Through Sam Panayotovich
FOX sports betting analyst
The US Open 2022 is finally here, but not without controversy. And if DustinJohnson win this major at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., could explode the professional golf world.
As you probably already know, some high profile golfers who have joined the brand new LIV International Golf Series – like Johnson – will be taking part in the Boston suburbs this weekend.
And while this decision caused quite a stir among some PGA Tour stars, it’s just another day and another dollar for Las Vegas bookies placing bets on the event.
“It’s not behind the counter at all,” said Westgate SuperBook’s vice president of risk management Jeff Sherman said FOX Sports. “Everything is going as usual for us. Open the markets, take bets and move the numbers.
“We don’t worry about things we can’t control.”
Sherman placed a $1,000 bet on Johnson at 40:1 odds, and if the double-dipper finishes at the top of the leaderboard, that bet will pay out $40,000. The SuperBook is clearly bullish that Johnson habit win because they still deal DJ at 35-1 while other sports bets are significantly lower.
Other notable bets include a $1,500 pop on Bryson DeChambeau at 60-1 to win $90,000 and a $2,000 ticket on Scottie Scheffler at 25-1 to win $50,000.
“Our best result is Patrick Cantlay,” said Sherman. “We’ll do very well if he wins this weekend. We got ahead of Rory [McIlory] last weekend, so there’s not much liability there. And we’re stuck with Jon Rahm too. It’s a bit higher than usual, but you can’t go too high on a guy like that.
“There’s constant action on Rahm, but nothing too crazy.”
Xander Schauffele is a polarizing figure on the PGA Tour. Some bettors can’t get enough, while others are far from betting on it to win outright. The SuperBook respects Schauffele more than most stores because they currently have him at 20-1 while other stores offer 25-1 or higher.
“He’s had five consecutive top-seven finishes at the US Open,” Sherman said. “He fits exceptionally well with these USGA courses. And he’s rounding out his form with a top-five finish in the Byron Nelson, followed by top-20 finishes in his last two events.
“We see respectable money for Schauffele in the head-to-head markets, and I know others are putting him in the top 5 and top 10 markets as well. Tony Finau is another guy who is attracting attention in these areas. These are two guys who might not get much support to win straight away, but they can make money in other ways.
Speaking of making money, Phil Mickelson has reportedly received around a $200 million signing bonus to come to LIV, but he will also be competing at this year’s US Open. As you can imagine, this situation has generated a lot of buzz in the golfing world, and some critics are out for blood.
But none of that matters at the end of the day behind the counter.
Mickelson has been a betting magnet for decades and Sherman believes Lefty is the second best player for the bookmaking business behind Tiger Woods since he started making and moving golf numbers in the desert. He just doesn’t think Mickelson is a serious contender for Brookline.
“We’ve got Phil at 300-1,” cracked Sherman. “And we’re open for business.”
Sam Panayotovich is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and NESN. He previously worked for WGN Radio, NBC Sports and VSiN. He will probably decide against your favorite team. Follow him on Twitter @spshoot.
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