US Open FRL Tips 2022

• US Open Starts: 2
• US Open FRL Best: 41^st (2021)
• US Open FRL Top-8s: 0
• Last 6 Event FRL Form: 50/77/1/38/38/1
• Tee Time: 8.02am

Rookie of the year candidate Cameron Young could continue his fine 2022 form with another prominent display this week, and if that’s the case then it could quite feasibly be fuelled by another fast start from an early tee time.

The 25 year-old produced wire-to-wire wins on the Korn Ferry Tour in consecutive weeks in May last year to ultimately earn himself a stab at the PGA Tour full time, and although he’s yet to convert at the top level, there’s been enough to suggest that it’s a matter of when rather than if a breakthrough win will come.

3^rd at the US PGA Championship last month was Young’s first taste of Sunday contention at a Major Championship, and although that effort was fuelled by middle rounds of 67/67 rather than a blistering opening 18 holes, there’s enough in his recent history to suggest that a fast start is possible just about any given week.

Going back to the start of this wraparound season, an opening 67 at the Sanderson Farms Championship (7^th after day 1) set Cameron up for what was eventually a runner-up finish behind the prolific Sam Burns. 64 to open the American Express (3^rd after day 1) and 66 at the Genesis Invitational (2^nd after day 1) have been eclipsed by first round leads at The Heritage and last time out at The Memorial. That’s 4 FRLs from his last 30 starts on all Tours, and at that conversion rate he deserves support this week. RESULT: T57

• US Open Starts: 9
• US Open FRL Best: 6^th (2014)
• US Open FRL Top-8s: 1
• Last 6 Event FRL Form: 69/53/33/80/56/11
• Tee Time: 8.02am

In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes; that and Keegan Bradley finding his way onto my radar for a round 1 punt at a Major Championship, perhaps.

To be fair, I’ve not backed the 36 year-old in this column since he shot 67 to finish in a tie for 2^nd behind Corey Connors at last year’s US PGA Championship, more due to a series of incompatible tee times rather than any loss of faith in his fast-starting prowess. An 8.02am tee time this week is much more attractive though and makes him a must-back for me in this market.

9 FRL wins (or ties) from a little over 300 career PGA Tour starts is a strong statistic for a player whose implied odds are more than double that rate this week, and you can back that up with a further 40 top-7 finishes after the first 18 holes have been recorded.

For a player who’s such a strong starter, his recent efforts have been a little less striking which perhaps explains the odds. 69 to open at The Memorial on his last start was closer to what we expect though on a challenging track, and he backed that up with another 3^rd round 69 to give us hope that there’s another low round in the locker.

That’s not to say that he’s been playing badly; far from it in fact. 5^th at The PLAYERS Championship, 8^th at the Texas Open and 2^nd at the Wells Fargo Championship are all commendable efforts of late, and this week’s test at Brookline should play to his long-game strengths. RESULT: T26

• US Open Starts: 4
• US Open FRL Best: 57th
• US Open FRL Top-8s: 0
• Last 6 Event FRL Form: 104/8/25/130/1/5
• Tee Time: 8.24am

Given the price on offer and an early tee time, I can overlook Mackenzie Hughes’ poor first round record from the 4 US Opens that he’s played and back him to continue the fine run of fast starts that he’s found himself on of late.

66 to open at TPC Potomac, 67 at The Memorial and 66 last week on home soil in Canada means that he’s notched 3 top-8 finishes in his last 5 starts after day 1, and in the case of Memorial that was good enough for a share of the lead and the 31 year-old’s 5^th FRL in a little over 150 PGA Tour starts. Add to that a further 9 top-5 positions after 18 holes and we have a player whose career FRL performance far exceeds his odds here this week.

Long game performance isn’t Mac’s strongest suit which will put many off an outright bet on a player like him on a stringent US Open setup, however he’s proven time and again that over 18 holes he can just about keep it together – and score heavily enough – to post a competitive round, and with his game in good shape – at least at the start of tournaments – he’s the type who can get off to a flying start.

After 3 missed cuts from his first 3 US Open attempts, last year’s effort at Torrey Pines was on a whole new level. Rounds of 73, 67 & 68 gave the 31 year-old a share of the lead heading into Sunday before a final round 77 saw him slide to 15^th place overall, however perhaps that experience will set him in good stead as he looks to build on that in the future. Certainly 4^th after day 1 on his next Major start at The Open suggests that he’s comfortable posting a low round in elite company, an assertion backed up by the fact that he co-led The PLAYERS Championship in 2017 after 18 holes. RESULT: T57