Dustin Johnson is the betting favorite to win this week’s U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club, but some popular veterans are attracting notable action at sportsbooks around the U.S.
More money has been bet on Tiger Woods to win the tournament than has been bet on any other golfer at William Hill sportsbooks, while Phil Mickelson has attracted the largest bet.
As of Tuesday night, 18% of the money that had been wagered on the tournament winner was on Woods, who is listed at 40-1. Johnson is the favorite at 17-2, followed by Jon Rahm (10-1), Xander Schauffele (14-1) and Justin Thomas (14-1).
Mickelson is way down the odds board, but there are some believers in the left-hander who has never won the U.S. Open. Last week, a bettor placed a $45,000 bet on Mickelson to win the tournament at 75-1 odds at a William Hill sportsbook in southern Nevada. The bettor would win a net $3.375 million if Mickelson prevails.
The wager represents the second-largest liability on an individual golf bet in William Hill’s history in the U.S., behind only a $100,000 bet placed last year on Woods to win all four major tournaments at 100-1 odds.
Mickelson held a 1-shot lead on No. 18 of the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot, but then double-bogeyed and lost by 1. He joked about the big bet on him on Twitter.
Only Schauffele had attracted more bets to win the tournament than Mickelson at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas.
“Phil is our largest liability,” said Jeff Sherman, vice president of risk management for the SuperBook.
Sherman said Woods has attracted a lot of bets but not much money. “He’s a positive position for us, which is rare for a major,” Sherman added.
At FanDuel’s sportsbooks, Woods had attracted more bets to miss the cut than any other golfer.