The 151st Open Championship is set to get underway from Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England. It’s the fourth and final major event of the PGA Tour season, which means all of the biggest names in golf will be competing for the coveted Claret Jug trophy.
Defending Open champion Cameron Smith will look to replicate what Tiger Woods last achieved back in 2005 and 2006, going back-to-back at St. Andrews and Royal Liverpool. The Aussie delivered a clutch performance down the stretch at St. Andrews last year during the final round, but he will make his debut at Royal Liverpool this week.
Storylines abound in this event, including Rory McIlroy, who is the defending Open Championship winner at Royal Liverpool, winning by two strokes over Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia back in 2014. The Northern Ireland star is fresh off of an outright win that saw him drill an approach shot on the 18th hole on Sunday to beat Robert McIntyre by one stroke with a clutch 12-foot birdie putt. It’s McIlroy’s first win since his first event of the PGA Tour season at the CJ Cup, and he’s rattled off six consecutive T9 finishes or better.
Despite the success of Smith and McIlroy, World No. 1, Scottie Scheffler, remains the outright betting favorite on The Open Championship slate right now at +650, slightly ahead of McIlroy and World No. 2, Jon Rahm. Due to the depth of talent at this event, we’re getting quite a bit of value to acquire when building our DFS lineups ahead of Thursday’s opening round. On links courses, ball striking and accuracy off the tee are crucial to avoiding bad lies in tall fescue grasses and deep pot bunkers, while putting is a bit easier on slower-paced fescue greens.
Let’s find out which six players to target to maximize the number of points in your DraftKings and FanDuel DFS lineups to cash contests for what projects to be one of the most exciting Open Championship events in its storied history at Royal Liverpool GC this week.
Before we get into our Open Championship DFS Picks and Targets, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Open Championship selections this week.
DraftKings $50,000 Maximum Salary
Scottie Scheffler ($12,500)
Scottie Scheffler has been consistently producing T12 finishes since October, and he’s stepped it up a notch lately, recording seven consecutive T5 finishes entering Royal Liverpool. No one on the PGA Tour ranks as highly in strokes gained metrics as the 26-year-old Texan, who is seeking his third outright win and first major victory of the 2023 PGA season. We saw Scheffler’s putter perform much better on the fescue greens at Renaissance Club last week, which is the only weakness in his game right now. This makes Scheffler a priority add as the undisputed best blue-chip prospect to target on DraftKings.
Rickie Fowler ($9,800)
The last time we saw Rickie Fowler at Royal Liverpool, he turned in an impressive T2 finish, coming up two strokes behind McIlroy at the top of the leaderboard. Eight years later, Fowler is two weeks removed from earning his first outright win on the PGA Tour since 2019, playing with a lot of confidence and momentum. His outing at the Scottish Open last week was forgettable, but he would’ve been inside the top 20 if not for a +4 final round. The Californian ranks eighth in total strokes gained, seventh approaching the green, and 31st strokes gained putting. Plus, he’s recorded 18-27 birdies in three of his past five events, which is valuable currency in DFS. Under $10,000 feels like a steal on DraftKings, as eight players are higher-priced than Fowler, so add him into lineups with confidence.
Adam Scott ($7,900)
We’re taking on a bit of risk here, betting on Adam Scott to perform well after missing the cut at the Scottish Open last week. However, the Aussie bounced back nicely after his first missed cut at the U.S. Open, delivering a T19 at Travelers. Yes, Scott has yet to deliver a T25 at any major event this year, but he did go T39 at Augusta and T29 during the PGA Championship. Plus, the 42-year-old veteran delivered a T5 finish at Royal Liverpool in 2014, scorching the course with a final round of -6-under-par. Available at under $8,000 on DraftKings, I’m willing to take a shot on Scott to bounce back with a strong T25 finish or better at Royal Liverpool this week.
FanDuel $60,000 Maximum Salary
Shane Lowry ($10,600)
Rostering Shane Lowry doesn’t provide the excitement level compared to other top blue-chip prospects on this slate. However, the Irishman has solid irons and a strong driver to contend in loaded fields. Lowry has four T20 finishes in his past five events, including a T12 at the Scottish Open last week, where he went -9-under-par in the middle rounds to showcase his talent. Lowry has produced 16-22 birdies in four of his past five events, which didn’t include his T20 finish at the U.S. Open, the third major of the PGA Tour season. We don’t have to worry about Lowry missing the cut, as he hasn’t done that since Wells Fargo over two months ago. Plus, he logged a T9 finish at Royal Liverpool in 2014, which happened before his outright win at Royal Portrush in 2019. It’s a sneaky upside play, so I like Lowry’s fit-in FanDuel lineups at a solid salary this week.
Ryan Fox ($9,100)
New Zealand native Ryan Fox will make his Open Championship debut at Royal Liverpool this week. The 36-year-old has been playing solid golf lately, logging a T12 finish at Renaissance Club last week during the Scottish Open. Plus, Fox has made the cut at all three previous major events this season, going T26, T23, and T43. Based on his recent success at a similar-styled links course, with his irons representing his primary strength, I love the value we’re landing with Fox at $9,100 on FanDuel. Treat him as a high-floor salary-saving prospect.
Brian Harman ($8,000)
Somehow, we’re getting a ridiculous discount on Brian Harman at Royal Liverpool this week. Harman has been one of the best iron players on the PGA Tour in recent events, overcoming eight missed cuts earlier in the year with three consecutive T12 finishes entering The Open Championship. The Georgia native recorded 13 birdies at the Scottish Open last week en route to a T12 finish, but he could have contended for the outright win if he didn’t wind up going +4 in the final round. Regardless, Harman ranks 14th in driving accuracy, 30th in converting greens in regulation, and 22nd in hole proximity. He’s the seventh-best scrambler o the PGA Tour, ranks 11th in sand save percentage, and 13th in total putting. We are obligated to roster Harman at this comically low salary to maximize the points in our FanDuel lineups this week.
