Steve Palmer
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The 3rd golf major of the year takes place this week as the 2023 US Open emanates from Los Angeels Country Club. Early starters should get the best of the conditions in the first round and two players are nominated as potential hot starters on the leaderboard after their opening 18 holes and to be first round leader. Let’s dive into our best bets.
Get Diane Knox Balas’ 2023 US Open best bets — she had a 75-1 winner with Nick Taylor last week!
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2023 US Open first round leader best bet: Bryson DeChambeau (+4500)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
The US Open trophy was lifted by Bryson DeChambeau 3 years ago and the resurgent Californian can have high hopes of threatening a second Major title at Los Angeles Country Club on Sunday.
DeChambeau, a 6-shot US Open victor at Winged Foot in 2020, has slowly but surely got back to full fitness over the last year or so. This lean, mean golfing machine finished 4th in the PGA Championship a month ago and looks ready to challenge for the game’s highest honors again.
Either side of his bold Oak Hill effort, DeChambeau has played well on the LIV circuit, and his recent Thursday efforts in the US Open further encourage a first-round-leader investment. He averages 70.5 in round one of the last 4 US Opens, which is impressive when you consider how difficult the US Open set-up has traditionally been.
From a 7:40 am PT starting berth, Bryson DeChambeau should be able to take advantage of perfect weather. Some early drizzle is expected to soften the track, with windless skies forecast for his entire round.
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2023 US Open first round leader prediction: Patrick Rodgers (+13000)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Another powerhouse on offer at even greater odds for first-round-leader honors is Patrick Rodgers, who should feel right at home in the Golden State this week. He spent his college days in California – at Stanford – and was so successful that he looked set to become a superstar.
Rodgers has not managed to turn those heroics as an amateur into a glorious PGA Tour career, but he finished 6th in the 2015 Frys.com Open, 4th in the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open, 8th in the 2018 Pebble Beach Pro-Am and 6th in the 2021 Fortinet Championship, regularly appearing on leaderboards in California.
Like DeChambeau, Rodgers has got an early launchpad from which to attack LACC, teeing off at 7:18 am PT. He has started solidly in all 4 of his previous US Opens, carding Thursday rounds of 73, 72, 70 and 69, and those progressive figures can continue in Los Angeles.
Rodgers followed up 29th place in the PGA Championship a month ago with 30th spot in the Memorial. He can boast 8 top-20 finishes on the PGA Tour this season.
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