The stakes have never been higher as the U.S. Open returns to Pinehurst for the first time in a decade
The last time the U.S. Open visited to Pinehurst No. 2, the game was quite different. Scottie Scheffler was still in high school. Rory McIlroy had only two major championships to his name (though he doubled that total later in the summer in 2014). Brooks Koepka had yet to contend in a major championship, and as we now know, that didn't last long.
The 2014 U.S. Open did mark Koepka's first run at a major, and he has been sprinting through them ever since. Now with a handful of them to his name, the five-time major champion hopes a return to North Carolina can bring him his third U.S. Open victory and his sixth overall.
McIlroy aims to catch Koepka by winning his fifth major, and in doing so, would break a near decade-long drought on the major stage. Coming close in recent years -- including last year's U.S. Open -- the four-time major champion will once again put his neck on the line all for just a chance to grab his fifth big one.
Koepka and McIlroy are the two players with the most major titles in this era, but there are some who could sneak up right behind them with a win of their own. Scheffler eyes his third since the start of 2022, his second of the season. Meanwhile, Collin Morikawa is seeking to grab his third as well, and unlike Scheffler, it would represent his third different major vaulting him into the grand slam conversation.
Others like Viktor Hovland, Max Homa and Sahith Theegala seek their first as they continue to make improvements to their games. Rickie Fowler, now 35, hopes to catch lightning in a bottle as well similar to last year and capture a long-awaited major title to add to his career accolades.
Below is an all-inclusive rooting guide for the 2024 U.S. Open. Here's a look at the nine golfers who stand out the most, along their odds to win.
| 1 | |
| You know what's not boring? Shattering records. Scheffler's play over the last three years has been a joy to watch, and while he has two Masters to show for it, a U.S. Open title would be a nice addition to the mantle. The world No. 1 has come close to winning his national open with a runner-up finish to Matt Fitzpatrick at The Country Club and a podium result at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023. He has the game to tear apart Pinehurst No. 2 and run away from the field en route to major No. 3. Odds: 11/4 | |
| 2 | |
| We are approaching the 10-year anniversary of McIlroy's last major title (August 2014). Since then, the 35-year-old has done just about everything in the game -- winning on the PGA Tour, starring in Ryder Cups, claiming season-long races in the U.S. and Europe -- except win his fifth major title. Last year's U.S. Open stung as a final-round 70 left him one stroke behind Clark when all was said and done. There is a lot that comes with a win for McIlroy, including tying Koepka with five for the most in this era of golf. Odds: 10-1 | |
| 3 | |
| With a win, Koepka will join Tiger Woods, Hale Irwin, Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan as players to win three or more U.S. Opens since 1950. It would come at a venue where the five-time major champion first tasted contention on the big stage as he notched his first career major top five at the 2014 U.S. Open. A win would also push him past Seve Ballesteros, Peter Thomson and Byron Nelson and alongside Phil Mickelson, Lee Trevino and Nick Faldo in terms of total major titles with six. Odds: 22-1 | |
| 4 | |
| Take away Martin Kaymer, and Fowler is a U.S. Open champion in 2014. Finishing a distant (distant) runner-up to the German a decade ago, Fowler once again fell short in a major championship season where he ultimately finished top five in all four of them. Last year, Fowler opened the U.S. Open with a record 62 and led after the 36- and 54-hole mark before watching Clark outplay him on Sunday en route to victory. He only has one top 20 in 2024, but maybe the 35-year-old can find some magic at a course where he has before. Odds: 200-1 | |
| 5 | |
| The Masters and the PGA Championship have reminded many of the showman that is DeChambeau. The 2020 U.S. Open champion goes for his second this week at Pinehurst after back-to-back top 10s in the year's first two majors. It will be compelling to see how he attacks the golf course as Pinehurst may have a little more bite than that of Valhalla where he was able to impose his will. He'd join players like Koepka, Trevino, Erine Els, Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen with two U.S. Open victories with a win. Odds: 18-1 | |
| 6 | |
| With Schauffele off the schneid, the case could be made that Hovland is the best player in the world without a major to his name. He has plenty of time to shed this moniker, of course, but the Norwegian may do just that sooner than most imagine. He has six top-20 finishes in his last seven major starts, including podium finishes at the last two PGA Championships. Hovland found his game at Valhalla and could find immortality at Pinehurst. Odds: 18-1 | |
| 7 | |
| With a victory, Morikawa would head into Augusta National next season with a chance to put a bow on the career grand slam. There's little reason to suggest he won't give it a serious go as he the only player to finish inside the top five in the first two majors of the year after being featured in the final group in both championships. A contender at Torrey Pines and the 36-hole leader at The Country Club, the 27-year-old is riding a wave of form into a championship tailor made for his game. Odds: 16-1 | |
| 8 | |
| The pressure of a home game may have gotten to Homa a year ago in Los Angeles, but he comes into this year's tournament as a different major competitor. Cashing top 10s at The Open and this year's Masters, the 33-year-old proved to himself that his game can translate to the four biggest championships each season. It has yet to materialize in the U.S. Open where Homa has four missed cuts in five appearances, but a win this week would be among the most popular in recent years. Odds: 50-1 | |
| 9 | |
| He's just a ton of fun to watch. There have been comparisons to Jordan Spieth's style of play, but while I am not quite ready to give him that crown, Theegala continues to be must-watch television. He's enjoying the best statistical season of his career turning some weaknesses into strengths and putting the lights out of the golf ball. After shooting into contention at the PGA Championship, Theegala may be able to lean on that experience and parlay it into another major run in North Carolina. Odds: 70-1 | |