US Open Golf Odds & Betting

As the calendar turns over to the summer months, golf fans know that the US Open is just around the corner. It is the third of the four PGA Major tournaments on the calendar each year and the second-oldest major, next to the British Open. Legends have been made at the US Open, and a victory at the event will guarantee a place in golf immortality.

Each year, the US Open attracts the world’s best golfers to one of several different courses across the country. It is governed by the United States Golf Association (USGA) and considered one of the most challenging tournaments on the PGA Tour calendar. This article will discuss the tournament’s history, past winners, and what to expect at this year’s edition.

The first US Open golf tournament took place way back in October 1895, and it looked a lot different than it does today. The inaugural edition was played on a nine-hole course in Rhode Island at the Newport Country Club. Rather than the three-day tournament we have today, this early version of the US Open was played over 36 holes and concluded in a single day. The winner was a 21-year-old Englishman named Horace Rawlins who beat out the ten other entrants.

As the years passed, the US Open gained legitimacy and grew into the major tournament it is today. The first US-born winner of the US Open was John J McDermott, who emerged victorious in 1911. Since then, the US Open has been dominated by American players. Only seven other countries have produced US Open champions in the tournament's history. How dominant has the US been? American golfers have won well over two-thirds of every US Open played to date.

Unlike other tournaments, like the Masters, the US Open is played on a different course each year. In all, there have been 52 different courses used for the US Open: 22 in the Northeast, 18 in the Midwest, 6 in the South, and 6 in the West. The US Open has been played on a course in New York twenty times and in California fifteen times throughout its illustrious history.

Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York hosts the 2026 US Open from 18 to 21 June, the sixth time the historic Long Island course has staged the championship after previous editions in 1896, 1986, 1995, 2004 and 2018. Like many US Open venues, Shinnecock is known for its challenging greens, narrow fairways, and thick rough, with Atlantic winds off Long Island's south shore adding to a brutal test. The US Open is famous for courses that punish even modest mistakes, so it is not unusual for leaderboards to have most of the field at or above par. Brooks Koepka famously won at Shinnecock in 2018 with a +1 total, the most recent over-par winning score at any major.

Other famous courses used for the US Open include Pebble Beach Golf Links and Torrey Pines in California, Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania, and the Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.

The US Open is unique in that it has an open qualification structure. It is open to any professional or amateur golfer who has a USGA handicap not exceeding 0.4 and who qualifies through various tournaments throughout the year. The field of the US Open is capped at 156 golfers, with plenty of professionals who are exempt from qualifying. This means that there are usually limited spaces for amateurs, but the few who do make it have created some legendary and historic moments.

Nearly half of the 156 golfers are exempt from qualifying. Most of these players fall into categories such as recent US Open Champions, top ten finishers from the previous US Open, and winners of other recent tournaments like the Players’ Championship and the BMW PGA Championship.

There are two levels for golfers who need to qualify for the US Open: local qualifying and then Sectional Qualifying. The sectional qualifying takes place across several locations in the United States, as well as one each in Europe and Japan. The US Open qualifying has no age limit, and the youngest golfer to ever earn a spot in the tournament was a 14-year-old from China.

Golf fans can place wagers on the US Open and most other golf tournaments through online sportsbooks like BetVictor. Currently, the BetVictor US Open oddsboard is live with the latest odds for tournament outright winners and a variety of other bets. Here are some popular ways you can bet on the US Open or any other golf tournament.

Outright Winner

Betting on the outright winner of the US Open can be a fun exercise, especially if you plan on following the entire three-day tournament. If you want to play some longer odds, you can build a portfolio and bet on multiple golfers to win it all.

Top-5 and Top-10 Finishes

As the title of the subheading suggests, you can bet on specific golfers to finish in the top 5 or top 10 on the US Open leaderboard. The payout will not be as high as if you pick the outright winner, but this can save you from a heart-breaking loss and a second-place finish.

Head-to-Head Matchups

Sportsbooks like BetVictor Canada will provide matchup odds for the performances of two golfers. You can bet on which golfer will have the better score for each round or for the whole tournament.

First-Round Leader

Some golfers are notoriously slow starters but finish strong. Some are known to start strong but have difficulties finishing the tournament. For this type of bet, you’ll want the former. This bet allows you to wager on which golfer you think will win the first 18 holes of the US Open.

The U.S. Open Golf Tournament is much more than a sporting event. It is a crucible of excellence, a showcase of determination, and a celebration of the game’s most demanding and rewarding aspects. From humble beginnings in 1895 to today’s globally televised spectacle, the U.S. Open remains a pillar of golf’s grand tradition.

Its champions, courses, and moments are woven into the fabric of sports history. And every June, when the world tunes in to see who can endure the ultimate test in golf, the spirit of the U.S. Open — challenging, proud, and unforgiving — lives on.

BetVictor offers a wide range of odds for one of the most prestigious tournaments in golf, including US Open outright winner.

Here is a list of the most recent US Open tournament winners:

As mentioned, the US Open is considered one of the four major golf tournaments on the PGA Tour calendar. Here are the other three PGA Majors in chronological order:

The Masters Tournament

Best known for the winner receiving the famous green jacket, the Masters is one of the most prestigious golf tournaments in the world. This tournament takes place annually in April at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. The first edition of the Masters took place in 1934.

The PGA Championship

This tournament takes place in May each year, the weekend before Memorial Day. The PGA Championship takes place at a variety of golf courses across the United States and was first played in 1916.

The British Open Championship

The final major on the PGA Tour calendar, this tournament is the only international major. It takes place in the United Kingdom and is scheduled for the third weekend in July. This is the oldest major tournament on the PGA Tour, as the inaugural British Open was played in 1860.

If you plan on betting on our golf odds at the US Open then please take the time to read our safe and responsible gambling page which is designed to help you stay in control.