Golf’s best tee off at The Country Club this week in hopes of claiming their cut of a $17.5 million payout of US Open prize money. Let’s check the favorites and establish what else is on the line.
There’s a battle brewing in Brookline.
Not only are golf’s best taking on arguably the most challenging course in the game — The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. boasts some of the smallest greens these players have ever seen — but the jockeying this week goes far beyond the course. Day by day, the golf world gets a clearer view of what the battle lines look like between those loyal to the PGA Tour and those who’ve crossed the line in the sand by defecting to the LIV Invitational Golf Series.
While it may be the third major of the men’s golf schedule in 2022, it’s the first time players on both sides of the PGA Tour vs. LIV conflict have competed against one another in open competition.
So far, there’s been plenty of thinly-veiled banter back and forth.
We’ve had Rory McIlroy vs. Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson vs. the media, and defending champion Jon Rahm letting us all know loud and clear where he stands (he’s 100% committed to the PGA Tour.)
But at the end of the day, none of that chatter matters.
What does? Who’s sitting at the top of the leaderboard when it’s a wrap on 18 Sunday.
Let’s have a look at who’s in the running to claim golf’s 122nd US Open Championship.
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2022 US Open Prize Money Breakdown
Click here to read Boardroom’s full prize money roundup for the rival LIV Golf Invitational Series.
Welcome to the most lucrative of golf’s four majors this year. With $17.5 million in total US Open prize money — a $5 million increase from 2021 — the player who ends up claiming the crown will earn roughly $3.15 million, an 18% payout of the total purse, as well as automatic entry to the tournament for the next 10 years and an invite to play at the other three majors and The Players Championship for the next five years.
The winning purse is up from the $2.25 million Jon Rahm took home last year at Torrey Pines.
The winner also receives a replica of the US Open Championship Trophy to keep, as well as the Jack Nicklaus Medal.
And while it’s not yet confirmed how the prize money will be divvied up, approximate payouts to the top five finishers are expected to look like this:
- First Place: $3,150,000
- Second Place: $1,890,000
- Third Place: $1,190,000
- Fourth Place: $840,000
- Fifth Place: $700,000
But even having a decent showing comes with its own rewards beyond the dough.
Players who finish in the top 10 receive an automatic berth in the next year’s US Open, and golfers who finish in the top four receive an invitation to play in the next year’s Masters.
And lastly, professional golfers who compete but fail to make the cut also reportedly make something simply for showing up — understood to be around $10,000 at last year’s tournament.
So, how about the odds to win the tournament over at FanDuel Sportsbook?
2022 US Open Betting Odds
Numbers reflect final pre-tournament odds to win the 2022 US Open at FanDuel Sportsbook.
Rory McIlroy+1000
Justin Thomas +1200
Jon Rahm +1500
Scottie Scheffler +1500
Cameron Smith +2100
Xander Schauffele +2200
Patrick Cantlay +2400
Jordan Spieth +2500
Matthew Fitzpatrick +2500
Will Zalatoris +2700
Sam Burns +2700
Shane Lowry +3000
Viktor Hovland +3200
Collin Morikawa +3200
Joaquin Niemann +3300
Tony Finau +3400
According to FanDuel, the sportsbook’s biggest liabilities in US Open betting as of Wednesday is Brooks Koepka, followed by Mickelson, Will Zalatoris, Scheffler, and DJ.
Justin Thomas is the most bet-on golfer at FanDuel Sportsbook to win the tournament, followed by McIlroy, Scheffler, Zalatoris, and Cameron Smith.
Who’s Winning the 2022 US Open?
With 156 players in this field — everyone from recent champions to winners of top amateur events — it’s hard to pinpoint just one or two favorites. One thing we know for sure, however, is that Tiger Woods won’t be in attendance. He’s taking the tournament off to recuperate in time for The Open Championship at St. Andrews.
Instead, the story of who’s winning it all starts with Rory McIlroy (+1000), followed closely behind by PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas (+1200) and Rahm (+1500). Masters champion Scottie Scheffler (+1500) is also very much in the mix.
But we also can’t count out the numerous players now playing for Saudi-backed LIV Golf who qualified for the tournament and have not been barred from participating by the tournament’s organizer, the US Golf Association, despite being suspended by the PGA Tour.
We’ve got Phil Mickelson entering the fray looking for his first-ever win at the Open. As quite the longshot (+22000), Phil will have to dig deep to earn the only major win not currently on his resume.
There’s also 2016 champion Dustin Johnson (+4400), 2020 champion Bryson DeChambeau (+12000), and Louis Oosthuizen (+7500) — all of whom could be very much in the mix come Sunday.
It’s all going down this week. The road to a famous seven-figure payout starts Thursday.
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