PGA DFS Playbook: U.S. Open

The toughest decision this week is which of the top priced options to ride from a fit and ownership standpoint.  Justin is just too hard to ignore with his skill set for this golf course.  He sits at 5th in the world golf rankings and 3rd in FedEx Cup Points after last week’s third place at the RBC Canadian.  The reigning PGA Champion is looking to add another trophy to his already impressive collection. 

Is he playing at the top of his game?  No, he’s not.  Is he still one of the best ball strikers in the world?  Yes, he is.  The number two player in the world is looking to defend his 2021 U.S. Open title on a completely different course except for the green which are poa annua once again.  He has a good track record on these greens.  Rahm ranks tops on the PGA Tour in both Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and Greens in Regulation and top five in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green.  We saw him bounce back from his 48th place at the PGA Championship to finish Top 10 at the Memorial.  I’m ready to see him come out strong on day one and stay in the mix throughout the weekend. 

I just couldn’t bring myself to pass on him in this week’s playbook.  He seems to be a man on a mission right now especially with all the LIV Tour talk.  In his last five starts since the Masters, he’s finished 2nd-5th-8th-18th-1st.  There is no doubt that he wants to show the world that the best players in the world are still competing on the PGA Tour week in, week out.  The man still strikes the ball better than most anyone on the PGA Tour ranking 1st in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green and 3rd in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee.  The difference in his game has been his putting which is 31st on tour right now.  You also have to like that he’s Top 35 in Bogey Avoidance, which is a very important stat this weekend. 

When you look at this course, it seems like it’s tailor made for his game.  The 10th ranked player in the world is looking for his second U.S. Open title after his 2015 victory at Chambers Bay and his first major championship since the 2017 Open Championship.  The putter has failed him this season but ranking Top 30 in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, Approach, Around the Green, and Tee to Green.  He has a win and another two Top 10s in his last five starts.

It has been quite a ride for Zalatoris over his last seven starts.  He had five Top 10 finishes and two missed cuts, that’s about as boom and bust as it gets.  Two of those Top 10s have come at the first two major championships of the season.  I just hope the sting of his playoff loss at the PGA Championship has worn off.  The 14th best player in the world ranks 1st in Strokes Gained: Approach, 2nd in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, 6th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, 6th in Greens in Regulation, and Top 30 in Scoring Average, Birdie Average, and Bogey Avoidance.  He has something to prove!.

There is nothing not to love about this irishman.  He just plays and competes every single week.  The man hasn’t missed a cut during the 2022 calendar year with seven Top 15 finishes just in the United States.  He is not the biggest hitter but ranks Top 25 in Scoring Average, Strokes Gained: Approach, Strokes Gained; Putting, and Strokes Gained: Tee to Green.  I also love that he’s 3rd on the tour in Bogey Avoidance which is vital to success at the U.S. Open.  We need smart course managers and he’s one of the best playing on the PGA Tour.  

He has three Top 10 finishes in his last four start, his one missed cut was at the Memorial.  He doesn’t have a PGA Tour victory yet which is shocking knowing how good he is especially his demeanor on the course.  You aren’t going to find a better player across the board with his statistics.  He is 25th or better in every strokes gained category including 2nd on the PGA Tour in Total.  Matt is also Top 10 in Bogey Avoidance which we’ve talked about the importance of that stat this weekend.  It is going to happen sooner rather than later with this kid

He battled through a wrist injury earlier this season but seems to have turned a corner to his old form.  When he is on, there are few guys on the PGA Tour with a more well rounded game than him.  Despite the injury, he has still maintained Top 50 rankings in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, Approach, Around the Green, Tee to Green and Total.  The four time PGA Tour winner is still searching for that first major championship but has the game to get one.  He has two Top 10 finishes in this championship in his last four trips.  Berger ended the 2021 season Top 5 in Bogey Avoidance.  

