US Open 2025 Cheat Sheet: Betfair golf experts' best bets for this week's major at Oakmont

• Steve Rawlings goes in-depth and recommends best bet

• Steve also picks his players to back at long odds this week

• Dave Tindall recommends each-way tips and first round leader bets

• Course info, form stats, outsiders to back, first round leader and more

• Get a free bet for every first round birdie your US Open selection scores. T&Cs apply. 

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Watch Golf...Only Bettor US Open 2025 preview

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US Open 2025 tips and predictions

The Punter's Preview: Scheffler is a worthy favourite

Steve Rawlings: "Looking at all four of majors collectively, the last four have all been won by someone who had already tasted success but 23 of the last 38 (61%) major championships have gone to a first-time major winner so don't be surprised if we get another but do expect them to feature highly in the Official World Rankings.

"Each of the last 15 US Open winners were ranked inside the top 32 in the Official World Rankings and 51 of the last 52 majors have been won by someone inside the world's top 50. The odd man out is Phil Mickelson who defied all sorts of logic at the 2021 US PGA Championship when he won at the age of 51 - ranking 115^th in the world...

"Scottie Scheffler arrives at Oakmont at the top of his game with current form figures reading 1-1-4-1 but he was in equally good form last year, having won five of the eight events he'd played in after his 10^th place finish in the Genesis Invitational at Riviera in February...

"Prior to last year, he had US Open form figures reading MC-27-MC-7-2-3, making his Pinehurst flop even more perplexing. Scheffler ranks number one for Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, SG: Off-the-Tee and SG: Approach the Green, as well as third for Greens In Regulation and first for Scrambling...

"It's quite difficult to make a strong case for many of the world's best players at present and Scheffler is far and away the most likely winner. Especially when we bear in mind how classy the previous winners at Oakmont have been. He may look short at 3/1 but it's more than fair and I'm happy to back him at that price."

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US Open 2025: 10-year trends point to...

Dave Tindall: "The scores are in [from the 10-year trends categories] and - drumroll - these are the top nine players:

73 Scottie Scheffler
71 Harris English
67 Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele
66 Bryson DeChambeau
65 Ben Griffin
62 Joaquin Niemann
61 Patrick Cantlay, Sam Burns 

"This may look an underwhelming result on first glance but, actually, it's one of the more interesting trends outcomes. Scheffler hasn't been awarded a bundle of points for winning lots of tournaments recently. Doing that and driving it well has helped but he's also the ideal profile in terms of world ranking, age, nationality and experience.

"But below Scheffler, the 11/4 favourite, it gets really surprising. Harris English in second! Had he been a couple of years younger he'd actually have scored maximum points (77) and beaten Scheffler. English picks up points across the board but it just so happens that he has a third, a fourth and an eighth in the last five US Opens. Add in three top 25s in his last four Masters and joint-second in last month's US PGA and he plays his home majors very well. 

"He's currently 100/1 on the Sportsbook (1/5 Odds, 6 Places). That's definitely worth a bet."

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Find Me a 100 Winner: Cameron Young is read to contend at 149/1

Steve Rawlings: "The 29-year-old New Yorker, Cameron Young, only qualified for the US Open last Monday but if his performance in Canada last week is anything to go by, he looks ready to contend at Oakmon...

"The fact that he's still in search of his first PGA Tour title is obviously a little off-putting but when Jack Nicklaus, in 1962, Ernie Els, in 1996, and Angel Cabrera, in 2007, won the US Open at Oakmont, they were all winning for the first time on the PGA Tour.

"Young is a player with few weaknesses once he hits form, and he tends to hold his form when he finds it too. He won back-to-back events on the Korn Ferry Tour and some of his best major championship performances have occurred when he'd found a bit of form...

"He's long enough off the tee to contend at Oakmont, he's putting very well of late, and he ranked first for Scrambling last week in Canada. This might just be the week it all comes together."

Place order to lay 8 Units @ 10.0 and 12 Units @ 2.0

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Each-way picks from 40/1 to 100/1

Dave Tindall: "We want strong driving this week and there to be a notable dose of accuracy within that. Straka ranked 1st for Strokes Gained: Off The Tee at Muirfield Village two weeks ago and also 1st for Driving Accuracy. Perfect!

"The four-time (2022, 2023 and 2025 twice) PGA Tour winner, who has an American mother (she moved the family to the United States when he was 14) was also 2nd for SG: Putting at the Truist and 3rd for SGP at Memorial so he'll arrive at Oakmont full of confidence.  

"Also note that he's 38th in 3-Putt avoidance; Straka is actually 22nd in 3-Putt Avoidance > 25 feet which is perhaps more relevant for these huge greens. The only negative about his season is that he's missed the cut in both Majors so far but let's recall that Straka was joint runner-up in the 2023 Open (also in rainy conditions) at Royal Liverpool and seventh in that year's US PGA.

"He's also played on a winning Ryder Cup team so it's time everyone started viewing him for what he now is: a top 10 player in the world rankings and a regular winner rather than some plucky underdog punching above his weight."

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First Round Leader tips from 30/1 to 90/1

Dave Tindall: "One thing that stands out when perusing FRL form in the US Open is that certain players are habitual fast starters in the event.

"Take Rory McIlroy for example: in the last six editions his 18-hole positions read 1-5-2-11-5-8.

"Even though he seems out of form don't be surprised if, for one round at least, he finds something. He's 20/121.00 to lead the way.

