It's that time again. With just one first-time major championship winner in the last 6 slams (Xander Schauffele at the 2024 PGA Championship, before he went on to also claim The Open), it’s worth wondering whether another first-time champ could capture the U.S. Open next week at Oakmont.
Capable players like Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg and Patrick Cantlay are all looking for that career-defining victory, as are LIV players Tyrell Hatton and Joaquin Niemann.
Utilizing North Carolina DraftKings Sportsbook, we utilized odds to win the next major championship (The 2025 U.S. Open) as our deciding factor of who the best golfers are that don’t have a major championship on their resume.
⛳️ More: How To Bet On Golf In NC
Best Golfers Never To Win A Major: Odds Based On 2025 U.S. Open
The information below may be something you want to consider as you wager on these great golfers using North Carolina sports betting apps.
Golfer |
Odds (2025 US Open) |
Best Finish At A Major** |
Ludvig Aberg |
+3000 |
2 (2024 Masters) |
Joaquin Niemann |
+3000 |
T8 (2025 PGA Championship) |
Tommy Fleetwood |
+3000 |
2nd (2019 Open Championship) |
Tyrell Hatton |
+3500 |
T5 (2016 Open Championship) |
Sepp Straka |
+4000 |
T2 (2023 Open Championship) |
Patrick Cantlay |
+4000 |
T3 (2024 US Open) |
Viktor Hovland |
+5000 |
T2 (2023 PGA Championship) |
Corey Conners |
+5000 |
T6 (2022 Masters) |
Russell Henley |
+5500 |
T4 (2023 Masters) |
*Will be updated after each major championship
**Latest best finish if finished at same position multiple times
Which Golfers Will Break Through in a Major Next?
Ludvig Aberg +3000
Based on the odds from DraftKings North Carolina Sportsbook on next week's U.S. Open, it seems like oddsmakers are counting on Aberg, Niemann and Fleetwood to be the frontrunners to breakthrough next.  
That’s because the Swede, Chilean and Englishman are all listed at +3000 to win at Oakmont.
Aberg has two wins on the PGA Tour to his name, another on the DP World Tour, and of course made his first Ryder Cup team just mere months after turning pro in 2023. But since winning the Genesis Invitational in February, he's been hit and miss. Aberg surprisingly missed the cut at The Players Championship and the PGA at Quail Hollow. He finished T12 at last year's U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.
LIV's Joaquin Niemann Ready For Major Success
Niemann has been the most prolific winner on LIV for about two years, but it's barely translated at all to good play in major championships. Before the PGA last month, Niemann had never posted a top-15 in a slam, with his best being a T16 at the 2023 Masters. However, he did manage to finish T8 at Quail, getting the "no top 10" label off his back. Oddsmakers seem to like him at Oakmont as well, with only Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Xander Scahuffele and Collin Morikawa with shorter odds. Niemann, still just 26 years old, is dangerous at +3000.
Then there's the curious case of Tommy Fleetwood. The 34-year-old has 7 top-fives in majors, but doesn't win much in general, and has yet to capture a title on the PGA Tour. His best U.S. Open finish was a runner-up to Brooks Koepka in 2018.
Can Viktor Hovland Win A Major?
Of the others listed above, Viktor Hovland is going in the wrong direction on the oddsboard. Hovland was +2000 entering the week at the PGA, behind only Aberg among players without a major. Now he's been caught by not only Niemann and Fleetwood, but also LIV's Tyrell Hatton, four-time PGA Tour winner Sepp Straka and eight-time PGAT winner Patrick Cantlay.
Cantlay - who briefly held the back nine lead at Augusta in 2019 before Tiger Woods made his charge - posted his best major finish at the U.S. Open in Pinehurst last summer with a T3. Hatton, who has won twice on the DPWT since October but primarily plays the LIV Tour, posted a T5 at the Open back in 2016. Straka, meanwhile, has already won twice this season and was among the distant runner-ups to Brian Harman at the 2023 Open.
Whether any of those pros can breakthrough at Oakmont remains to be seen, though oddsmakers from one of the nation’s premier sportsbooks are giving the cadre of young stars a fighting chance against the likes of McIlroy, Scheffler and DeChambeau.
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Author
Thomas Leary is a senior editor for BetCarolina.com. He previously worked at Sports Business Journal.
