PINEHURST, N.C. – Is it for real? Or another tease? That’s the question for bettors after Rory McIlroy opened with a 5-under 65 at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.

The four-time major champion hasn’t won a major since 2014, but he forged his way into the lead with two birdies in his last three holes to rocket to the +250 betting favorite.

McIlroy joined former FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay at 5-under, with the dynamic duo one clear of young superstar Ludvig Åberg who continues to deny his troublesome knee is a problem after his 66.

Former U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau and Farmers Insurance Open winner Matthieu Pavon sit tied for fourth at 3-under while Tony Finau, Akshay Bhatia and Tyrrell Hatton share sixth at 2-under.

“I really don't think I embraced U.S. Open setups probably 10 years into my U.S. Open career,” McIlroy said. “Played my first one in '09, and I think I really changed my mindset around them in 2019, that one in Pebble, and then since then I've also started to enjoy this style of golf a lot more.

“It's a lot different than the golf that we play week in, week out. I really appreciate that, and I've started to appreciate golf course architecture more and more as the years have went on, and I've started to read more about it and understand why golf course architects do certain things and design courses the way that they do.

“Just becoming more of a student of the game again, and I think because of that I've started to embrace golf courses like this and setups like this.”

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler had a tough day, shooting 1-over 71, but remains the second favorite on the betting boards at +650. Major winners Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, and Brooks Koepka are among the gaggle of players at even par.

While Pinehurst No. 2 played as easy as it’s likely to be all week it still more than likely ejected a raft of pre-tournament contenders. Viktor Hovland (78), Sahith Theegala (77) and Justin Thomas (77) were just a few to feel the wrath of the hard and fast course.

Pre-tournament we highlighted Scrambling as a key stat this week and currently the top nine players in Scrambling all reside in the top 16 on the leaderboard.

Here are the latest outright odds via BetMGM Sportsbook.

• +250 – Rory McIlroy (-5, T1)
• +650 – Ludvig Åberg (-4, 3rd)
• +650 – Scottie Scheffler (+1, T34)
• +750 – Bryson DeChambeau (-3, T4)
• +800 – Patrick Cantlay (-5, T1),
• +1800 – Xander Schauffele (Even, T15)
• +2200 – Brooks Koepka (Even, T16); Collin Morikawa (Even, T16); Tony Finau (-2, T6)
• +3300 – Tyrrell Hatton (-2, T6)

I find myself unable to fully commit on either side to Åberg or Scheffler at this juncture.

Åberg is a super talent but he won’t return until the afternoon wave Friday and his Scrambling was subpar on Thursday. His stellar driving and approach game helped him to his 66, ranking second in SG: Off-the-Tee and SG: Approach. But he was 90th in SG: Around-the-Green and failed to Scramble the two times it was asked of him. I might kick myself for not suggesting you jump on the +650…

Scheffler was nowhere near his usual self on Thursday. I would go close to saying he was lucky to shoot 1-over. The Texan, who came in off five wins in eight starts, ranked 116th in SG: Off-the-Tee and 97th in SG: Putting. I cannot for the life of me fathom the +650 price for the player I watched intimately Thursday. But if the guy I walked with on the weekend at the Memorial Tournament last week turns up tomorrow morning, he could shoot an easy 67 and be back in the mix.

DRAWS

Bryson DeChambeau +750

The 2020 U.S. Open champion looks a serious threat at 3-under. Coming off a near miss at the PGA Championship, where he was runner-up to Schauffele, DeChambeau leads the field in SG: Off-the-Tee and was seventh in SG: Around-the-Green. He had some battles with his putter, ranking 88th in SG: Putting, but I have faith he can rectify this area of his game over the next three days. I certainly feel this is more likely than him losing his way off the tee.

Collin Morikawa +2200

I can’t give up on my pre-tournament pick just yet. Morikawa could have easily taken himself out of the tournament thanks to two double bogeys. Both came on par-3s and at 2-over through 16 holes it wasn’t looking good. But a birdie-birdie finish to get back to even-par should have rejuvenated the two-time major champion. He ranked 10th in SG: Off-the-Tee and should improve on his ranking of 53 in SG: Approach.

Xander Schauffele +1800

The PGA Champion can’t possibly drive the ball worse than he did Thursday. At 146th in the 156-man field in SG: Off-the-Tee it was wild to see Schauffele get it in the house at even par. With some overnight tweaks to his driver, you expect an improvement. Ranked inside the top 20 in Putting and Approach.

FADES

Rory McIlroy +250

Sorry McIlroy. But +250! Really. Let’s just state the facts. Since the fourth major win in 2014 McIlroy has 20… yes 20… major top-10s. But the kicker… NO WINS. I am not saying the three-time FedExCup winner doesn’t have the ability to make it a fifth major. I am saying that +250 with 54 holes of potential carnage is just zero value. Let’s see how he goes on Friday before reassessing.

Patrick Cantlay +800

If this was the Cantlay of a few years ago, when he was clearly the best player without a major, we might be thinking differently. But the reality is, despite winning eight PGA TOUR events, Cantlay hasn’t been a major contender. In 29 major appearances, Cantlay has just four top-10s and three of those were T8, T9 and T9. He found himself on top on Thursday via leading the field in SG: Around-the-Green. But keeping up that pace as things get tougher could be a struggle.