US Open Golf Betting Guide: Insight from an Industry Insider
How Golf Betting Transformed the Way We Experience the Game
Imagine watching the US Open at Oakmont, where every shot carries new significance beyond just the leaderboard. You're not merely observing Scottie Scheffler navigate the course's brutal rough—you're invested in the outcome because modern golf betting has created an entirely new way to engage with the sport's greatest moments.
This represents the evolution of golf betting, where every swing matters and every course tells a unique story through the lens of real-time wagering markets.
The Perfect Storm That Changed Everything
The transformation began in 2018 when legal barriers in the United States started falling. As Michael Verity, a veteran odds compiler with over 17 years of experience in sports betting, explains: "The legislation was changed. And so online sports betting started to open up in a lot of the US states."
This legal shift coincided perfectly with what Verity describes as "a bit of a stats revolution in golf with all the strokes gained stuff." The sport embraced advanced analytics that didn't just help players and coaches—it gave bettors unprecedented insights into performance metrics that previous generations never had access to.
The result was ideal conditions for golf betting to flourish. Today, when fans watch tournaments at legendary venues like Oakmont, they're witnessing millions of dollars change hands based on statistical models that didn't exist a decade ago.
Technology has fundamentally changed how we follow tournaments in real-time. "You can now bet on just a ridiculous amount of markets and you can keep right up to date with how your golfer's doing, basically shot by shot," Verity notes. This represents a dramatic shift from the era when bettors anxiously waited for television coverage to show their selected players.
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Beyond Simple Winner Predictions
Today's golf betting landscape extends far beyond picking tournament winners. The modern market offers remarkable depth, allowing wagers on highly specific outcomes—whether players will hit particular fairways or successfully escape from certain bunkers.
"Will this player make his par from the bunker?" has become a legitimate betting proposition, as have wagers on fairway accuracy placed "holes in advance," according to Verity. This granular approach creates multiple engagement points throughout tournaments at Oakmont and other prestigious venues.
Bookmakers have developed sophisticated strategies to maintain interest even when tournaments seem decided. When a player establishes a commanding lead—say Rory McIlroy with a three-shot advantage heading into Sunday—bookmakers create "without the leader" markets. This effectively creates a secondary competition, keeping bettors engaged through all four rounds.
For newcomers, the fundamental mechanics remain straightforward. Verity explains: "If something's seven to two (7/2), it's saying for every two pounds you put on, if he wins, you win seven-pound profit." These odds reflect the bookmaker's probability assessment, with market forces constantly adjusting valuations as play progresses.
Bet on the US Open with Betway
The 2025 US Open at Oakmont is generating tremendous betting interest, with Scottie Scheffler emerging as the clear favourite after winning three times in 2025, including the PGA Championship. Rory McIlroy, who won the Masters in April, is still favoured despite poor form last week, while defending champion Bryson DeChambeau rounds out the top contenders.
The tournament returns to Oakmont for the first time since 2016, when Dustin Johnson won at 4-under-par. Oakmont's 7,372-yard par-70 layout features pinched fairways, diabolically thick rough, and treacherous bunkers, creating ideal conditions for strategic betting on course-specific performance.
You can bet on the Winner, Group Betting, First Round Leader, Top 5, 10 and 20 Finishes. Consider exploring Group Betting, Nationality Betting, Hole In One’s, Playoff’s, and Winning Margin for additional excitement throughout the four rounds. See all of Betway's offerings now.
The Importance of Player-Course Relationships
One of golf betting's most intriguing aspects involves the relationship between players and specific venues. Certain golfers consistently perform well at particular courses—a phenomenon we might call "The Oakmont Effect," where past US Open performance often predicts future success at this demanding venue.
This player-course dynamic creates a betting dimension rarely found in other sports. When evaluating potential wagers, Verity considers two primary factors: "Is he playing well? Has he shown good stuff at the course?" The weighting of these considerations varies significantly across different venues. At historic courses like Oakmont, course-specific experience often carries more weight than current form. Rory’s poor form has affected his odds but may indicate more value. Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler are all currently preferred above Rory.
Oakmont's unique challenges become particularly relevant when considering that McIlroy missed the cut there in 2016, while Scheffler has shown improvement in recent US Opens, finishing second in 2022 and third in 2023 before struggling to a T41 finish in 2024. Meanwhile, DeChambeau's experience conquering difficult US Open venues like Winged Foot demonstrates his ability to handle Oakmont's combination of tight fairways and thick rough.
Finding Value With Betway & the 2025 US Open
For those seeking advantages, Verity recommends following collegiate golf to identify emerging talent before they become household names. "Following the collegiate stuff in the US has always been a good little place to research, especially as they're just starting to turn pro," he advises. This approach helps identify potential before betting markets fully recognize their value.
The strategy focuses on finding "progressive, explosive, big-hitting talent who maybe is not on everyone's radar" to "get ahead of it before the bookmakers realize how good they are." Verity specifically mentions Luke Clanton as emerging talent worth monitoring.
Golf betting also benefits from the sport's inherent integrity. With the 2025 US Open winner expected to earn approximately $4 million in prize money, Verity emphasizes how these substantial rewards eliminate corruption incentives: "You take away all the incentive for any sort of shenanigans really when players are playing for that much money."
The current betting landscape for the US Open showcases this integrity perfectly, with legitimate competition among the world's top players. Beyond the favourites, value bettors are eyeing longer shots like Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Sepp Straka, and Tommy Fleetwood to have good weeks.
A New Dimension for Golf's Greatest Venues Like Oakmont
The rise of sophisticated betting markets has created additional layers of engagement for fans experiencing the world's most prestigious golf courses. Whether visiting historic venues like Oakmont or challenging championship courses, today's golf enthusiasts can appreciate these layouts not only for their architectural merits but also for understanding how specific features influence betting markets during the US Open and other professional tournaments.
This evolution hasn't diminished the fundamental appeal of these magnificent courses. They remain the beautiful, challenging stages they've always been. However, data-driven betting markets now operate in real-time alongside the traditional drama, creating new ways for dedicated golf fans to connect with the sport they love.
The transformation represents more than just expanded gambling opportunities—it's created a more immersive way to experience golf's greatest moments, where every shot carries meaning beyond just the leaderboard position.