"But there are others with great records in round one of the US Open so I'll start by taking the 30/131.00 (1/5, 6 places) about Xander Schauffele, an absolute tournament specialist.

"The two-time Major winner has seven top 10s and a 14th in eight appearances at the year's third Major.

"His first-round positions are excellent too:  16-1-26-5-8-2-13-2. 

"The '1' was his 62 on day one at Los Angeles CC two years ago and he's the only player in history to have twice shot 62 in a Major.

"Schauffele goes out early from the 1st with Bryson DeChambeau and young Spaniard Jose Luis Ballester at 7.29am."

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Favourites Rated: Aberg worth a play in top finish markets

Dave Tindall: "Aberg's record in the Majors rather reflects his performances in 2025. There have been moments of excellence but at times he's underwhelmed.

"The 25-year-old Swede has finished runner-up and seventh in his two US Masters but missed the cut on both US PGA starts. In his US Open debut last year he was the halfway leader before finishing 12th while an early exit in last summer's Open Championship debut means he's missed the cut in half of his six Major appearances.

"Clearly a top-class act, he produced a superb display to win February's Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines (a former US Open venue) before following that with a poor run. But 16th at Memorial and 13th in Canada (2nd SG: Off The Tee) last week suggest it'll be feast rather than famine at Oakmont."

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US Open Specials: Seven bets up to 40/1

Dave Tindall:  "McIlroy missed the cut here in 2016 and he was in great form at the time. His two starts before Oakmont produced a win and a fourth and his two after a third and a fifth.

"But it's his woeful performance in the Canadian Open (he was 21 shots behind the halfway leader when heading home early) that is the main worry.

"His troubles are both technical (driver) and mental (trying to raise himself again after the high of winning The Masters and Grand Slam) so why not go the whole hog and back him to crash out at halfway. It's a tempting price."

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US Open 2025 betting data

The best birdie machines to use for Betfair's free bet offer

Paul Higham: "You can get the US Open off to a great start due to Betfair's Birdie Bonus market that hands out free bets for every birdie your win-only selection makes in the first round of the US Open. What it means is that if you place a £5 bet or more in our Birdie Bonus market, each time the player you back to win the US Open picks up a shot at any hole during the first round you'll land a £1 free bet... 

"Rickie Folwer hit a record 10 in his 62 in the 2023 US Open at Los Angeles Country Club, but Fowler's not made the field for Oakmont this week. However, fellow 62 shooter Xander Schauffele is and along with his eight in 2023 he had a solid four last year.

"Schauffele has shot 62 in a major twice of course, so you know he can be dangerous - although I really wouldn't go expecting anything close to that low a score at a brutal Oakmont this week."

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Profiles and betting angles for the top 50 in the field

Matt Cooper: "Scottie Scheffler: US Open record (most recent result on the right): MC-27-MC-7-2-3-41

"Back at this championship in 2023 the World No. 1 said: 'In the majors, you've got to hit it far and hit it high.' It's something he does exceptionally as a record of 14 top 10 finishes in 23 major starts proves. Indeed, at a strike rate of 61% it makes him (for now, at least) more prolific than Nicklaus, Woods and Hagen (the trio who have won more majors than anyone else).

"He carded 69-78 on his US Open debut at Oakmont saying: 'I hit it really, really bad, couldn't get the ball in the fairway. My short game was all right though.' A three-time winner since the start of May, he's back to his best.

"Angle? He has a wild US Open second round record. 78-74-74 in his first three, then 69-67-68, then back to 74 last year.

"First round/birdie record? He's ended 17 of his last 18 PGA Tour first rounds in the top 20."

Back Scheffler on the Sportsbook
Back Scheffler on the Exchange

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US Open 2025: Major form stats

Andy Swales: "Who can stop Scottie or Rory from winning US Open?

"Bryson DeChambeau 15/2: A member of the LIV Tour, the American has contended in both majors this year, by finishing tied-fifth at Augusta and joint-runner-up in the PGA Championship. He won in Korea during early May and is currently second in the LIV standings for 2025. Is also a two-time winner of the US Open and defending champion.

"Jon Rahm 12/1: Has been the LIV Tour's leading player since joining the Saudi-backed organisation at the beginning of 2024. Is yet to finish outside the top-10 in any LIV event, and topped the overall standings last year. His two major championship outings of 2025 both yielded T15 finishes and he was even in with a chance of winning the US PGA Championship heading into the final nine holes, before Scheffler turned the screw."

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Course information and current form stats

Andy Swales: "The US Open returns to Oakmont for the first time in nine years, and 10th time in all. This famous 122-year-old course underwent a significant renovation at the hands of high-profile architect Gil Hanse, just a couple of years ago.

"One of the biggest alterations was the decision to enlarge the putting surfaces. Compared to the 2016 instalment, there is now 24,000 square feet of additional putting surface to challenge the golfers. According to USGA official Scott Langley, 'the renovated greens will offer a lot more options for pin positions.' This significant increase means the average size of Oakmont's poa annua greens, will be a massive 8,500 square feet.

"And, collectively, it becomes the second largest putting surfaces the players will have faced so far on the 2025 PGA Tour. Only the Plantation Course (8,722) at Kapalua in Hawaii will have had larger greens. The course will also be 153 yards longer than when Dustin Johnson triumphed here nine years ago. It is now 7,372 yards."

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Read The Punter's in-play US Open blog across all four days of the action at Oakmont

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