Schwartzel ominously poised ahead of US Open second round
Published:Rory McIlroy may have set the early pace with a brilliant opening round 65 at the Congressional, but there are plenty of other players who will be delighted with their start to the US Open.
Reigning Masters Champion Charl Schwartzel started with a three under par 68 that included just one bogey.
The South African was four behind McIlroy after the first round of the Masters and is only three back this time. Thanks to his solid start, his odds on winning a second major have come in to 14/1, making him second favourite.
However, perhaps a more tempting bet at this early stage would be to back Schwartzel to shoot the lowest score in his second round three-ball.
His playing partners – fellow green jacket winners Trevor Immelman and Zach Johnson – have the pedigree to go low but, with Immelman shooting an opening 75 (a round that included five bogeys and a double) and Johnson three shots back, backing Schwartzel to shoot the lowest score at 11/10 looks very tempting.
Similarly, 2009 US PGA champion Y.E. Yang can reflect on an excellent start to his US Open campaign after an opening 68.
He’s currently 20/1 to win the tournament and 5/4 to win today’s three-ball against Ryo Ishikawa and Anthony Kim.
His two playing partners both shot a three over par round of 74 yesterday that saw them each double bogey the par three 10th.
Backing Yang to shoot the lowest score out of those three looks worth a punt at 5/4.
