2023 U.S. Open: Head-to-Head Matchups Odds, Picks & Predictions
It’s major championship week! The field will descend on Los Angeles this week in pursuit of the coveted U.S. Open Championship at The Los Angeles Country Club. Defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick, who captured his first career major at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., a year ago, will look to defend his title against a stacked field. 68 of the top 70 golfers in the world will be teeing it up Thursday.
We were 2-0-0 last week with our picks, bringing our record to 5-3 the last three weeks. Tyrrell Hatton and Justin Rose both cashed in their matchups, and we are feeling really good about this week’s matchups as well. LACC will set up as a traditional U.S. Open test. The rough will be tall and thick, and the yardage will be extensive. The course will play to 7,421 yards and par is 70. This will be LACC’s first time hosting a championship, which means we once again won’t have any course history to lean on this week. Success this week will depend on length and accuracy. Fairways and greens. Those who navigate the lengthy track the cleanest, and can putt well enough, should be at the top of the leaderboard come Sunday night. There are some juicy matchups out there so let’s get to the selections.
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2023 U.S. Open Championship Bets: Head-to-Head Matchups Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Justin Thomas over Jordan Spieth (+105)
This pick is more about Spieth than anything else. The 2015 U.S. Open champion suffered a moderate-grade tendon sheath tear in his wrist leading up to the Charles Schwab Challenge. Aside from a painkilling injection and some rest, the injury is going to linger. That’s not ideal when playing a U.S. Open, where the rough is as thick as any tournament. When Spieth misses the fairway, he’s going to be putting a ton of stress on the injury. I’m not confident that Spieth is even going to be able to make it to the weekend, but if he does it won’t be near the top of the leaderboard.
While Thomas doesn’t exactly inspire confidence when looking at his tournament history (two top-ten finishes in eight career appearances), the Louisville native is still 23rd on tour in SG:Total and 9th in SG:Around The Green. The big question mark is his putter. Thomas ranks 141st in SG:Putting. If he can find his putting stroke, he may be in the mix on Sunday. For purposes of this matchup, however, backing a healthy Thomas to finish ahead of an injured Spieth is a no-brainer.
Keegan Bradley over Joaquin Niemann (-110)
Golf is in the Bradley family’s blood. Keegan’s aunt is LPGA Tour legend Pat Bradley, his father Mark has been an active PGA member for over a quarter century, and Keegan himself has been swinging a golf club since he was three years old. Being around the game for so long may explain why the 37-year-old Keegan is so comfortable when the pressure is the highest. The Vermont native finished T-7 a year ago at Brookline and is quietly having a great season. Bradley has a win and four top-ten finishes in 16 starts this season and has fared well at the first two majors. Another solid performance on the biggest stage should be on tap this week.
Niemann has been playing on the LIV Tour in 2023. He has finished no higher than T-8 in seven LIV events this season. In the two majors this year, the Chilean missed the cut at The PGA Championship but did finish a respectable T-16 at Augusta in April. In four career appearances at the U.S. Open, Niemann has finished no better than T-23 and missed one cut. Backing the player in better form and with a better track record is the play here.
Adam Scott over Sungjae Im (-110)
This matchup is one where it seems the two players are headed in different directions with their seasons. Adam Scott got off to a slow start this year but has still managed to make the cut in all 12 appearances on tour. The positive sign here is the fact he has three top-ten finishes in his last four starts. The Australian is in excellent form. This week will be his 22nd start in a U.S. Open, and he finished T-7 last year. The 42-year-old is 28th on tour in SG:Total, 15th in SG:Off-The-Tee and 32nd in SG:Putting. All positive numbers here.
Im has had a solid season, with seven top-ten finishes, but his recent play is concerning. He has missed the weekend in two of his last three starts and finished T-41 at the Memorial Tournament. This will be just his fifth start at a U.S. Open, where he has missed two cuts and finished no higher than 22nd. The play here is Scott, and it’s a very confident one.
Best of luck this week if you’re tailing! Let’s cash some tickets!
2023 U.S. Open Golfer Profiles, Picks & Predictions
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- Scottie Scheffler
- Jon Rahm
- Brooks Koepka
- Rory McIlroy
- Xander Schauffele
- Patrick Cantlay
- Viktor Hovland
- Max Homa
- Collin Morikawa
- Tyrrell Hatton
- Matthew Fitzpatrick
- Justin Thomas
- Jordan Spieth
- Cameron Smith
- Tony Finau
- Shane Lowry
- Dustin Johnson
- Sam Burns
- Hideki Matsuyama
- Cameron Young
- Jason Day
- Sungjae Im
- Joaquin Niemann
- Tom Kim
- Corey Conners
- Tommy Fleetwood
- Justin Rose
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Rickie Fowler
- Patrick Reed
- Keegan Bradley
- Adam Scott
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