The only problem is Max these days is he is no longer an under the radar play.  Everyone knows him from his terrific play on the course to his awesome presence on social media.  The man hasn’t missed a cut since late January and has nine Top 25 finishes over those 11 starts including a victory at the Wells Fargo.  Homa is 23rd in the world rankings and Top 10 in the FedEx Cup Standings.  The dude ranks Top 30 in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, Approach, Putting, Tee to Green, Total, Birdie Average, and Scoring Average.  He will likely be a popular play especially at this price point.  

Finishes of 21st or better in seven of his last 10 starts on the PGA Tour (6th place just last week at the RBC).  The ball striking ability is off the charts but the reason for the consistency has been his putting has been much better.  It isn’t anything to write home about but for him, much improved.  4th in Greens in Regulation, 8th in Strokes Gained Off the Tee, 13th in Scoring Average, 21st in Strokes Gained Tee to Green, 26th in Strokes Gained: Approach and Driving Accuracy.  Top 40 in Bogey Avoidance and I love his iron play on this track.  Play the good Canadian boy with confidence.

Disappointing 35th place at the Charles Schwab after his Top 5 at the PGA Championship  but that won’t stop me from rostering him at another major.  Prior to his PGA Top 5, he had made 7 of his last 8 cuts with 4 Top 20 finishes.  It is shocking to me that a player of his caliber doesn’t have a PGA Tour victory but six on the international stage.  I love him this weekend because he’s 9th in Scoring Average, 15th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green, 18th in Strokes Gained: Putting, and 40th in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green.  I’ll probably keep him in my tournament lineups only this weekend. 

After a mid-season lull, the 21st ranked player in the world has gotten his game back in tune at the perfect time.  He has five straight paydays heading into this weekend with finishes of 21st or better in all of them.  Sungjae did not play in the PGA because of a COVID positive but finished Top 10 at Augusta.  I love him this weekend because he ranks Top 15 in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, Around the Green, Off the Tee, Greens in Regulation, Bogey Avoidance and Scoring Average.  He is a player I feel like is totally flying under the radar this weekend.  

I think the game is coming around and it showed at the PGA Championship with a Top 20 finish.  He also made the cut at the Masters as well.  Once again, there is no need to go through the stats but he can still drive the ball straight and perform magic tricks around the greens.  Webb does have a U.S. Open title under his belt from 2012 with four other Top 20 finishes in his career.  He’ll be a risky play but one that could pay off big if it hits in Boston.

It is hard to believe that this guy is probably the hottest player on the PGA Tour.  He has six straight finishes inside the Top 13 and four of them were inside the Top 10.  This 25-year-old out of Alabama ranks Top 60 in Birdie Average, Scoring Average, Greens in Reguation, Driving Distance, Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, and Strokes Gained: Putting.  Riley has shown to be successful on a multitude of courses because of his putting.  I trust him against this field, you should too.   

When I was looking through the players in this price range, there is just something I didn’t like about each one.  Tringale stood out to me as a safe option, not a play that jumps off the page but safe.  Tringale has made the cut in seven of his last eight starts with two Top 15s.  He is one of those players who is pretty consistent throughout the bag and no glaring weakness.  We know he has skills on and around the greens which will serve him well in Boston.

This pick may look crazy on the surface knowing that he missed the cut in his last four stroke play events but I really like him this weekend.  One of the keys to success at The Country Club is keeping the ball on the fairway and he does that better than most everyone on the PGA Tour.  I also love how consistently good he is on and around the greens.  I think he could surprise people this weekend and pay off big in tournament lineups.

Well, how about that!  Danny paid off for us last weekend at the RBC Canadian finishing Top 10 and hopefully some of you made cash.  I told you last week that he is one of the streakest players on the PGA Tour and he’s definitely heating up.  He’s made the cut in two of his last three starts.  There is no reason to list his stats because they are not good but the game seems to be coming around.  He is only playing in tournaments.  

Hossler has made the cut in four straight starts including two finishes of 21st or better at the Charles Schwab and Byron Nelson.  He has been great on the greens all season ranking 4th in Strokes Gained: Putting and that’s important on these poa annua greens.  He made the cut at the Memorial, Farmers and finished 3rd at Pebble Beach which all feature those greens.  I don’t think you need to dive deep into the 6K range this weekend but if you need too, he’s a nice tournament play.