US Open 2021: Steve Rawlings' pick of the Betfair's specials markets

Taking on the 2/7 jolly in the Top Irish market at last month's USPGA Championship paid dividends with both Shane Lowry and Padraig Harrington finishing miles in front of a disappointing Rory McIlroy and I wouldn't put anyone off taking him on with Lowry again in what's just a match this time.

Matt Cooper's keen on the chances of Lowry in his each-way column and Dave Tindall fancies him to get off to a fast start but he's just short enough now in the Top Irish at 11/8.

Barjon a very fair price to be Top Frenchman

I usually like getting stuck into these small Top Nationality fields but it's not been easy to spot one I like this time around...

Martin Laird to beat Robert MacIntyre in the Top Scot market or Matthias Schmid to get the better of fellow German, Martin Kaymer, are both plausible outsiders but the one I like is the Top French market where Paul Barjon, who wasn't even born in France, looks a very fair price with the Sportsbook at 7/4 to beat Victor Perez.

A winner on the Korn Ferry Tour as recently as last month, Barjon, who was born in Dumbea, New Caledonia, hits the ball much further than the out-of-form favourite, Victor Perez, so on a course that should favour the big hitters, he's a fair bet.

Perez is one if the shorter hitters in the field this week and since his fine performance at the WGC Match Play in March, where he reached the semi-finals, his form has taken a nosedive. He's played in only three tournaments since but he's missed all three cuts with a 72 in the second round of the USPGA Championship his best round.

Young Italian can rank high on major debut

The Top Italian is an intriguing little market with the Molinari brothers, Francesco and Edoardo, up against Guido Migliozzi, who's playing in his first major championship.

After back-to-back second place finishes on the European Tour, I fancy Migliozzi to go well this week but I've swerved this market and backed him for a top-20 finish instead at a juicy 14.013/1. Although Francesco isn't playing anywhere close to his best, the presence of his brother could spur him on and Edoardo is in fine form at present (until he putts!) so it's a really trappy little heat.

Rose can blossom against Smith

The Sportsbook have a plethora of Tournament Match Bets and the one I like is Justin Rose to beat Cam Smith at 10/11.

Since winning the Zurich Classic alongside Marc Leishman, Smith has finished down the field in the USPGA Championship and he's missed the cut in The Memorial Tournament and since finishing tied for fourth at Chambers Bay in 2015, his US Open record has been poor with his tournament figures reading 59-MC-72-38.

Smith's Torrey Pines form figures, reading MC-MC-33-20-9-64-MC, aren't anything to write home about either whereas Rose, who's also one of my selections to win the event, is a course winner and a former US Open winner.

Big price forecasts to keep us interested

There are loads of #OddsOnThat bets to ponder on the Sportsbook but the market I like there is the Dual Forecast. I've backed the Jon Rahm/Dustin Johnson combination at 90/1 and I've also thrown a few pounds at three combinations with my main fancy, Xander Schauffele, which I've listed below.

I'll be back on Friday with the In-Play Blog.

*You can follow me on Twitter @SteveThePunter