It’s the week before the 2025 U.S. Open and all eyes are on Oakmont Country Club. The course promises to be an incredible test of golf, keeping the odds wide open.
Scottie Scheffler is the overwhelming favorite for the title, given his outstanding performance over the last month. Other players, such as defending champion Bryson DeChambeau and reigning Masters champion Rory McIlroy, are also seen as top contenders.
However, dark horses are always ready to surprise the rest of the field, and this edition of the US Open will be no exception. Let’s take a look at some of them.
US Open: 5 Dark Horses to Watch
1. Shane Lowry
The Irishman is hardly a dark horse in any tournament he plays in. We include him on this list only because he hasn’t won an individual tournament since the 2022 BMW PGA Championship on the DP World Tour. There would be no more fitting setting for his return to the winner’s circle than the historic Oakmont venue.
Shane Lowry already knows what it’s like to win a major title (the 2019 Open Championship), and he arguably has the best memories of Oakmont of any current top player. The last time the U.S. Open was held there (in 2016), Lowry finished tied for second with a score of 1-under, three strokes behind the winner, Dustin Johnson.
The 38-year-old is having an excellent 2025 season. He has played in 11 tournaments and finished in the top 10 four times, including two second-place finishes.
2. Sepp Straka
Sepp Straka’s name may be overshadowed by those of other players with more illustrious pedigrees, but he is one of the players in the best form on the PGA Tour today. In fact, the Austrian is third in the FedEx Cup rankings, behind only Scheffler and McIlroy.
This result is no fluke. Straka has won twice in 2025, including the Truist Championship less than a month ago. He will arrive at Oakmont fresh off a top-five finish at the Memorial Tournament, his fifth top-10 finish of the season.
3. Ben Griffin
Griffin is one of the hottest players on the PGA Tour right now. Like Straka, he has won twice this season, but he has done it in the last six weeks (Zurich Classic and Charles Schwab Challenge). During that same period, he has achieved two other top-10 finishes, including a second-place finish at the Memorial Tournament.
The 29-year-old has played the best golf of his career this season. He has played in 19 tournaments and finished in the top 10 seven times. This success has propelled him to 15th in the world rankings.
4. Russell Henley
Russell Henley’s 2025 season is also going strong, as he has finished in the top 10 in exactly half of the tournaments he has played (6 out of 12). This includes one win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, as well as an impressive fifth-place finish at the Memorial Tournament.
What’s his main handicap? He missed the cut in the first two majors of the season, the Masters Tournament and the PGA Championship. He will be looking to reverse this trend at Oakmont.
5. Tommy Fleetwood
Tommy Fleetwood remains winless on the PGA Tour, a fact that few in the golf world can explain. His 2025 season has once again been excellent, with four top-10 finishes and no missed cuts in the 12 tournaments he has played.
This will be the Englishman’s 10th US Open appearance. He has finished in the top 10 three times, including a second-place finish in 2018, when he shot a final-round 63 at Shinnecock Hills and finished just one stroke behind champion Brooks Koepka.
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