The 2023 US Open is set to begin at Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles, California. The PGA Tour’s third major event of the season will return to the West Coast, where LACC will provide a unique layout compared to traditional major events, with a few elongated par 3 holes and wider fairways. Of course, the par 70 track, which is a first-time US Open host venue, has thick rough, which is a signature at major events, and some areas of LACC will be unforgiving with errant tee shots and approach shots.
We’ve seen Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka win the first two majors this year, with Rahm surging late at The Masters to claim his first green jacket and outright win at Augusta National. Koepka was in the mix at Augusta until he fell flat in the final round, but he kept his foot on the pedal at the PGA Championship as the LIV golfer looks to add his third US Open win since 2017.
World No. 1 ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler leads the outright winner odds at 7/1, followed by World No. 2 Jon Rahm at 11/1, while Koepka (13/1), Rory McIlroy (13/1), and Patrick Cantlay (17/1) round out the top five favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook. From a DFS perspective, major events offer huge opportunities to acquire cheap value in the lower salary ranges, with a talented field from top to bottom. The downside is that major courses, traditionally, yield few birdies or eagles while rolling out difficult par 4s and lengthy par 3s to keep scorecards modest.
Let’s jump right into a few of my favorite players to target during your DraftKings and FanDuel DFS builds in order to cash contests by the end of the weekend. Here are my top prospects to insert into your DFS lineups ahead of Thursday’s opening round from the 2023 US Open at Los Angeles Country Club.
Before we get into our US Open 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 US Open selections this week.
DraftKings $50,000 Maximum Salary
Viktor Hovland ($10,000)
Fresh off of his first outright win of the season at The Memorial Tournament, a newly Designated event, 25-year-old Norwegian Viktor Hovland is one of my favorite blue-chip prospects in this event. Hovland posted finishes of T12 and T13 at the 2019 and 2020 U.S. Open events before withdrawing in 2021 and missing the cut in 2022. He’s equipped with some of the best irons on the PGA Tour, ranked 13th in total strokes gained, including seventh off-the-tee, and 10th approaching the green. His putting has improved, so especially on Bermudagrass greens, which run a bit slower, Hovland is a fantastic asset to start your lineup builds at $10K on DraftKings.
Max Homa ($9,400)
Max Homa seems to play better when he’s competing in his native state of California. The 32-year-old has two outright wins this season on the PGA Tour, both in California, while earning a runner-up behind Jon Rahm at Genesis Invitational, which was another event in the Golden State. Homa endured a rough stretch but has two T10 finishes in his last three events played, plus he’ll have spent a couple of weeks off to rest and practice to attempt to secure the first major win of his career. I like this salary for Homa, who is ranked fifth in strokes gained putting, along with 17th tee-to-green and 12th approaching the green. Take advantage of the current low value on Homa, and watch him pile up birdies, averaging 4.39 per round, which is sixth best on the PGA Tour this year.
Tommy Fleetwood ($7,900)
After a heartbreaking loss following four playoff holes against Nick Taylor at the RBC Canadian Open last weekend, Tommy Fleetwood will likely have a chip on his shoulder. Or, he could perform terribly. Admittedly, this is a risky pick due to these extenuating circumstances, but the Englishman is a terrific ball striker and an excellent putter. These are always skillsets to acquire in DFS builds, as they are arguably the two most important factors for navigating a difficult course with small surface area greens like the ones featured at LACC. Fleetwood has previously placed fourth and second at US Open events in 2017 and 2018, so he can play quality golf on big stages, just like we watched at the RBC Canadian Open a few days ago.
FanDuel $60,000 Maximum Salary
Brooks Koepka ($11,900)
There’s almost no argument for fading Brooks Koepka other than his expensive salary. Koepka has been a mainstay atop major leaderboards for the majority of his career, including two consecutive outright wins at the 2017 and 2018 U.S. Open, while proceeding to log runner-up and T4 finishes in 2019 and 2021. Koepka’s blend of power and finesse, plus a strong putter, makes him a player worth the significant capital it takes to acquire his production. Even if he doesn’t win outright, Koepka has been dominant in the previous two major events played this season, so he should be in quality shape by Thursday’s first round. Fire Koepka up with confidence in your FanDuel lineups.
Adam Scott ($9,400)
Adam Scott may be the most consistent golfer on the PGA Tour this season. The 42-year-old Aussie has competed in 20 U.S. Open events, so don’t expect him to waver when he plays his first round at LACC on Thursday. Scott has six T20 finishes at the U.S. Open while going T38, T35, and T14 in his three recent appearances. At $9,400, we’re landing a massive discount on Scott, ranked 15th in strokes gained off-the-tee, 32nd putting, and averaging 4.23 birdies per round. He tends to deflate in the middle rounds but starts and finishes strong, so plug Scott into lineups at a good value as one of the most tenured players at this event.
Wyndham Clark ($8,800)
Wyndham Clark has not had a good start to his U.S. Open career, missing the cut in 2021 and 2022, but there’s enough reason for optimism with his third appearance set to occur this week. The 29-year-old American has six T10 finishes this season, including his first career outright win at the Wells Fargo Championship. Clark was contending for the outright win at The Memorial until a final round of 76, but he’s ranked 15th in total strokes gained, including 28th tee-to-green and 23rd approaching the green. He has a solid putter, ranked 49th in strokes gained putting while finding greens in regulation at nearly a 68 percent rate, which is 26th on the PGA Tour. Clark is a solid value at under $9,000 on FanDuel, especially with four T25s and three T12s in his last six solo events played.
