After walking nearly 100,000 steps around Pinehurst No. 2 to begin the week, I am extremely pleased with how the first 36 holes of golf have panned out.
I was drilling all week how elite iron players would really struggle on this golf course. More often than not, no matter where you land the ball on the green, it will result in the ball being 20+ feet away. Outside of that, bad iron players are going to end up in very similar spots to good iron players! I am not saying it is fair, I'm just saying that is what this course gives you.
With that being said, this really elevates short game prowess and creativity on and around the greens. Locating players who have scrambled well these first two days is key. The course will continue to play tougher which means fewer greens hit in regulation and an emphasis on short game.
Here are the U.S. Open Round 3 Best Bets.
U.S. Open Odds
| Golfer | Score | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Ludvig Aberg | -5 | +333 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | -4 | +425 |
| Rory McIlroy | -3 | +425 |
| Patrick Cantlay | -4 | +1000 |
| Xander Schauffele | -1 | +1200 |
| Tony Finau | -3 | +1400 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | -2 | +1600 |
| Thomas Detry | -4 | +2000 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | -1 | +4000 |
| Corey Conners | -1 | +5000 |
| Matthieu Pavon | -3 | +4500 |
| Tom Kim | -1 | +5000 |
| Scottie Scheffler | +5 | +6600 |
U.S. Open Round 3 Best Bets
Thomas Detry Top 10 -110 at FanDuel
As crazy as it sounds, I am not too surprised seeing Thomas Detry's name on the top of this leaderboard.
He played phenomenal at Valhalla a few weeks ago but more than anything, this is a far better course fit. The Belgian's game is built around driving the ball long and straight with an excellent short game to match. That is exactly what Pinehurst is all about!
If you have been a fan of golf from a worldwide standpoint for some years, you know that Detry has a bit of a history on the weekends. By that, I mean he has been excellent at blowing leads on Sundays. In some of the easiest of fields on the DP World Tour, Detry had failed to get it done.
I have listened to a ton of his interviews this year and he truly sounds different. The scar tissue of losing all of those events has surely matured Detry and that is showing on the biggest stage. I am not saying Detry is going to post multiple rounds in the 60's and win this thing; I am saying I don't think he'll completely eject like most are thinking.
We are given a nice number on a live positional number and we are taking to take advantage of it.
Sepp Straka Top 20 +180 (FanDuel)
Sepp Straka shot two over in round two which was a round of highlights.
First off, he threw a dart on hole three that ended up hitting the flag stick. Sepp's ball was immediately ejected into the front right bunker and he walked off the green with a triple bogey. That was truly a gut bunch as Sepp was trending along very nicely. He eventually bounced back with an ace on hole 9.
He was one of my favorite selections heading into the week and he is still in a great spot heading into the weekend. Over the last two months, Sepp has been a top ten machine. The Georgia Bulldog loves Bermuda grass and will keep up the good work in these tough conditions.
Look for Sepp to hit fairways and greens, working his way up the leaderboard over the weekend at the U.S. Open.
Adam Scott Top 20 +220 (FanDuel)
Adam Scott has been a generational back door finishing position poster in 2024 and I expect more of the same.
Through 36 holes, he is gaining strokes in the correct categories. Scott is both driving the ball well and playing solid around the green. If these two stats continue to workout, he will slowly move up the leaderboard.
Scott should love these conditions as they are as close to what you will see in Australia as you'll get in America. The North Carolina Sand Hills and the Australian Sand Belt ask very similar questions in terms of golf.
Look for Adam Scott to continue to save par which will go a long way in terms of vaulting his way up the leaderboard.
