Cunningham pointed out that Rory McIlroy, once expected to challenge Scheffler for favoritism, is now third on the oddsboard at +1100. Despite an April Masters victory and three PGA Tour wins this season, McIlroy’s poor performance at the RBC Canadian Open has cooled betting enthusiasm. That stumble, combined with Bryson DeChambeau’s surge, explains why bookmakers lengthened McIlroy’s number heading into Oakmont, signaling tempered confidence in his chances this week.

Cunningham highlighted Bryson DeChambeau as the second choice in the outright market at +750. The defending U.S. Open champion has already flashed major-championship form this season with strong showings at both the Masters and the PGA Championship. Armed with two previous U.S. Open wins and a power game tailor-made for Oakmont’s penal rough, DeChambeau looks like a legitimate threat to capture his third national title at a price still more than double Scheffler’s.

Kevin Cunningham wrote that World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler rightly opens the week as the +280 betting favorite at Oakmont. Cunningham pointed to Scheffler's scorching stretch — three victories in his last four starts, capped by a third-career major at the PGA Championship — as the chief reason oddsmakers have him well clear of the field. With that kind of momentum and a chance to claim a fourth major, Cunningham believes Scheffler fully deserves his short price at the top of the board.