FanDuel The Open
Royal Birkdale
July 20th - 23rd
The format:
Three Premium Priced picks ($8,000+)
One Mid-tier Priced picks ($6,000- $8,000)
Two Bargain Basement picks ($6,000-)
My final two picks are: Jon Rahm and Wesley Bryan
Pricey Picks ($8,000+)
Tommy Fleetwood ($8,100)
Adam Scott ($8,600)
Rickie Fowler ($9,600)
Tommy was born in Southport, this is his home turf. He finished 4th at the US Open possibly hinting at his strong ability to play links courses. Adam Scott isn't getting the press he deserves for his season right now. 15th in the OWGR, he has finished in the top 10 in 3 of the last 6 PGA tour events including a 9th place finish on the big stage at the Masters and 6th place at the Players Championship. He did miss the cut at the US Open (as did a few other picks here, we shall see how that plays out). I think Adam (who finished 43rd last year at the Open and 10th in 2015) could be a top 10 finish that people are not paying attention to. Rickie has to win one of these majors, he's playing so well he simply has to. His last 4 majors: 5th at 2017 US Open, 11th at 2017 Masters, 33rd at 2016 PGA Championship and 46th at 2016 The Open (note the trend there, steady 15 spot improvement in each major event).
Mid-Tier Pick ($6,000-$8,000):
Lee Westwood ($7,000)
Lee has been playing much of his 2017 tour in Europe which should help him transfer easier to this tournament. Among his last 10 starts he has: five top 20 finishes, 1 finish between 25-50, two 50-70 place finishes, 2 Missed Cuts. That's not bad from a player who finished 22nd at the Open last year, 49th in 2015, Missed the Cut in 2014 and 3rd in 2013.
Bargain Picks ($6,000-):
Charles Howell III ($5,200)
Emiliano Grillo ($6,000)
Charles doesn't have large success with The Open but his success at John Deere runs a continuation of the great season he is having. 18 consecutive made cuts. 7 top 20 finishes this year among 13 starts. For a $5,200 price, there is potential for a top 30 finish with Charles. Top 20 finish for Emiliano last year, he's made cuts in 12 of his last 13 tournaments. The one missed cut was the US Open which some argued is similar to a links course but for $6,000, I think the potential for a top 25 finish is worth it.