Breaking down 9 best bets ahead of 2017 U.S. Open
Short Odds
Sergio Garcia, 22/1
That's right, I'm picking Sergio to take a second consecutive major. Here's why: Garcia has enough power off the tee to take advantage of the four Par-5s Erin Hills will feature this weekend.He plays well in the wind, which should be a big factor at the Wisconsin course. And he's been pretty good on the fairways so far this season. His game suits this course well and he'll be playing with supreme confidence after his triumph at Augusta. - Steven Ruiz
Louis Oosthuizen, 45/1
Truth be told, I think this is Dustin Johnson's U.S. Open to win, but if you're looking for a player with juicer odds, don't look past Louis Oosthuizen. He's racked up T-9 and T-2 finishes in this event - including one in 2015 - and while his birdie average flatters to deceive this season (129th on tour), there's few better tee-to-green. - Luke Kerr-Dineen
Dustin Johnson, 7.5/1
I know, I know. He's the favorite. But we know he's going to bomb it off the tee (he's tops in driving distance, and yes, he's only played 43 rounds this year), which will help with this super-long course at Erin Hills. And there's the experience of winning one last year, along with the idea that maybe he wants revenge on the golf gods for the back injury that took him out of the Masters. Does that matter? I'm betting it does when he hoists that huge trophy a second straight year. - Charles Curtis
Medium Odds
Bubba Watson, 66/1
Big hitters off the tee will have an advantage at a course that will max out at 7,900 yards during the tournament. That's really the only reason I would take a flyer on Watson at 60/1. The rest of his game scares me off a bit, but he has played well in the wind during his career. - Steven Ruiz
Daniel Berger, 66/1
Daniel Berger has everything you'd want at a price like this. Frankly, I'm slightly surprised his odds are this high. Powerful off the tee and fresh off a win last week, he's made the cut in both his U.S. Open starts and could be primed to take the next step this year. Shane Lowry's another guy I like at this price. - Luke Kerr-Dineen
GETTY
Jason Dufner, 50/1
Three top-10 finishes at the U.S. Open in his career, accurate off the tee, playing some great golf as of late, has a swing made for this kind of tournament…and he's 50/1? If that doesn't scream value to you, I don't know what does. - Charles Curtis
Long Odds
Zach Johnson, 100/1
Avoiding hazards will also be big during this year's U.S. Open, so with my longshot I'm going with the steady Johnson, who is accurate off the tee and has enjoyed major success. I think this tournament will be won by one of the bigger names, but if I had to put money on one longshot, Johnson would be the pick. - Steven Ruiz
GETTY
Jamie Lovemark, 200/1
His wedge game isn't great, but at 200/1, I'll forgive it. He has plenty of power and ranks 34th on tour in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. His form is inflecting up, too: T-75, T-18 and T-10 in his last three starts. A win may be a stretch, but don't count out a sneaky top 10. - Luke Kerr-Dineen
Brendan Steele, 150/1
There's a reason why he's on a bunch of sleeper lists for an extremely long course with trouble at every turn: He drives well and he's at the top of the PGA Tour leaderboard in scrambling. A month ago, he finished T6 at the Players Championship, so if he can put together four good days, he's got a shot. - Charles Curtis