U.S. Open Round 2 Predictions, Picks & Odds: Cameron Young charges up leaderboard

Neil Parker - Analyst at Covers.com
Neil Parker • Betting Analyst 16+ years betting experience
Updated: Jun 18, 2026 , 10:02 PM ET • 4 min read

Cameron Young's putter catches up to his elite tee-to-green play in Round 2.

PGA Tour, U.S. Open, Cameron Young
Photo By - Reuters Connect. Cameron Young during Round 1 of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.

Round 1 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club was suspended late Thursday, June 18, with Wyndham Clark holding a four-shot lead through 16 holes of play and sitting atop the 2026 U.S. Open odds board.

My trio of Round 2 U.S. Open picks are headlined by Cameron Young, as he’s set to cash in on his elite ball-striking and charge up the leaderboard in Round 2 on Friday, June 19.

Best U.S. Open Round 2 predictions

Golfer Pick Kalshi
Cameron Young Top 20: Yes 40¢
+139
Tom Kim To make the cut: No 21¢
+351
Michael Brennan To make the cut: No 44¢
+118

Cameron Young Top 20: Yes (+139/40¢)

This is a cushy price for Cameron Young, considering the ball-striking display he put on in Round 1. He gained +3.79 true strokes on the field tee-to-green and +3.13 on approach, but losing -2.44 true strokes putting cost him Thursday.

With the volatility of Shinnecock set to take a toll on the field over the next three days, Young is still in the thick of this major championship, and he’s not going to continue to gift away strokes on the greens. Young entered ranked 35th in this field in true strokes gained putting (+0.28) in 2026, after all.

I love this bet down to +115.

Tom Kim to make the cut: No (+351/21¢)

It took four birdies and gaining +1.50 true strokes on the field putting for Tom Kim to shoot even par in Round 1, and he also gained +1.85 true strokes tee-to-green while hitting 11 of 18 fairways.

I expect those metrics to prove unsustainable for Kim on Friday.

He entered the event ranked 94th in true strokes gained putting (-0.26) and 95th in true strokes gained off-the-tee (-0.11) for the season, so I don’t have everything going right again in Round 2 on my bingo – or betting – card.

This prop is playable down to +300.

Michael Brennan to make the cut: No (+118/44¢)

The young star was solid in Round 1 with +2.08 true strokes gained tee-to-green to rank 29th in the field, so considering he entered ranking 73rd in the field in the metric this year, I doubt he continues his excellent ball-striking in Round 2.

Michael Brennan hit 11 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens and still failed to post a strong number, and his short game has been a shortcoming all season, with respective ranks of 117th in true strokes gained around-the-green (-0.40) and 96th in putting (-0.28). 

There are big numbers ahead if Brennan’s tee-to-green play dips because his work on and around the greens won’t keep him afloat, so this prop is recommended down to +105.

* All true strokes gained data referenced are from DataGolf.com following Round 1 play being suspended Thursday, June 18.

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Live U.S. Open odds at Kalshi

U.S. Open favorites heading into Round 2

  • Wyndham Clark (+400/20¢)
  • Jon Rahm (+733/12¢)
  • Matt Fitzpatrick (+809/11¢)
  • Rory McIlroy (+809/11¢)
  • Scottie Scheffler (+1595/5.9¢)

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Neil Parker - Covers
Betting Analyst

Neil Parker is, first and foremost, a sports fan. A huge supporter of the Cowboys, Cubs, and Maple Leafs, he has managed to parlay his passion into writing gigs at some of the top websites in the industry.

Neil takes a numbers-based approach to his handicapping and complements his in-depth statistical analysis with a keen eye on the markets to provide the best available odds. He loves to lean on his rolodex of idioms to offset his inner nerd. When it comes to wagering, he throws down on anything that catches his eye at bet365, Betway and BetVictor. He also keeps a close eye on CoolBet because the polar bear brand often has outlier NHL and NFL moneyline prices.

Neil graduated with honors from St. Thomas University in 2007 before completing his BEd at Acadia University in 2010. After teaching a myriad of courses and subjects, he found a groove delivering fun lessons to exceptional learners in non-traditional classroom environments. If his decade-plus teaching run taught him anything about sports betting, it’s to stay the course and use the summer – or offseason – to refresh and prepare to be better in the year to come.

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