This article is part of our FanDuel PGA DFS Picks series.
U.S. Open
Course: Los Angeles Country Club North Course (7,423 yards, par 70)
Purse: $17,500,000
Winner: $3,150,000 and 600 FedExCup points
Tournament Preview
After an incredible finish to the Canadian Open last week where Nick Taylor ended the Canadian drought in their national open, the focus now shifts to the U.S. Open where a diverse field of 156 players will compete for major championship glory. The host for the 123rd edition of America's national open will be Los Angeles Country Club's North Course for the first time. LACC annually ranks among the top-25 courses in the country. The last first-time host of the U.S. Open was back in 2017 at Erin Hills. Speaking of 2017, LACC hosted the Walker Cup that year and it featured the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa and Will Zalatoris.
As soon as the USGA announced in 2015 that the 2023 U.S. Open would be hosted at Los Angeles Country Club, many around the golf world have been anxious for this week to come. It really is such a unique golf course on a beautiful piece of land that will make players think hard on every single shot. The North Course was designed by George C. Thomas, who also designed nearby Riviera Country Club and Bel-Air Country Club. This will be the third U.S. Open in the last five years taking place in the state of California and should provide some thrilling primetime television for the East coast.
After coming back from injuries and posting a runner-up at the Masters and victory at the PGA Championship this year, we can't start a major championship week without Brooks Koepka's name. The now five-time major winner has won the U.S. Open twice in 2017 and 2018 before finishing runner-up to Gary Woodland in 2019. Scheffler still retains the top spot in the OWGR and is looking to get his putter heated up after a bunch of close calls the last few months since his Players Championship runaway. World No. 2 Jon Rahm will be looking for a third major championship after scoring the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines and the Masters this April. Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, and Tony Finau all are among the top ranked players looking to do what Matt Fitzpatrick did a year ago at The Country Club and score that elusive first major title.
Scoring is always a big topic of conversation when it comes to the U.S. Open. It has a reputation for being the hardest and most mentally challenging tournament of the year, but the USGA has also been known to go overboard in the past to try and protect par. Most of the players have no idea what to expect in regards to the scoring considering the number of half-par holes at LACC. Add that into firm and fast conditions, and the viewers should be really entertained by the golf this week. Six-under-par has been the number the last three years at the U.S. Open on three very different golf courses. Weather shouldn't really have any impact with sunshine, temperatures in the upper-60s and moderate winds throughout the week.
Recent Champions
2022 - Matt Fitzpatrick at The Country Club (-6 )
2021 - Jon Rahm at Torrey Pines (-6)
2020 - Bryson DeChambeau at Winged Foot (-6)
2019 - Gary Woodland at Pebble Beach (-13)
2018 - Brooks Koepka at Shinnecock Hills (+1)
2017 - Brooks Koepka at Erin Hills (-16)
2016 - Dustin Johnson at Oakmont (-4)
2015 - Jordan Spieth at Chambers Bay (-5)
2014 - Martin Kaymer at Pinehurst (-9)
2013 - Justin Rose at Merion (+1)
Key Stats to Victory
- SG: Approach
- GIR Percentage
- Scrambling
- Par-3 Scoring
Champion's Profile
The North Course at Los Angeles Country Club is a par 70 that features five par-3s and three par-5s. On the official scorecard it is listed at 7,423 yards, but that should be taken with a grain of salt considering the USGA will have a multitude of options with tee boxes to use on a number of holes. While any 7,400-yard par 70 is long, considering the firmness and slopes of the fairways, it will not play nearly that long. Players will still have a fair amount of wedge opportunities. LACC gives you plenty of room off-the-tee, but errant shots will be punished by thick four-inch bermuda rough or challenging fairway bunkers. This will actually be the first U.S. Open to feature bermuda rough since 2005 at Pinehurst.
This isn't shocking news, but SG: Approach and GIR percentage is likely to be the two most important stats around LACC. Given that slopes in the fairways leading to balls collecting in similar places, that gives players who excel with their irons a chance to separate, especially considering the penalty for an errant approach shot. The green-side bunkers are deep, but even worse could be finding some of the gnarly rough around these putting surfaces. Long on any hole is also going to be incredibly challenging given the amount of back-to-front slope on most of these greens.
These greens will get as baked out and fast as the USGA wants it this week. Combine that with all the slopes on these greens and putting might become more of a product of where you put your approach shot. LACC features a lot of elevation changes as well and should suit players who are able to play creative shots similar to an Augusta National or Kapalua. A player's performance on this unique and challenging set of five par-3s may ultimately tell the story. The downhill par-3 11th can play up to 290 yards, while the tiny par-3 15th can play as little as 80 yards this week.
