Fantasy Golf: The U.S. Open Preview

The golf gods had apparently decided that we'd paid enough penance. From Brooks Koepka winning the PGA Championship in truly morose fashion to Jay Monahan selling-out the future of the game for a case of Penzoil, we were due for something good. And we got it on Sunday.

I'm not big on judging others based on their personal taste (that's a bold face lie) but, if you watched Sunday's playoff at the Canadian Open and didn't feel joy, you might actually be dead inside. Between the home crowd, almost 70 years since a Canuck had won it and the other pros out there supporting their respective boys, I'm not sure I've ever seen anything like it outside a Ryder Cup. For it to end on "The Putt" followed by "Le Tackle", was simply stupendous. 

I've watched it at least five times and the fact is that only golf can create that particular kind of moment. Yes golf is slow. But slow builds drama and allows time to appreciate what else is happening in the moment. No one gave a shit that all those celebrities watched the Nuggets win last night (especially Sean Payton and Russell Wilson who have been there for five minutes). But you put Mike Weir, Corey Conners, Adam Hadwin, Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton and Shane Lowry out there with a few beers rooting on their countrymen and it is fucking on. Just fantastic. All the way around.  

TWEET OF THE WEEK

I mean it's probably the tweet of the year and in the running for greatest golf tweets ever.

Put it in the Louvre! pic.twitter.com/ucQUqRhsM1

— adam hadwin (@ahadwingolf) June 12, 2023

GOLF ANALYSIS    

I know it's stating the obvious but the smart money is clearly on Scottie Scheffler this week. We know he's going to add a second major to his resume any minute now and he's proven that his game travels anywhere from Augusta to Scottsdale to Boston where he finished runner-up at last year's U.S. Open. No reason to think he's not going to be just as smooth in Los Angeles.

With that being said, I am a complete sucker for the sentimental pick. I mean I'm the guy who was re-watching episode 9 of Ted Lasso yesterday and almost started crying when Roy said, "So for Isaac to do what he did today, even though it was wrong... I give him love" (man it almost just got me again . . . DAMN YOU ROY KENT!).

So the pick this week is local kid made good Max Homa who we last saw in this vicinity after narrowly missing-out on a win at The Genesis Invitational promising to get it done. Well a win at Los Angeles Country Club this week would more than get it done. I know his major track record is dogshit but I am not swayed. It's gonna happen.

The rest of the picks tilt heavy to (a) players who should do well on a California course (Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa), (b) Australians because Paul McGinley says this feels like an Australian golf course (Jason Day and Adam Scott), and (c) Adam Hadwin because, I mean, who's not rooting for him this week? 

And that's it because frankly, I'm slightly pickled and it's all I got. Happy Father's Day to all my fellow dads. Enjoy getting that thing you didn't need or already had. 

One and Done Pick: Max Homa

Similarly, if you don't root for
Max Homa . . . just saying.

Other Guy I'd Pick: Scottie Scheffler

Sleeper Pick: Adam Hadwin

DraftKing Top Ten Values

Scottie Scheffler	$11,400
Max Homa	$9,400
Collin Morikawa	$9,300
Justin Thomas	$8,700
Dustin Johnson	$8,300
Jason Day	$8,100
Justin Rose	$7,700
Adam Scott	$7,500
Denny McCarthy	$7,200
Adam Hadwin	$6,900

Treat Williams passed away yesterday in a motorcycle accident which is a pretty bad ass way to go at 71. I never thought too much of him but always liked when he showed-up on screen. Then again, that was before I remembered that he played Berger in Hair. Wow. 

                                  THIS IS THE DAWNING OF THE AGE OF THIS

                                       HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE CHART

It's very hard to ignore the impressive U.S. Open records of Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele but I've managed to do it this week. Like I've said, you can't pick them all. This is the business we have chosen. 

