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2021 U.S. Open: Dark Horses

By Richard McCusker

KIAWAH ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA - MAY 23: Garrick Higgo of South Africa plays his shot from the seventh tee during the final round of the 2021 PGA Championship held at the Ocean Course of Kiawah Island Golf Resort on May 23, 2021 in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/2021 Getty Images)
KIAWAH ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA - MAY 23: Garrick Higgo of South Africa plays his shot from the seventh tee during the final round of the 2021 PGA Championship held at the Ocean Course of Kiawah Island Golf Resort on May 23, 2021 in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/2021 Getty Images) /
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Before I jump into this week’s tournament, I wanted to do a quick recap for the Palmetto Championship. My three dark horses were Joseph Bramlett, Hank Lebioda, and Bronson Burgoon. Bramlett finished 5-under in a tie for 25th. Lebioda finished 4-under in a tie for 31st. Lastly Burgoon was just awful all around, never even showing any positivity in his golf game in the two rounds. The two that made the cut (Bramlett & Lebioda) played so well, finishing inside the cutline and climbing up the board, which was big! They turned out to be great value plays for DFS. Hopefully we can find more of those value plays for this week’s, U.S. Open.

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This week, the PGA Tour is heading to Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, California for the U.S. Open. This is our third major of the year! This is a jam packed field, which means it can be hard to find some value since all the top players in the world are here. We saw most of the top guys finish at the top in 2020, but we did see (at the time) longshot, Will Zalatoris towards the top. Also guys like Adam Long and Alex Noren found their way into the top 20.

This week I will be providing three dark horses, meaning players that are longshots, but could play really well for their low salary. These dark horses are golfers that are $7,500 and below. Also I use DraftKings, so these prices will be for their website, but the players can be used on FanDuel as well.

Dark Horse Number 1

Garrick Higgo ($7,200) – Higgo is one of my dark horses because this guy has won three times in his last five outings on both tours. Winning last week, I expect him to be higher owned, but it is hard to fade a guy with that many wins so close together. 16 rounds in the 60’s in his last 20 rounds played. Four are 63’s, and three are 64’s. His stats on the Euro Tour are not showing that he will play well here, but I am ignoring that for him just because the recent form. This guy clearly has his game figured out and makes him a pretty safe value play.

Last Five Finishes on Tour: 1st, MC, 1st (EURO), 8th (EURO), 1st (EURO)

Last Three Finishes Here: He has yet to play in a U.S. Open.

Key Stats:

Driving Distance: 14th (Euro Tour)

SG: Approach: 96th (Euro Tour)

SG: Around The Green: 159th (Euro Tour)

Par 4s Scoring Average: 125th (Euro Tour)

Dark Horse Number 2

Carlos Ortiz ($7,100) – The recent form is solid, the stats almost all line up. This is why Carlos Ortiz is another one of my dark horses. He only played the 2019 U.S. Open and came in a tie for 52nd, but he has grown as a player since than and has show he can win tournaments. He is inside the top 40 in two of the key stats and inside the top 30 for one of them. His worst is SG Approach, but with a recent 16th place finish it seems like the rest of his game can help him contend.

Last Five Finishes on Tour: 16th, 40th, 55th, 21st, MC

Last Three Finishes Here: U.S. Open moves every year, his last U.S. Open results are T52 (2019), he did not play in 2021 or 2018.

Key Stats:

Driving Distance: 39th

SG: Approach: 116th

SG: Around The Green: 36th

Par 4s Scoring Average: 28th

Next. 2021 Palmetto Championship: Winners and Losers from Congaree. dark

Dark Horse Number 3

Robert Macintyre ($7,000) – My final dark horse is Lefty Bob. Macintyre is my final dark horse because he is playing great and the stats are actually really well for a $7,000 option. His stats come from the Euro Tour which will make things a little different, but his recent finishes are also great. Consistently making cuts and climbing the leaderboard on both tours, I think he is a guy that has a ton of upside this week.

Last Five Finishes on Tour: 37th (EURO), 49th, 8th (EURO), 59th, 12th

Last Three Finishes Here: U.S. Open moves every year, his last three U.S. Open results are T56 (2021), he did not play in 2019 or 2018.

Key Stats:

Driving Distance: 85th (Euro Tour)

SG: Approach: 76th (Euro Tour)

SG: Around The Green: 16th (Euro Tour)

Par 4s Scoring Average: 33rd (Euro Tour)

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