even-par 70 left him at 2 under and well within striking distance of the lead Sunday. He’s done everything well this week, from his driving to his short game. Where did Keegan Bradley (+1400) come from? The 2011 PGA Championship victor snuck up on the field by quietly going 70-69-69 to start this major. In the third round, he recovered from three bogeys over his first six holes by going 4 under the rest of the way. He has some pedigree as a previous major winner.

The Pick

U.S. Opens always have their ups and downs. Nobody walks onto one of these courses and goes bogey-free a few days in a row; danger is always around the corner. Scottie Scheffler (+600) knows this after how his Saturday went. An unbelievable hole-out for eagle at the par-5 eighth -- not even his first of the week -- pushed him to 6 under for the tournament as he made the turn. Then the world No. 1 nearly shot himself out of the championship with a few bad chips that led to a double bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey stretch. One late birdie brought him to 2 under through three rounds and right back in the hunt. We gave Scheffler a nod at the start of the week when not much spotlight was shining on him, but he remains the No. 1 player in the world for a reason. The Masters champion doesn’t need much to break his way Sunday to come out on top. And at +600 odds, you might not get a better chance to bet on a big-time player like him to win a big-time major like this.The pick: Scottie Scheffler to win the U.S. Open @ +600 with FanDuel.

--Field Level Media