Model nails 17 majors, fades Rahm at 2026 U.S. Open
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- Scottie Scheffler is the +550 favorite at FanDuel for the 2026 U.S. Open, chasing the Career Grand Slam when the tournament tees off June 18 at Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, N.Y.
- Rory McIlroy (+1200) and Jon Rahm (+1300) trail Scheffler, with Xander Schauffele (+1800) the only other golfer shorter than +2000; defending champion J.J. Spaun sits at +5500.
- SportsLine's model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has correctly called 17 majors including five straight Masters, and ran 10,000 simulations of the 2026 U.S. Open field.
- Jon Rahm is the model's surprising fade pick — projected to finish outside the top 5, having failed to crack the top 7 at the U.S. Open since his 2021 win there despite a T-2 at last month's PGA Championship.
- Cameron Young (+2200) is the model's top-5 sleeper despite never winning a major, buoyed by two wins, six top-10s in 2026, and a T-3 at the Masters — and by strong driving metrics suited to Shinnecock.
- The model also flagged a longshot around 45-1 as a title contender, with its full leaderboard and picks gated behind SportsLine.
- Brooks Koepka (+3500) won this event at Shinnecock Hills in 2018 at 1 over, while Aaron Rai — the 2026 PGA Championship winner — enters at +7000.
Why it matters: Bettors get a contrarian blueprint from a model that has hit 17 majors: fade third-favorite Rahm (+1300) and back a winless-but-hot Cameron Young (+2200) for a top-5 finish at a course where Koepka proved under-par isn't required to win, potentially reshaping outright and top-5 markets at Shinnecock.
