Sub $8K Draftkings Value Plays by @Blatant_Chief
Yesterday we saw the young South African phenom Garrick Higgo overtake Chesson Hadley on Sunday at the Palmetto Championship...now we shift our focus 3,000 miles West for the year’s 3rd major: The 121st United States Open Championship at Torrey Pines South Course.
Torrey Pines is a municipal golf masterpiece perched above the bluffs of La Jolla in San Diego. There are two courses: the North and the South. While the North is used for one round during the Farmers Insurance Open played here every February, the U.S. Open is contested only on the South-a long, difficult trek along the scenic Pacific Coast. The course will play as a Par 71, at 7,685 yards, with THICK kikuyu grass rough, and a mix of bent and poa annua on the greens. Fans will best remember the South course from one of the most iconic moments in golf history, when in 2008 Tiger miraculously defeated Uncle Rocco Mediate on a Monday following an improbable birdie on 18 Sunday to force the playoff, all while playing with a mangled leg.
This year the big storyline will be Jon Rahm gunning for his first major after an abrupt exit from the Memorial due to a positive Covid test while holding a 6-shot lead on Saturday a fortnight ago. Coupled with the drama between Bryson and Brooksy, plus Uncle Phil trying to complete the elusive career Grand Slam, what more could we ask for on Fathers Day weekend? God Bless America!
Now, without further adieu, here are my top value plays under $8,000 on Draftkings...
$7,900-Uncle Paul Casey-since Justin Rose is $8K even, I hereby pass down the “J Rose Sub-8K Hammer Law” to his compatriot, Uncle Paul Casey. There may be no one more due for a major (besides the newlywed Uncle Lee of course hehe), and also in incredible YTD form, with seven, yes seven top 10s in 16 worldwide starts. We saw him nearly win at another coastal California major last year at Harding Park, and maybe this time around he will get that long sought-after major trophy…
$7,600-Jason The KOKRAKEN-this is one of the most egregious misprices these weary eyes have ever seen. This guy has won TWICE already this season, including his last start at Colonial, along with constant lurking on the big stage (five T10s this season) after years of struggling to get his footing. He hits the utter piss out of the ball, and may not ever have a better shot to win a major than now. Hammer away!
$7,600-Shane THE IRISH BEAR Lowry-let me know how you guys like this new nickname. Ok anyway, I love the way this guy’s game fits this course. He’s long, a maestro with a wedge, and can catch a hot putter at the blink of an eye. He’s still the reigning Champion Golfer of the Year, perhaps only for another month, but we know he can play in the wind if it picks up off the shoreline. He also has been in fantastic form for the majority of 2021, with a 4th, a 6th, an 8th, and a 9th in his last seven starts. Tally-ho.
$7,300-MIGHTY MAX Homa-you will see a strong correlation over the years in the leaderboards here at Torrey for the Farmers’ and right up the coast at Riviera. Guess who won at the Riv a few months ago: THIS GUY! His other victory was at the star-studded Wells Fargo played at Quail Hollow, another major championship venue. After an impressive 6th at yet another big-boy event, The Memorial, I think it’s time for Mighty Max to peek his head into a T10, dare-I-say a T5 this week at Torrey.
$7,200-Branden Grace-simply way too cheap for a guy who has recently lurked at the PGA at Kiawah, as well as numerous other majors, including the 2015 US Open at Chambers Bay where he was right in the mix until the very end. Despite a difficult year with the tragic passing of his father from Covid, he won in Puerto Rico and has contended at numerous other events. Keep an eye on the pride of Johannesburg this week.
$7,200-Uncle Chuck Hoffman-there may be no one striking the ball at a better rate than Uncle Chuck over the last 6 months. And yet, he still has yet to hoist the hardware. A Cali-vibez guy who we’ve seen peek his head into the T10 often at Augusta, has at least one more run at a major T5 before his time is done.
*I also like Ryan Palmer (Rahm/Torrey correlation) and Cousin Carlos Ortiz (lurked here in February, and briefly at Kiawah) at $7,100.
Sicko Specials-Sub $7K (tread lightly): Chez Reavie (USO lurkage at Pebble Beach, new-found form), Cousin Wydnham Clark (long AF, elite putter, Oregon), and I can’t believe I’m typing this, EVR (looked great at Congaree, kikuyu familiarity, and lurked at Bethpage).
BOL TO ALL!
*Follow @Blatant_Chief on Twitter for updates and more sleeper value plays and insight throughout the week.