U.S. Open 2019: Dark Horse candidates for Pebble Beach

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - DECEMBER 11: Erik van Rooyen of South Africa acknowledges the crowd on the 9th hole during the completion of the final round of the Joburg Open at Randpark Golf Club on December 11, 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images) /

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AUGUSTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 10: Amateur Viktor Hovland of Norway lines up a putt during the Par 3 Contest prior to the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 10, 2019 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Viktor Hovland (a) – 300/1

Hovland is an amateur, and it has been quite a long time since an amateur won a major. All the way back to… 1933! Shoutout to John Goodman for the win. And no, not that John Goodman.

The chances of it happening, especially with the depth of top talent available in golf right now are insanely low. However, the fact that Hovland is getting 300/1 shows that he is a great golfer.

This isn’t going to be the first major that Hovland has played in either. This April, he made his way down to Augusta and was able to play in the Masters. He played incredibly consistent. Although he wasn’t the best golfer there, finishing with a T-32nd, he was likely the most consistent, shooting 72-71-71-71.

Playing at the powerhouse that is Oklahoma State, Hovland has played in his share of high profile and intense matches. Having the Masters under his belt is going to help.

Do I think that Hovland can win this week? It’s not very likely. As one of the better dark horse options, i truly do like him to make the cut, and maybe make some noise over the weekend at getting into the top 20.

Those are my dark horse picks for the 2019 U.S. Open out at Pebble Beach. Best of luck to everyone playing, and here’s to another fantastic major!

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