Diane Knox Balas
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We have another winner! It took four extra holes, going head-to-head against Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, but my 75/1 pick of Nick Taylor defied the odds and made a 72-foot putt to clinch victory. The Canadian became the first to win their National Open in 69 years and Oakdale went crazy. What a moment in golf.
I was obviously delighted that my pick won, and hopefully you made some cash too. But I was so happy for the RBC Canadian Open, who once again gave us a week to remember and a dramatic climax that will go down in history. At the start of the week, the announcement of the PGA Tour/DP World Tour/LIV Golf “merger” sent shockwaves through the golf, and sports, industry and took a little shine off the RBC Canadian Open. However, once play began and the Canadians started to play well, excitement flowed and we were given some of the best tournament action of the year. Also, if you haven’t seen Taylor’s fellow Canadian, Adam Hadwin, being tackled to the ground whilst spraying a champagne bottle, look it up. It’s the second best moment of Sunday.
We move onto the third Major of 2023, and this one has been highly anticipated for a long time. Los Angeles Country Club enters the U.S. Open rotation and this stunning piece of property is going to be the true star of the show. LACC is extremely prestigious and exclusive, and it was a shock to many when the membership agreed to host the U.S. Open this year, allowing thousands of spectators to walk the grounds each day. The property is valued in the BILLIONS, and many celebrities reside on the course, including Lionel Richie, and the former Playboy Mansion sits above the 13th green.
The course held the 2017 Walker Cup, where the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa convincingly beat the team from Great Britain and Ireland. There’s going to be many storylines this week, like the chit-chat surrounding the PGA Tour and LIV, what comes next, and some more player reaction. Can Phil Mickelson actually contend this week and complete the career grand slam? Will Brooks Koepka’s Major dominance continue? Can Jon Rahm win his second U.S. Open, and his second Major of 2023? Safe to say it’s a huge week in the world of golf.
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Los Angeles Country Club (North Course): What you need to know
This U.S. Open has been a long time coming. There’s so much excitement around LACC and the gem that we’re going to see the world’s best compete on this week for the third Major of the year. This is some of the most expensive golf course real estate in the country, and it’s easy to see why. This is also the first time the U.S. Open has been held in Los Angeles in 75 years.
The fairways are wide, and I’ve heard a lot of analysts say that this could be the easiest, lowest scoring U.S. Open that we’ve seen in a long time. However, as wide as the fairways may seem on paper, the slopes and fairway bunkers will make them narrower if you want to be in the best position. Plus, the U.S. Open rough is always a huge talking point, and it’s especially rough around the greens so optimum fairway position will be vital.
The longer hitters look to be at an advantage this week, as they’ll be able to clear a lot of the trouble. Plus, some of these holes are monstrous, with #14 being a 623 yard par-5 and #11 is a 290 yard par-3.
The green complexes are going to present a variety of options for the field, with large run-offs, elevation changes and undulation.
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Knox’s Knockout U.S. Open Picks
Cam Smith (+3000 at DK Sportsbook)
There’s a few phrases that immediately make me gravitate towards Aussie Cam Smith. At the start of the week, I heard Billy Horschel talking about LACC and he noted that the wide fairways and setup are very reminiscent of courses in Australia. Check! He also said that golfers will be faced with a variety of options when playing around the small greens, and that should be music to the ears of Cam who loves to play creatively to set up his scoring opportunities. Since his mediocre performance at the Masters, Smith has finished within the top-11 in four LIV events and T9 at the PGA Championship. He’s an amazing putter, short-game wizard and thrives at these big events in a very unassuming manner.
Max Homa (+3000 at BetMGM)
Is peer pressure making me pick the Cali King this week? Well, yes…and the fact that if he does prove everyone right and win this one, I’ll be gutted to have missed him off my card. Max is from Los Angeles, has won four times in his home state and he won the 2013 Pac-12 Championship at LACC with a course record-setting 61 in the opening round. Homa is one of very few players who has competitive experience here under his belt. He has that on his side, but also the pressure of being a hometown favorite. Max has truly established himself as a top-tier player, and is coming off a T9 in his last start at Colonial three weeks ago. After his sister’s wedding and a nice break with family, Homa will be fresh, raring to go and well aware of what he’ll have to do this week to capture his first Major. It’s impossible not to root for him.
Sam Burns (+7500 at FanDuel)
I was on the fence about picking Burns, but I love this price, so I’m throwing him into the mix. Burns missed the cut in Canada last week, but before that, he was coming off a T16 and a T6. His ball striking has been excellent, aside from last week, but I’m not reading too much into that; everyone has an off-week. Burns has been putting well and sits at #9 in strokes gained: putting for the season. At 19th in driving distance, Sam will benefit from his length off the tee around LACC.
Sahith Theegala (+12500 at PointsBet)
Californians play well in California, and I’m looking at Sahith Theegala this week, born and raised in Orange County and a star of LA’s Pepperdine University golf team. He finished T4 at the Farmers in San Diego this year, and then T6 at LA’s other tournament on the 2023 schedule, the Genesis at Riviera. Theegala is a big hitter but his putting has been the star of the show lately; he sits 7th in putting average and gained three strokes on the greens in his last four starts. His off-the-tee has been bothersome, but the wider fairways plus his length should help him this week, and his crafty short game will really be an assist. A U.S. Open is tough, as are all the Majors, but his top-10 at the Masters should Sahith some additional confidence.
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