Matt Vogt took a break from his day job of asking patients to open their mouths and say “ahhh” to focus on hitting jaw-dropping shots from the fairway. He traded his periodontal probe for a pitching wedge, his drill for a 5-iron.

That’s because Vogt, a 34-year-old dentist practicing in Indiana, qualified for the U.S. Open. He participated in media availability before major champions Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas. He warmed up alongside PGA Championship winner, Scottie Scheffler. 

He spoke like a natural and smoked golf balls like a natural. He may not claim his profession as a golfer, but make no mistake, he’s been here before, and worked hard to return. 

Literally. 

Vogt grew up in Pittsburgh, and was a caddie at Oakmont, practicing on the course in his spare time. 

“This place means so much to me,” he said during an interview with the Golf Channel on Wednesday.

Vogt would also return to Oakmont during summer breaks while he was at the University of Butler, where he played golf from 2011-2013. Following college, he pursued a more modest career in dentistry. His love of golf, though, didn’t fade.

Vogt stayed sharp, and played in amateur tournaments; he even played in a U.S. Amateurs tournament at Oakmont in 2021. Recently, he performed well at a tournament in Walla Walla, Washington, and was able to earn a spot in the 125th U.S. Open. 

The tournament has always welcomed golfers of all tiers, as any professional or amateur with a 0.4 handicap index or lower can submit their name to compete for a spot at the U.S. Open. Vogt scored 8-under 136 on the 36-hole course at the Wine Valley Golf Tournament in April to qualify for the U.S. Open. 

Now, he’s headed back home, as the 125th U.S. Open is set to be held at Oakmont Country Club for the 10th time. Call it coincidence, call it fate, but Vogt’s been striving for this moment for years, and it lined up at the perfect time.

The U.S. Open will run from June 12-15, and Vogt is set to tee off on Thursday 6:45 a.m.

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FOX Sports Research

The 2025 LIV Golf season will see its second event on American soil, with the tour traveling to Virginia this weekend. The event will be held at the prestigious Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia, just 30 miles from Washington, D.C— with live coverage on FOX Sports. 

This eighth stop on the schedule promises a thrilling weekend of high-energy competition, featuring 54 top players, including major champions like Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Phil Mickelson. The 54-hole, no-cut tournament, with its signature shotgun start, ensures non-stop action across individual and team formats.

With top seeds like Joaquin Niemann leading the standings, LIV Golf Virginia is a pivotal event before the U.S. Open, where everyone will be looking to sharpen their game. 

Favorites

DeChaumbeau is the favorite to win the tournament at +450, fresh off his first win of the season in South Korea. Rahm has the next best odds at +500, still looking for his first win on the tour this season. Rahm dominated the 2024 season, finishing first in individual points total prize money and tied for the most event victories with two. Niemann has the third best odds at +700— with a record five career LIV wins and three this season alone.

Here are the rest of the odds as of June 5, courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook:

Bryson DeChambeau: +450 (bet $10 to win $55 total)
Jon Rahm: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)
Joaquin Niemann: +700 (bet $10 to win $80 total)
Tyrrell Hatton: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Lucas Herbert: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Patrick Reed: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total)
Cameron Smith: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Sebastian Munoz: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Carlos Ortiz: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)  
Brooks Kopeka: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)  
Sergio Garcia: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)  
Dean Burmester: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)  
Tom McKibbin: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Talor Gooch: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Richard Bland: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Paul Casey: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Cameron Tringale: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Abraham Ancer: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Marc Leishman: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Louis Oosthuizen: +4500 (bet $10 to win $460 total)
Thomas Pieters: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
Dustin Johnson: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
Charl Schwartzel: +5500 (bet $10 to win $560 total)
Peter Uihlein: +6500 (bet $10 to win $660 total)
Harold Varner: +6500 (bet $10 to win $660 total)
Anirban Lahiri: +7000 (bet $10 to win $560 total)
Caleb Suratt: +7000 (bet $10 to win $710 total)
Bubba Watson: +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total)
Charles Howell III: +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total)
Brendan Steele: +10000 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
Adrian Meronk: +10000 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
Matthew Wolff: +10000 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
Jason Kokrak: +10000 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)

Long-shot bets to make

Golf is one of the best sports to bet on long-shots to win, as there have been several instances of huge underdogs winning major tournaments. For the eighth LIV event in Virginia, there are several big name players with some real value from a wagering standpoint. 

Here are a couple of bets worth sprinkling some cash on:

Tyrell Hatton: +1200

Patrick Reed +2200 

Cameron Smith: +2500

Sergio Garcia: +3000

Bubba Watson to finish Top 10: +400

Adrian Meronk to finish Top 10: +450

Charles Howell to finish Top 5: +1000

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After he shocked the golf world four years ago by winning the PGA Championship at age 50, Phil Mickelson had a moment of honest self-assessment. “It’s very possible that this is the last tournament I ever win. Like if I’m being realistic,” Mickelson said on that triumphant Sunday at Kiawah Island.

Mickelson hasn’t won since, and while he wasn’t eager to reflect Wednesday on a career that includes six major titles and just as many famous near-misses, he indicated his competitive future is limited.

He said he wants to help his teammates on LIV’s HyFlyers squad and would step away if he’s no longer doing that.

“I’m also going to be 55 in a couple weeks, so I want to be realistic there, too. I want this team to succeed. I don’t want to hold it back,” Mickelson said. “If I’m holding it back, then it’s time for me to move on and get somebody else in here.”

Mickelson also acknowledged the possibility that Oakmont will be his last U.S. Open. He has a record six runner-up finishes at the national championship, the only major he hasn’t won.

“There’s a high likelihood that it will be,” Mickelson said, “but I haven’t really thought about it too much.” 

The USGA gave Mickelson a special exemption to the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, which he ultimately didn’t need because he won at Kiawah a month earlier. Nonetheless, the U.S. Open historically does not grant more than one special exemption to any player, and Mickelson has missed the past three U.S. Open cuts. He remains exempt for the other three majors as a past champion.

Mickelson has won six major tournaments in his professional career, which began all the way back in 1992. He won the Masters in 2004, 2006 and 2010, the PGA Championship in 2005 and 2021 and The Open Championship in 2013, but has yet to win the U.S. Open. 

“Lefty” has finished second at the U.S. Open on six occasions: 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2013. Mickelson has been attempting to finish off the last leg of the grand slam since 2014, following his victory at The Open the year prior.

The U.S. Open will be played from June 12 through June 15 at Oakmont Country Club.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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