THE OPEN
The final Major already? Shit! At least many of the guys had a workout last week on a links-style course.
Top 70 and ties make the cut!
Highlights: Royal Troon
- Par 71 – 7,190 yards
- Narrow fairways and you’ll see run that you don’t see in the U. S.
- Smaller greens (Bentgrass & POA mix) that will be firm and fast
- Links-style course (mounds, deep bunkers and “gorse” [tall rough])
- As with all Scottish/British courses – Weather is the wild card!
NOTE: All pricing is based on DraftKings
$10,000 and Above (in my order of preference)
- Scottie Scheffler ($12,800) – the ONLY deterrent here is price. You’re paying $1,300 more for him than anyone else. I will probably limit myself to one lineup with him (and most likely on FanDuel since pricing is easier) because of that.
- Rory McIlroy ($11,400) – solid form and solid Open performance history. I really can’t find a reason not to play him either, but $1,400 cheaper than “Lock and Load” Scheffler is a good thing.
- Xander Schauffele ($11,200) – Never missed an Open cut. I don’t anticipate that starting in 2024 given his current form.
- Ludvig Aberg ($10,100) – I know, Sunday wasn’t what was expected. But, how many times is that a learning experience for guys with tons of talent? I like him and I love the price compared to the others in this tier.
- Bryson DeChambeau ($11,500) – Again, a little higher price than I was hoping for but he has finished 1st and 2nd in the last two Majors and T6 at The Masters. Decent history at The Open, but he also misses cuts. His ball control will be key. We know he can bomb it, but on links courses, that isn’t always the huge advantage it is elsewhere.
- Jon Rahm ($10,400) – good price but I’m not convinced he’s fully healthy yet.
$9,000 to $9,900
- Collin Morikawa ($9,900) – Missed the last two Open cuts, but given his recent form (including a T4 at the Scottish), I think he’s back to form.
- Tommy Fleetwood ($9,300) – Again, I think he has an outside shot at a Win!
- Viktor Hovland ($9,700) – His short game is improving and he seems to like The Open courses since he’s finished T13-T4-T12 in his only appearances.
- Tyrrell Hatton ($9,500) – don’t know what it is, but I love to play this guy.
- Brooks Koepka ($9,000) – this is a great price for the “Major Monster”. Now, it’s not Brooks of a few years ago, but you can’t count him out in a Major.
- Patrick Cantlay ($9,100) – nice price but I’m avoiding him because of the injury from a few weeks ago. On courses that can bite you in the ass in a hurry, it’s amazing how “undisclosed injuries” can reappear.
$8,000 to $8,900
- Tom Kim ($8,300)
- Wyndham Clark ($8,000)
- Cameron Smith ($8,900)
- Shane Lowry ($8,200) – He and Hatton in a twosome together would be outstanding to watch. If for nothing else, the contrast in temperaments.
- Tony Finau ($8,700) – playing as well or better than anyone else in this range.
$7,000 to $7,900
- Brian Harman ($7,600) – defending Champ! Playing well and has a controlled game that can help him on difficult tracts.
- Cameron Young ($7,500)
- Corey Conners ($7,300)
- Aaron Rai ($7,300) – few are playing as well as he is right now at five-figure pricing. This price is PHENOMENAL!!
- Max Homa ($7,300) – Still too damn cheap! I don’t care if he finished T70 last week.
- Justin Thomas ($7,400) and Jordan Spieth ($7,900) – oh, alright. I don’t like the way either of these two are playing right now, but both have the game to play well on a links-style course. Jordan has better history at The Open, but Justin played better last week – although he faded after Thursday. It’s just so rare you see them priced this low that I had to mention it.
- Robert Macintyre ($7,700) – I hate to play last week’s winner but the pricing is right and he’s hopefully riding the wave to the next links-style course.
Under $7,000
- Davis Thompson ($6,900)
- Sungjae Im ($6,900)
- Adam Scott ($6,700) – looked good in Scotland.
- Nicolai ($6,700) & Rasmus Hojgaard ($6,500) – the “Twins for the Win” scenario didn’t work last week, but the pricing is good if you need quality players under $7K. Prefer Rasmus over Nicolai this week.
- Dean Burmester ($6,700)
- Christiaan Bezuidenhout ($6,600) – I’m hoping the withdrawal last week was just to get in more practice at Troon.
- Matthew Southgate ($6,000) – at The Open, someone you least expect to appear just does! I think it could be him this week…or one of the other Longshots below.
Under $6,000
- Ben Griffin ($5,900)
- Mackenzie Hughes ($5,900)
- Yannik Paul ($5,800)
- Stewart Cink ($5,600) – “someone you least expect”?
- Zach Johnson ($5,500) – ditto with Cink!
Longshot(s)
- Sahith Theegala ($7,200) – I like his current game and this price is fire!
- Tom McKibbin ($6,500) – last week was an anomaly for him. He plays well this week!
- Romain Langasque ($6,000) – 3rd and T9 in his last two events.
Ask questions on Discord if you have them. Make sure to tag me so I don’t miss it!
GOOD LUCK!!