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With the start of the 2023 US Open now less than 24 hours away, all 156 players taking part will be making their final preparation before teeing it up at Los Angeles Country Club tomorrow. It’s the first time that the venue has hosted a major tournament which makes the event that bit more intriguing, not to mention the recent news surrounding the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.
While most people will expect the winner of the event to come from the pool of favourites, there are some dark horses that are worth keeping an eye on. After all, last year’s winner Matt Fitzpatrick was a 50/1 shot before the tournament to lift the famous trophy. Here are four names that could be worth keeping a close eye on this weekend.
Top US Open sleeper picks
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Jordan Spieth – 20/1 (21.0)
There was a period during the mid-2010s when Jordan Spieth went into every major tournament as one of the favourites. Unfortunately, the American has now gone six years without a major triumph and has slid down the world rankings.
That doesn’t mean to say that Spieth is in any way a bad player all of a sudden – in fact, the 29-year-old has had a decent season on the PGA Tour so far. He has had six top-ten finishes and finished in a tie for fifth at his most recent event – the Memorial Tournament.
He is currently ranked tenth in the world and has fully recovered from the wrist injury that bothered him throughout the PGA Championship. If Spieth’s putter gets hot in Los Angeles, as it has been known to do over the years, then that price of 20/1 is going to very quickly evaporate.
Max Homa – 22/1 (23.0)
Los Angeles Country Club is effectively Max Homa’s home course. The 32-year-old grew up around 18 miles up the road from the venue and he has been speaking all week about how excited he is to play in front of a home crowd at a major championship.
Homa will have more than just home support on his side, he will also have vital experience of playing the course. There aren’t many players in the field who have ever even played a competitive round of golf at the club whereas Homa holds the course record. Back in 2013, he shot an incredible round of 61 as a College student and no one has managed to beat it in the ten years since.
Another boost for the American going into the event is his form over the past year. During the 2022/23 season, he has two wins to his name with the most recent one coming at the Farmers Insurance Open back in January. With so much on his side this week, 22/1 looks a great price. If you’re unsure, then consider an each-way bet instead.
In 2013, shortly after the restoration at LACC, the North Course held the Pac-12 Championship.
Some relevant results from that week:
1. Max Homa (-9, 61-70-71-69)
10. Jon Rahm (+5)
T-11. Patrick Rodgers (+7)
T-11. Michael Kim (+7)
T-21. CT Pan (+11)
T-29. Stew Hagestad (+14) pic.twitter.com/baZHaHiHte— The Fried Egg (@the_fried_egg) June 12, 2023
Matt Fitzpatrick – 25/1 (26.0)
Last year, Matt Fitzpatrick was a 50/1 shot to win the US Open but he defied those odds to claim his first major championship. This year, those odds have been halved which suggests it should be a walk in the park this time around for the Englishman.
In reality, it would be a monumental effort for Fitzpatrick to repeat his heroics from 2022 this time around but it’s not impossible. He recently won his second event on the PGA Tour when he beat Jordan Spieth in a playoff to claim the RBC Heritage which shows he has the metal to deal with high-pressure situations.
After missing the cut at the PGA Championship, he will be chomping at the bit to get started on Thursday and you would be foolish to rule him out.
Tommy Fleetwood – 30/1 (31.0)
It may seem like a brave call to back someone who has never won an event on the PGA Tour before, never mind a major, but we still are when it comes to Tommy Fleetwood for several reasons. For starters, he is coming into the event in red-hot form after a superb performance at the Canadian Open last weekend where he narrowly lost out in a playoff to Nick Taylor.
Secondly, he has been showing more aggression in his approach shots ever since he started working with Butch Harmon. While Fleetwood has always been a consistent performer, that new level of aggression could quite easily take his game to a whole new level and see him collect multiple PGA titles. Who is to say that can’t start this week in Los Angeles?
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