The one golf tournament every year that seems to be synonymous with mayhem and carnage is the US Open. The United States Golf Association (USGA) is tasked with setting up the ultimate test for the best golfers in the world. Although this year’s venue is far from prototypical, it should be mentioned that Los Angeles Country Club (LACC) is extremely adaptable and can be made immediately more difficult on a whim.
PGA DFS: US Open 2023 Breakdown
LACC is a par-70 that stretches to more than 7,400 yards. Length-wise, it’s middle of the pack. The difficulty with the US Open is the grueling nature of the 72 holes, with an obvious emphasis on perfection. As one might imagine, perfection mentioned alongside championship golf is an oxymoron. Scoring par on most of these holes will elicit an earned sigh of relief. Poor shots are penalized with Draconian consequences, while most good shots will be rewarded with a scoring opportunity. The key to winning will ultimately be survival.
Winning at PGA DFS carries plenty of caveats. Naturally, you want all six golfers on your roster to make the 36-hole cut (top 60 and ties after round two). After that, scoring is about making birdies and avoiding bogeys (or worse). Bonus points are awarded for higher standings and birdie streaks of three consecutive holes.
You’ll hear me say the word ‘leverage’ a lot when speaking about PGA DFS. Leverage is about positioning. It isn’t so much who you play but rather who you don’t. It’s risky to roster a golfer who is also rostered heavily by opposing lineups. There’s almost no reward when that player succeeds, par at best, to use a golf analogy. To make money playing DFS, it requires taking chances and making birdies when others are settling for par.
A popular player is deemed ‘chalky.’ Good chalk is a popular player who is nearly certain to succeed. Bad chalk is a risky player that too many people have hitched their wagons to. A profitable DFS lineup will have a nice blend of good chalk and successful leverage. A leverage play is a good play that isn’t rostered by many… “lifting” it above the field. Here’s how I’m attacking PGA DFS for the US Open.
PGA DFS: US Open 2023 Picks
(Prices courtesy of DraftKings)
High-Priced ($9,000 & Higher)
Good Chalk: Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland
Bad Chalk: Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy
Leverage: Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith
Mid-Priced ($7,600 – $8,900)
Good Chalk: Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama
Bad Chalk: Tyrrell Hatton, Tony Finau, Tommy Fleetwood, Bryson DeChambeau
Leverage: Justin Thomas, Sam Burns, Joaquin Niemann
Value-Priced ($7,500 & Lower)
Good Chalk: Wyndham Clark, Adam Scott, Si Woo Kim
Bad Chalk: Denny McCarthy, Mito Pereira, Patrick Reed, Rickie Fowler
Leverage: Alex Noren, Eric Cole, Kurt Kitayama, Justin Suh
Thanks for checking out my PGA DFS picks for the US Open 2023! Find all my work on Twitter, @Bo_McBigTime, and check out my huge collection of decadence at BigTime FlavorCo.