Red Hot Paige Spiranac Gives U.S. Open Dark Horses, Breaks Down Oakmont
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
When it comes to predicting major championships, Paige Spiranac has a better track record than many expert forecasters, at least for the current season. The popular golf influencer correctly predicted the winners of the Masters Tournament and the PGA Championship, and she hopes to extend her streak at the US Open.
Spiranac shared her US Open predictions on her X account, which has over one million followers.
"Cream normally rise to the top in championships like this, so no surprise the favorites are going to be Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau, but if you're looking at some dark horses, I'm liking Harris English and Ben Griffin," she said.
"I'm looking for carnage this week and fingers crossed that we actually get an over par winner."
There's no question that these four picks are extremely interesting. Scheffler is the overwhelming favorite in any prediction given his recent performance, especially over the past month.
During that period, the World No. 1 won three tournaments, including the PGA Championship, his third career major.
DeChambeau, for his part, has been second to none in terms of strong results. The reigning U.S. Open champion has a victory in LIV Golf and finished in the top 10 in the first two major championships of this season.
In fact, the two-time major champion has finished in the top 10 in five of the last six majors, including one victory and two runner-up finishes.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 16: Paige Spiranac attends the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2024 Issue Release and 60th Anniversary Celebration at Hard Rock Hotel New York on May 16, 2024 in New York City....
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 16: Paige Spiranac attends the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2024 Issue Release and 60th Anniversary Celebration at Hard Rock Hotel New York on May 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo byfor Sports Illustrated Swimsuit) MoreAs for Spiranac's dark horses, they are certainly two of the hottest players on the PGA Tour right now.
English won the Farmers Insurance Open earlier in 2025 and finished second in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow just four weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Griffin has won twice in the last six weeks (Zurich Classic and Rocket Mortgage Classic). During that time, he also achieved a top-10 finish at the PGA Championship and a second-place finish at the Memorial Tournament.
The surprise in Spiranac's prediction came when she didn't mention Rory McIlroy, who is considered by most forecasters to be one of the top favorites to win the US Open. His most recent results—T47 at the PGA Championship and missing the cut at the RBC Canadian Open—likely influenced her omission.
As you may recall, McIlroy's results came after the USGA found his competition driver as non-conforming ahead of the PGA Championship. However, he has been seen at the Oakmont Country Club carrying the TaylorMade Qi10 model again, which he used for his early season successes.
More Golf: USGA's cryptic response to Justin Thomas' U.S. Open Oakmont challenge
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