Jason Day betting odds and tips for the 2016 US Open

THE 116th US Open at Oakmont Country Club has already attracted headlines this week for its long rough and ridiculously fast greens.

Known as ‘The Brute’, the Pittsburgh gem is one of the longest courses on tour, which will suit the bombers off the tee. The contenders will also need an excellent short game to navigate the tricky greens.

The current favourite for the US Open is Australia’s own Jason Day, who is a long-hitter off the tee, but he isn’t the straightest. Day ranks 146th in driving accuracy on the PGA Tour and if he gets into the long Oakmont rough, it could prove to be a long tournament.

The long hitters have all been well-fancied in the market. Rory McIlroy is on the second line of betting as he’s one of the biggest and straightest hitters in world golf. The Northern Irishman’s problem is his putting.

There is no letting up at Oakmont. The winning score could be even par and we expect some high scores to be posted, especially if there’s any wind.

Sportsbet.com.au has over 50 markets to bet from and we’ve taken a look at some of the exotic markets, which should make the week more interesting. We include Top Australian, Top Lefty and Tournament Specials among other exotic bets.

Top Australian golfer

Jason Day is the $7.50 favourite to win the 2016 US Open, which means he is the firm favourite to finish ahead of his Australian counterparts. The 2015 PGA Championship winner is in a rich vein of form and the lengthy Oakmont course will suit his game nicely.

His closest rival is multiple major-winner, Adam Scott. He isn’t in the best form, but his experience is needed around this course and he’s tough to beat when the putter is firing.

Jason Day – $1.57
Adam Scott – $4
Marc Leishman – $9
Cameron Smith – $17
Geoff Ogilvy – $26
Aron Price – $34
Steven Bowditch – $34

There isn’t any value betting on the other contenders. Marc Leishman has a solid game and has been close in the past, but he’s unreliable.

Play Jason Day in multi-bets at $1.57, or put a sneaky bet on Adam Scott at the value odds of $4.

Top Lefty betting

This market is always interesting as it’s typically Phil vs. Bubba. Phil Mickelson has been tipped by many to win the tournament and that has shown through in the betting.

“Lefty” is the $1.83 favourite to beat both Bubba Watson ($2.20) and New Zealand qualifier Tim Wilkinson ($9). Mickelson has been playing into form this season on the PGA Tour and his game looks to be hitting full swing at the right time of the year.

His US Open record suggests he’s a better place chance in the tournament betting, but Bubba hasn’t impressed us much this season and he will struggle to win the ball cleanly out of the thick rough. Phil Mickelson looks the best bet at $1.83 – another short-priced favourite, but he only has two men to beat.

Big Guns vs. The Field market and tips

The Big Guns include Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth, who is trying to defend another major after suffering a tough defeat at the US Masters in April.

Spieth is on the third line of betting to win the tournament, which surprised many punters, but he’s not the longest hitter and he could be hitting long irons into the greens all four days. The 22-year-old is weary of just how tricky the greens can be, much like those at Augusta.

“How do I compare them to Augusta? Pretty similar,” Spieth said.

“Yeah, you have a lot of similar putts from mid-range to short range where you’ve got to use a lot of feel, and it’s very much speed-based and really just have to be careful.

“You can’t let your mind slip on these greens for one moment, or else you’re going to be left with possibly a 10-to-15 footer on the next putt, if not worse.”

Punters which back the Big Guns to win at $2.32 will be hoping Spieth can fire. The current price is better than we thought, and although you’re only getting four players, they are the best four in the tournament.

$2.32 at Sportsbet looks a good bet for the Big Guns this week at Oakmont.

U.S Open winning margin and tournament specials

The US Open is often decided in a close finish and exotic punters have made some good money betting on this market in the past.

The current favourite is one stroke at $3.50, which looks the best bet. It’s unlikely a player will run away with it this year and it should be a congested finish.

1 stroke – $3.50 at WilliamHill.com.au
2 strokes – $5.20
3 strokes – $6
4 strokes – $8.10
5 strokes – $12.25
6 strokes – $17.25

It’s tough to recommend any other option than one stroke. Punters can also go into Tournament Specials at Sportsbet and bet on the playoff option. This currently pays $3.50, so punters could back both options and still make a profit.

There is also a few players which look like good bets in the make/miss cut market. Martin Kaymer is currently $3.70 to miss the cut at Sportsbet which looks like great value. The German hasn’t been able to get back to his best this season and he could well shoot some high scores this week.

At shorter odds is Brandan Grace to make the cut at $1.45. This is a better price than most of the other top golfers, likely due to his popularity levels, and punters can take advantage. He’s a solid golfer who should be fighting out the finish on Monday morning.