FanDuel Value Picks
The Chalk
Jon Rahm ($12,000)
Rahm feels like he is getting a little overlooked this week. It's understandable given the ball-striking tear Scheffler has been on and how Koepka continues to be a menace in majors, but Rahm really peaks my interest at LACC. Rahm loves the West coast and won earlier this year at nearby Riviera. He is also leading the PGA Tour alone in par-3 scoring, which I feel will be a very important stat this week. The 2021 U.S. Open champ is an elite long iron player and ranks top-3 on Tour in SG: Approach, GIR percentage and putts per GIR.
Rory McIlroy ($11,700)
After missing three straight cuts in the U.S. Open from 2016-18, McIlroy's last four finishes in the event have been T9-T8-T7-T5. That is certainly trending in the right direction and we know nobody is hungrier than McIlroy to end this major drought. He might get a slight ownership reduction just considering the narrative around his Sunday struggles in these last three events, but he still finished top-10 in all of them. Like Rahm, McIlroy is another elite long iron player. He also ranks third in SG: Off-the-Tee, 19th in SG: Approach, 15th in SG: Around-the-Green and third in SG: Tee-to-Green this season.
Xander Schauffele ($11,100)
Schauffele has been knocking on the door at majors for years now and it's only a matter of time before we can call the California native a major champion. His record at the U.S. Open in particular is extremely impressive going T5-T6-T3-5th-T7-T14 in his six starts. I love the setup for him this week at LACC and he comes in with great form posting top-25 finishes in his last eight events, four of which were top-5s. He ranks top-15 on Tour in SG: Approach, SG: Tee-to-Green, SG: Putting, GIR percentage and scrambling.
Jordan Spieth ($10,700)
Spieth comes in at a great price this week. Normally U.S. Open setups don't suit Spieth's game, but LACC provides options for players to be extremely creative, similar to the setup when he won at Chambers Bay in 2015. The wrist injury doesn't seem to be a concern after a T5 finish at the Memorial. Spieth's putting can be a little hit or miss, but he's been driving it excellent of late and his skills with a wedge will be enhanced on this course.
Longer Shots with Value
Tyrrell Hatton ($9,800)
This is without a doubt the most mispriced player in the field. Hatton is coming off a Sunday 64 at the RBC Canadian Open to jump into a share of third place. It was his sixth straight top-20 finish and his sixth top-6 finish on the PGA Tour this season. Hatton ranks third in SG: Total per round and third in scoring average. To get a player like that who is less than $10K is an absolute steal. Hatton is still working to get better in major championships, but three top-15s in his last five majors is a good place to be.
Si Woo Kim ($9,100)
Kim just continues to pile up really strong finishes this season. After a solo fourth at the Memorial a couple weeks ago he now has three top-7 finishes in his last six starts. Kim also has racked up 12 top-30 finishes with just three missed cuts this season. The reason for that more consistent play has been his ball-striking improvements. Kim now ranks seventh in driving accuracy, 20th in total driving, 21st in SG: Approach and 14th in SG: Tee-to-Green. He is also 10th in par-3 scoring and 26th in scrambling.
Wyndham Clark ($8,800)
I've been beating the drum for Clark all season and there's no way I'm going to be able to resist putting him in lineups this week under $9K. Minus a missed cut at the PGA Championship following his first PGA Tour victory at the Wells Fargo Championship, he has been really impressive and is getting into the Ryder Cup discussion. Clark is 17 for his last 18 with six top-10s and 12 top-30s. He ranks top-30 on Tour in SG: Total, scoring average, driving distance, SG: Approach, GIR percentage and putts per GIR.
Mito Pereira ($8,600)
Pereira is one of the few LIV players that really has my interest at LACC. We know he should have won last year's PGA Championship at Southern Hills, which was another Gil Hanse restoration. He flashed really strong ball striking at both the Masters and PGA Championship earlier this year gaining a combined 17.36 strokes driving and with his approach play. Pereira is also coming off a podium finish at LIV Golf D.C. which is one of four top-6 finishes in seven LIV starts.
Strategy Tips This Week
Based on a Standard $60K Salary Cap
One thing to keep in mind this week is the difficulty of making the cut at the U.S. Open. It is the most difficult tournament all season to make the cut with only the top-60 and ties moving onto the weekend from the 156 players that tee it up on Thursday. Combine that with the limited number of birdies that are usually available at a USGA setup, and placement points become even more valuable. It would be incredibly difficult to have a lineup go 6-for-6 and not be in the money when things wrap up Sunday night.
Other than Spieth mentioned above, I really do not like the $10K range this week. I think the move is to take two players in the $11K+ range and then retreat to a pretty strong $9K range. Hideki Matsuyama ($9,900), Justin Rose ($9,700), Rickie Fowler ($9,500), and Russell Henley ($9,400) are all players in that range not mentioned above who I see solid value. If you're looking for a few longshots I'd roll the dice on some ball strikers like Sepp Straka ($8,200), Sam Stevens ($8,000), Hayden Buckley ($7,900) and Austin Eckroat ($7,800).
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