PGA DFS Core Plays: U.S. Open
Top-ranked DFS player, Notorious, breaks down his favorite PGA DFS picks at various salary ranges for this week’s tournament. Who should you be building around? Find out below.
For the second consecutive week, we had outright bets on three of the top five favorites heading into the final round. For the second straight week, we weren’t able to find a winner but were able to cash a placement parlay to secure a small profit. While the ending of the RBC Canadian Open was incredible, we have to turn the page and focus our attention on the year’s third major. Los Angeles Country Club is set to host a major for the first time and this is the most excited I can ever remember being about a course.
LACC was originally designed by George Thomas (who also designed Riviera and Bel-Air) and was restored by Gil Hanse and Geoff Shackelford in 2010. This Par 70 measures 7,421 yards on the scorecard, but the yardage is going to vary greatly on a day-to-day basis. The teeing areas aren’t your typical small tee boxes, so they can play around with the yardages, especially on the par threes. Speaking of the par threes, there are five of them on the scorecard and they might range between 80 and 290 yards during the course of the four rounds.
In my opinion, this is the most unique venue for the U.S. Open since Chambers Bay. It’s not that I see a lot of similarities between the two, but they are courses unlike anything we’ve seen before. Almost every fairway at LACC has a lot of slope and most of them are quite wide. This is vastly different from the narrow fairways and thick rough that we typically see at a USGA setup. Rather than relying on pure distance off the tee, golfers will need to shape their shots in order to find the right part of the fairway. Given the expected firm and fast conditions, we are going to see a ton of roll-out and many drives will end up in the lower part of the fairway (blind second shot) or in the rough.
Based on interviews and course fly-overs, I don’t see this as a bomber’s course. There is always a benefit to length off the tee, but I don’t see it as a prerequisite for success at this course. The green complexes here vary in shape and size and there are run-off areas on most of the holes. We typically see thick rough around the green at a U.S. Open, which leads to golfers hacking it out of the rough when they miss greens. The run-offs, the slopes, and the bunkers here will require more creativity than most U.S. Open venues. I’ve heard the word “strategic” thrown around time and time again when talking about what type of golfer will perform well here.
There aren’t any water hazards on the course, but there is a barranca that runs through a number of the holes, especially on the front nine. It’s essentially a dried-out riverbed. There will be many good and bad breaks from balls hit into the barranca this week. The bunkers are going to be a real hazard this week, as there are plenty of them on the property. They might be the most aesthetically pleasing bunkers I have ever seen, as they don’t have clean edges and are surrounded by bushy rough. This course is rustic, this course is beautiful, and this course should be a solid all-around test of golf.
PGA DFS Picks: DraftKings & FanDuel Core Plays for the U.S. Open
Field Breakdown Video & Model Download Link for the U.S. Open
Field Size:
- 150 golfers
Cut Rule:
- Top 60 and ties move on after the first two rounds
Weather Forecasts
- Kevin Roth’s forecast (link coming soon)
- Windfinder
- Weather Channel
Golf Course
- Los Angeles Country Club (North Course)
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Par 70 — 7,423 yards
- Unique Par 70 in that it features three par fives and five par threes
- Has never hosted a major, but did host the 2017 Walker Cup
- Bermuda rough and fairways, bentgrass greens
- Rough length: 3-4 inches
Course Notes
- George Thomas original design (also designed Riviera)
- Gil Hanse renovation with Jim Wagner and Geoff Shackelford
- Watching the fly-over videos and seeing pictures of the course, it looks incredible
- Some holes feature 75+ yard fairways
- The rough is thick, but the course is generous off the tee
- The bunkers are going to be a true hazard
- The greens are large, undulating, and feature run-off areas
- Unique setup for a U.S. Open, as it usually turns into who can hit it the farthest and straightest
- This course should fit more golfers in terms of skill sets
- No water hazards on the course, but there is a steep barranca that runs through a number of holes
- Scoring might be a little better than usual U.S. Open, but an all-around test awaits
What to Look For
- Strokes Gained Approach
- Strokes Gained Off the Tee
- Bogey Avoidance
- Strokes Gained Around the Green
- Strokes Gained Putting (Emphasis on Bent)
- Major Experience
- U.S. Open Experience
- California Experience
