Joey Ricotta | June 16th, 2019
Justin Thomas not making the cut might be the biggest surprise of the tournament but there are a few others as well. Gary Woodland leading the field at 11 under is somewhat surprising, considering he had never finished above sixth place in a Major (2018 PGA Championship). and Justin Rose in second place at -10. Many golfers still have hopes of taking the iconic walk down the 18th-hole fairway along the Pacific Ocean, with themselves in position to win the U.S. Open. Let’s take a look at some golfers to target for the final round of the tournament and the showdown slate on Draftkings.
Brooks Koepka ($10,400)
You just can’t get rid of this guy. He’s won the last two U.S. Opens and still finds himself in a good position to make it a third straight, heading into the final day. He finds himself starting out seven under par and four off of the lead. Koepka leads all golfers in strokes gained off approach with 6.97.
Patrick Cantlay ($8,400)
I’m just not ready to write Cantlay off. Winning the tournament? Fine. He’s probably not winning it. But after a rough first two rounds, Cantlay turned in a third round score of 68, converting six birdies. His tee-to-green numbers were much better than his first two rounds and that can be attributed to a lot of his success. Cantlay is still coming off of top ten finishes in each of his last four tournaments, including the Masters and a third-place finish in the PGA Championship. Look for Cantlay to make a push today.
Graeme McDowell ($7,800)
As I stated in the first DFS article, McDowell seems to understand this course. After winning the U.S. Open in 2010 at Pebble Beach, McDowell has turned in three solid rounds of golf. Solid enough to put him tied for ninth at four under par. He’s kind of a risk taker, which gives you an uneasy feeling when rostering him. PERFECT.
Louis Oosthuizen ($8,800)
Oosthuizen was looked at as a dark horse coming into the tournament because of his lackluster recent play. But he’s come close to winning a number of times, including a second place finish at the Valspar Championship. He’s cheaper than Gary Woodland and Justin Rose, and he’s only four off the lead.
Nate Lashley ($6,600)
Lashley, sitting at two under par after shooting a one-under round three. He has a 67% GIR (Greens in Regulation) percentage for the tournament. And shot 72% GIR for round three, helping him to knock in three birdies. Lashley has a cheap salary and birdie upside on Championship Sunday.
Other Targets: Gary Woodland, Justin Rose, Matt Kuchar, Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, and Dustin Johnson.
Takeaway
Everyone and their mom will be looking at the top two golfers on the leaderboard. I’m not telling you not to put them in your lineup, but there are reasons to look elsewhere, or at the very least take risks at the other positions around them in your roster builds. You’re looking for golfers who will have good finishes, with the potential to win, and golfers with multiple eagles and birdies upside. In other words, golfers who may be down and looking to take risks. The players at the very top may be looking to play it safer. THE UPSIDE IS IN THE BIRDIES AND EAGLES.
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