2021 U.S. Open Bettors' Roundtable: Favorites, sleepers, best bets ...

This week the USGA returns to Torrey Pines for the 121st playing of the U.S. Open. There are a couple things working against him here though: first, there's the mental block of trying to accomplish something he hasn't been able to do even while in his prime, win the U.S. Open. Phil could certainly make the cut, but I’d be shocked if he contended again.Hochberg: As I'm sure you'll recall, I picked Phil to win the PGA -- er, I mean, actually, I did think he would make the cut, and I think that's the case at every major he's in. No, I don't think Mickelson can win. When the conditions are stern but fair, Shinnecock is the most underrated great course in the U.S.Vara: I love Torrey Pines, but I'm still a sucker for Pebble Beach. I'm not voting Torrey Pines the USGA's greatest venue after one Open. That's an epic Open venue.Wooters: Torrey Pines certainly offered us what I believe to be the greatest win in golf history and maybe sports history. It dates to the 1800s, has played host to U.S. Opens across three centuries, is brutally hard, has magnificent vistas AND allowed women in from the very start.Which sleeper, odds 50-1 or longer, might surprise this week?Van Sickle: Ryan Palmer seldom shows a finishing kick due to shakiness on short putts but he's twice been runner-up at the regular Torrey Pines PGA Tour stop. He's won a U.S. Open, and he recently won the Farmers (2019). I don't like those odds.There can only be one, so who wins the 2021 U.S. Open, and why?Hochberg: Because he just missed the cut at the Palmetto, that's why.