Ten each-way long shots to follow at the 2024 US Open

Such is the depth of quality within this huge high-class field that trying to identify the likely champion is like trying to pick out the winner of a 150-runner Grand National, which means there is plenty of serious outsider value to be found before the first tee-off time on Thursday.

We only have to cast our minds back 12 months ago, to find Wyndham Clark emerging from the mid-market pack to win his first Major in this event as a pre-tournament 70/1 outsider in Los Angeles.

Among the high-profile top-ten finishers beaten by Clark were the golfing heavyweights Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Cameron Smith, but also making the frame at much tastier odds, Min Woo Lee, Tom Kim, Harris English and Rickie Fowler proved that there is plenty more each-way value to be found deeper in the betting.

With that in mind, we have scanned all those players priced at 50/1 or more to try and dig out a few candidates who have made only a minor blip on the bookies’ radar, but who could be more than capable of gatecrashing the market leaders’ party at the business end of the leaderboard on Sunday afternoon.

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Russell Henley (60/1)

Russell Henley is more golfing journeyman than superstar, but has a happy knack for having a good weekend to make some backdoor appearances in the minor placings.

Just one missed cut all season has allowed him to convert those good weekends into three top-four finishes (Sony Open, Arnold Palmer Invitational and Texas Open) and another couple of top-12’s.

His consistency from tee to green should serve him well at Pinehurst.

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Sung-Jae Im (66/1)

It seems ludicrous that a player of Sung-Jae Im’s undoubted ability should be available at such a massive price, and indeed he is just the kind of player who could make the bookies look like fools on a Sunday afternoon, but these days it depends on which version of the South Korean turns up.

Three missed cuts in his last six events tells its own ugly tale, but in between those lost weekends, he finished 12th at the RBC Heritage, fourth at the Wells Fargo and ninth in the Charles Schwab, while his battling tie for eighth at the Memorial suggests he is in better form than his odds might suggest.

Suggested bet (1): Sung-Jae Im each-way in the US Open

Corey Conners (66/1)

Without ever setting a tournament alight, Corey Conners has been a model of consistency this season, making the cut in all 16 events he entered, and saving his best for a sixth-place finish at his own Canadian Open, where he finished just four shots off the pace.

Conners would need a best-ever performance to topple all the big names above him in the betting, but he is almost guaranteed to be lurking somewhere in the top half of the leaderboard, and there are arguably worse options carrying a shorter price than his 66/1.

Keegan Bradley (70/1)

Since missing two cuts in March, Keegan Bradley’s game has been on a steadily upward trajectory, culminating at the Charles Schwab Challenge, when he achieved the rare feat of matching the score of Scottie Scheffler, albeit still five shots behind runaway winner Davis Riley.

Already a Major champion at the 2011 PGA, he was fourth in this event 10 years ago and seventh in 2022, albeit having missed the cut in five of his last seven US Open appearances.

Robert MacIntyre (70/1)

Making no secret of his struggle to cope with living and playing across the Pond, Robert MacIntyre has finally found his Stateside mojo, backing up an impressive eighth place at the PGA Championship with his maiden Tour win at the Canadian Open in Hamilton, where the decision to have his dad on the bag proved both inspired and inspirational.

His choice to skip the Memorial in favour of a celebratory break in Scotland might have ruffled a few American feathers, but he has since stated that this is his best way to prepare for the US Open after five straight tournament weekends, and if he can maintain his recent form, then he could well justify his decision with another frame finish at tasty odds.

Suggested bet (2): Robert MacIntyre each-way in the US Open

Other dark horses to watch

• Sepp Straka (60/1) - Price has plummeted since his good showing at the Memorial, but still huge odds for the talented Austrian, who tied for 16th at the Masters and has since enjoyed four top-10’s either side of a rare missed cut at the PGA.
• Christiaan Bezuidenhout (80/1) - Another whose odds have been slashed over the last day or so, the South African has continued to gain a firm foothold in the PGA Tour, and he proved with a fourth-place finish at the Memorial that he has the game to go toe-to-toe with the world’s best.
• Tom Hoge (120/1) - Something of a mid-division specialist, he hasn’t made the frame since coming eighth at the Genesis, but at the same time he hasn’t missed a cut in 15 outings, so looks a shoo-in to carry each-way hopes into the weekend.
• Akshay Bhatia (125/1) - In between six missed cuts, Bhatia has made the top 20 six times in his nine weekend outings, including a maiden Tour win at the Texas Open, and he has the game to defy triple-digit odds. 
• Victor Perez (125/1) - Still finding his feet Stateside, the Frenchman has looked more at home in recent weeks and arrives in good nick after following up his third place at the Canadian Open with a top-12 finish at the Memorial.

Suggested bet (3): Sepp Straka each-way in the US Open

The golfers listed above carry such massive prices for a reason, of course, and their chances have to be measured against the quality of their more fancied rivals higher in the betting market. 

That said, they all possess the quality to string four good rounds together and put themselves in the mix, and with some bookies paying out on as many as 12 places, these (and others) are certainly worth considering as a cautious each-way play. 

All listed prices are from Planet Sport Bet and are correct at time of article publication, but could be subject to change

READ MORE: Who will win the US Open: Top tips and best bets for Pinehurst