	DK Price	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
Scottie Scheffler	$11,400	T2	T7	DNP	MC	DNP
Jon Rahm	$11,100	T12	1st	T23	T3	MC
Brooks Koepka	$10,800	55th	T4	DNP	2nd	1st
Patrick Cantlay	$10,300	T14	T15	T43	T21	T45
Viktor Hovland	$10,000	MC	W/D	T13	T12	DNP
Rory McIlroy	$9,900	T5	T7	T8	T9	MC
Xander Schauffele	$9,600	T14	T7	5th	T3	T6
Max Homa	$9,400	T47	MC	MC	DNP	DNP
Collin Morikawa	$9,300	T5	T4	MC	T35	DNP
Jordan Spieth	$9,200	T37	T19	MC	T65	MC
Matt Fitzpatrick	$9,100	1st	T55	MC	T12	T12
Cameron Smith	$9,000	MC	MC	T38	T72	MC
Tyrell Hatton	$8,900	T56	MC	MC	T21	T6
Tony Finau	$8,800	MC	MC	T8	MC	5th
Justin Thomas	$8,700	T37	T19	T8	MC	T25
Hideki Matsuyama	$8,600	4th	T26	T17	T21	T16
Shane Lowry	$8,500	MC	T65	T43	T28	MC
Sungjae Im	$8,400	MC	T35	22nd	DNP	MC
Dustin Johnson	$8,300	T24	T19	T6	T35	3rd
Sam Burns	$8,200	T27	MC	DNP	DNP	T41
Jason Day	$8,100	DNP	DNP	T38	T21	MC
Cameron Young	$8,000	MC	MC	DNP	MC	DNP
Tommy Fleetwood	$7,900	MC	T50	MC	T65	2nd
Corey Conners	$7,800	MC	MC	MC	DNP	DNP
Tom Kim	$7,800	23rd	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Joaquin Niemann	$7,700	T47	T31	T23	DNP	DNP
Justin Rose	$7,700	T37	MC	MC	T3	T10
B. DeChambeau	$7,600	T56	T26	1st	T35	T25
Keegan Bradley	$7,600	T7	DNP	MC	MC	MC
Sahith Theegala	$7,600	DNP	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP
Patrick Reed	$7,500	T49	T19	T13	T32	4th
Adam Scott	$7,500	T14	T35	T38	T7	MC
Wyndham Clark	$7,500	MC	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP
Rickie Fowler	$7,500	DNP	DNP	T49	T43	T20
Abraham Ancer	$7,400	DNP	MC	T56	T49	DNP
Alex Noren	$7,400	MC	DNP	T17	MC	T25
Taylor Montgomery	$7,400	MC	T57	DNP	DNP	DNP
Taylor Moore	$7,400	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Seamus Power	$7,300	T12	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Si Woo Kim	$7,300	MC	T40	MC	MC	MC
Victor Perez	$7,300	MC	MC	MC	DNP	DNP
Nick Taylor	$7,300	MC	DNP	DNP	T43	DNP
Keith Mitchell	$7,300	DNP	DNP	DNP	MC	DNP
Mito Pereira	$7,200	MC	DNP	DNP	MC	DNP
Harris English	$7,200	T61	3rd	4th	T58	DNP
Tom Hoge	$7,200	MC	T46	DNP	T43	DNP
Gary Woodland	$7,200	T10	T50	MC	1st	T36
Denny McCarthy	$7,200	T7	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Cam Davis	$7,200	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Billy Horschel	$7,100	MC	MC	T38	T32	DNP
Aaron Wise	$7,100	T27	DNP	DNP	T35	MC
Russell Henley	$7,100	MC	T13	DNP	DNP	T25
Sepp Straka	$7,100	MC	DNP	DNP	T28	DNP
Ryan Fox	$7,100	MC	DNP	MC	MC	T41
Chris Kirk	$7,100	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Justin Suh	$7,100	DNP	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP
Sergio Garcia	$7,000	MC	T19	MC	T52	MC
Luke List	$7,000	MC	DNP	DNP	MC	MC
Phil Mickelson	$7,000	MC	T62	MC	T52	T48
Emiliano Grillo	$7,000	DNP	DNP	DNP	T59	MC
K.H. Lee	$7,000	T37	MC	DNP	MC	DNP
Min Woo Lee	$7,000	T27	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Brian Harman	$6,900	T43	T19	T38	DNP	T36
Adam Hadwin	$6,900	T7	T40	54th	DNP	MC
Matt Kuchar	$6,900	DNP	MC	MC	T16	MC
Francesco Molinari	$6,800	MC	T13	DNP	T16	T25
Joel Dahmen	$6,800	T10	DNP	MC	MC	DNP
Kurt Kitayama	$6,800	MC	DNP	MC	DNP	DNP
Sebastian Munoz	$6,700	T14	MC	T59	MC	DNP
Mackenzie Hughes	$6,700	T24	T15	MC	DNP	MC
J.T. Poston	$6,700	DNP	T40	MC	DNP	DNP
Martin Kaymer	$6,500	DNP	T26	MC	T35	MC

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