LOS ANGELES – A Rickie Fowler or Xander Schauffele breakthrough in their home state. A return to glory for Rory McIlroy. A transformative victory for Wyndham Clark, Min Woo Lee or Harris English. A Scottie Scheffler, Tony Finau or Cameron Smith charge.

These are just some of the possible storylines ahead of us on the weekend of the 123rd U.S. Open from Los Angeles Country Club.

Fowler, who a year ago couldn’t even get a start at the U.S. Open, matched the tournament 36-hole scoring record at 10-under 130 following a second round 68. He is now +333 with BetMGM to win his first major.

Just one-shot back is recent Wells Fargo Championship winner Clark. He was a giant killer at Quail Hollow and is +650 in the market to be one again.

McIlroy (+333) made the turn in the second round two over on his day only to surge back into contention with five birdies in his last nine. He sits at 8 under chasing his fifth major championship.

Schauffele (+400) was unable to back up his Thursday heroics but still battled to a respectable 70 to share third place with McIlroy.

English (+2000) sits fifth at 7 under while Dustin Johnson (+1200) shot 70 despite making a quadruple bogey eight on his second hole, leaving him tied sixth with Lee (+2500) at 6 under, four shots back.

Lurking five off the pace is World No. 1 Scheffler (+650) and low amateur from the Masters, now professional, Sam Bennett (+10000).

Let’s break down the talking points over the first 36 holes and try to get a hold on what’s to come over the next 36.

Carnage is due. The U.S. Open has a reputation as the toughest championship of the. Year but the best players in the world have taken to LACC and produced record scoring over the opening two rounds. As the course continues to dry out over the weekend birdies will begin to dry up and grinding pars will become all the rage. With the over/under winning score at the start of the week -7.5 those on the over are feeling good right now. But don’t be surprised if things back up over the next two days.

A Rickie Fowler win might be as popular as it could get around LACC. While not in the realm of Tiger Woods popularity, Fowler has long been a crowd favorite on the PGA TOUR but yet failed to bring home a major trophy. The five-time TOUR winner has 12 top 10s from his 47 major starts prior to this week, and claimed the 2015 PLAYERS championship, but would love nothing more than a home state major triumph. Fowler’s success has come via ranking second in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and SG: Putting and sixth in SG: Approach.
Verdict: The +333 with 36 holes to play is too short for my liking. Revisit Fowler during live betting or post round 3.

Pre-tournament favorite Scottie Scheffler’s insane streak of top 12s on TOUR continues to trend. Scheffler hasn’t finished outside the top 12 in an event since a T45 at THE CJ CUP last October. He is now up to 14 TOUR events inside the mark and starts the weekend tied for eighth. Scheffler sits fourth in SG: Approach and importantly 32nd in SG: Putting. He started the opening round at +600 and now sits +650 with 36 holes to go, giving up five shots.
Verdict: Scheffler remains a scary proposition on the leaderboard and might be worth a look.

Rory McIlroy showed impressive grit just when it looked like another fade was coming. McIlroy dropped two shots in his opening nine holes on Friday and appeared to be playing his way out of contention. But five birdies in his last nine holes saw McIlroy surge to betting favoritism just two off the lead. He leads the field in SG: Off-the-Tee and ranks fifth in SG: Putting. He has lost -1.486 though in SG: Around the Green, ranking 64th.
Verdict: Love the fight, hate the odds. McIlroy has had at least one over par round in every U.S. Open he’s played barring his dominant victory in 2011.

Xander Schauffele’s stumble may have helped the California kid in his chase for a maiden major. Known for his tenacity in the chase, a fighting 70 on Friday, which included a birdie birdie finish, leaves him with something to chase rather than something to protect. Schauffele’s first four TOUR wins came from behind. He has however picked up three since from in front after 54 holes. Schauffele has finished inside the top 14 of all six previous U.S. Open’s he’s played and has 10 top 10s in majors without a win.
Verdict: Playing with McIlroy on Saturday might be just the juice he needs. Dangerous.

Dustin Johnson made a snowman and might still win. Yes, that’s right, the former U.S. Open champion had a quadruple bogey on his second hole on Friday before fighting back to shoot 70 and sit just four back. Johnson ranks sixth in SG: Off-the-Tee and inside the top 21 of all other SG categories.
Verdict: Cannot be discounted and may represent value heading to Saturday.

The down under duo of Min Woo Lee and Cam Smith are your wildcard draws heading to the weekend. Lee is +2500 and Open Champion Smith is +3000, some of the bigger odds you can get for legitimate contenders. Lee showed he can mix it with the big guns at THE PLAYERS, finding his way into the lead early Sunday before a late fade. And Smith is a proven major winner who revels in the chase. He’s actually given up a fraction of a shot around the greens, something that is unlikely to continue, and he’s deadly with a putter.
Verdict: If you want the bigger odds, this is not a bad place to start.

It should be a sensational final two rounds. Good luck with all your picks!