PGA DraftKings and FanDuel DFS Primer: The Open Championship (2023)

The 151st Open Championship is set to get underway at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England. It’s the fourth and final major event of the PGA Tour season, co-sanctioned with Europe’s DP World Tour, just like we saw during the Genesis Scottish Open last week. Rory McIlroy finally came through with a clutch final round to secure his second outright win of the season, delivering a precise iron shot to sink a 12-foot birdie putt to defeat Robert McIntyre on his home turf.

Even with McIlroy’s dazzling performance, he’s still valued behind World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who is the outright betting favorite at +650 on most online sportsbooks. McIlroy is the second outright betting favorite, but his odds have dipped from +650 to +750, while Scheffler continues to stay at his initial number. It’s a major event with two pools of the best golfers in the world, so there is going to be quite a bit of value to acquire when constructing DraftKings and FanDuel DFS lineups this week.

Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Cantlay, Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele, and defending Open champion, Cameron Smith, are just a few of the biggest names available at the top of salary brackets. At a links-style course, which Royal Liverpool certainly is, we’ll see a premium placed on accuracy off the tee, with tight out of bounds markers lining several fairways, penalizing even the slightest errant tee shot or approach shot. Of course, the deep pot bunkers comprise a difficult hazard to recover from, while English coastal winds will serve as the primary hazard for players to overcome.

Let’s recap previous Open Championship winners, a few relevant betting stats, and dive into the course overview at Royal Liverpool before identifying six of my favorite golfers to insert into DraftKings and FanDuel lineups during the 151st Open Championship, where Royal McIlroy last won by two strokes over Rickie Fowler in 2014.

2023 Open Championship DraftKings and FanDuel DFS Primer

Previous Winners

2022 – Cameron Smith (-20)
2021 – Collin Morikawa (-15)
2019 – Shane Lowry (-15)
2018 – Francesco Molinari (-8)
2017 – Jordan Spieth

Relevant Betting Stats

Driving Accuracy percentage
Total Driving
Strokes Gained Approaching the Green
Strokes Gained Putting
Scrambling
Greens in Regulation percentage

Course Overview

Royal Liverpool has undergone extensive renovations since McIlroy last won The Open Championship here in 2014. It’s now a par 71, converted from a par 72, tipping just north of 7,300 yards in length. There are still three par 5s forming some relief, but the primary difference from courses stateside is the lack of water hazards, trees, and slow-paced fescue greens that allow average putters to gain more confidence with their flat stick.

Deep pot bunkers flank the greens and run parallel with a lot of the doglegged fairways, which are already narrow with additional out of bounds markers placed not far from the edge of the fairway. Fescue rough is the primary hazard, with fescue grasses measuring up to several feet in height. Undulating fairways and greens will create unique lies, even for golfers with strong approach shots and drives. Being able to adapt to the lie is an integral skillset to possess for anyone who wants to hoist the Claret Jug on Sunday. Accuracy, putting, and scrambling will also be paramount for players attempting to stay atop the leaderboard, since golfers will either need to endure four consecutive par 4s on the front nine or four par 4s and a par 3 to start the renovated back nine at Royal Liverpool.

Recommended Plays: DraftKings

DraftKings maximum salary is set at $50,000

Scottie Scheffler: $12,500
We have to pay up to land World No. 1 ranked golfer, Scottie Scheffler, but it’s a necessity to add a huge floor to our DraftKings lineups. The 26-year-old Texan has recorded seven consecutive T5 finishes or better entering The Open Championship, plus he hasn’t dipped below a T12 finish since October. Scheffler ranks first in nearly every strokes gained metric, except putting, but he’ll get assistance from the slow-paced fescue greens at Royal Liverpool this week. While he’s making his debut here, there should be little concern about Scheffler’s production, as he drained 19 birdies en route to a T3 finish at Renaissance Club to prepare for his first major win of the 2023 PGA season. Lock Scheffler into lineups without any hesitation.

Jordan Spieth: $9,700
Jordan Spieth has had a disappointing stretch of golf since losing to Matt Fitzpatrick at the RBC Heritage in April, however, he tends to play great golf at links courses. We didn’t see Spieth at the Scottish Open last week, but he’s managed a T5 finish at the Memorial Tournament in between three missed cuts entering The Open Championship. Yes, this is a high-risk, high-reward play, but most DFS managers are likely to fade Spieth based on his recent form, creating low ownership and a lot of value rostering Spieth as a result. He remains one of the best scramblers on the PGA Tour, while averaging 70.1 per round, which is top-25 on the PGA Tour this season. His putting woes will be aided by fescue greens, plus. he’s recorded three T10 finishes in his four previous Open Championship appearances, so let’s plug Spieth into our DraftKings lineups as a strong value with a potentially high ceiling and low ownership.

Ryan Fox: $7,400
Ryan Fox has become an increasingly popular pick amongst salary saving brackets based on his current form. The 36-year-old New Zealand native has logged four T30 finishes in his last five events, and he has not missed a cut since the RBC Heritage over two months ago. Fox managed his second best finish to date last week at the Scottish Open, logging a T12 with 19 birdies, which is a premium stat to track in DFS. Fox has sharp, precise irons and an accurate driver, which will set him up nicely to turn in another T30 finish at minimum, with T20 upside very probable in his range of outcomes. At only $7,400, Fox will likely have high ownership on DraftKings this week, but he’s worth adding as a cheap floor piece in our lineups during his debut at The Open Championship.

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Recommended Plays: FanDuel

FanDuel maximum salary is set at $60,000

Collin Morikawa : $11,100
Another high-risk, high-reward player I like quite a bit at Royal Liverpool this week is Collin Morikawa. He’s circled the winning podium at a few events this season on the PGA Tour, plus he also won at Royal St. George’s during the 2021 Open Championship, so Morikawa knows what it takes to hoist the Claret Jug. His stats are remarkable, ranking 10th in total strokes gained, fourth tee-to-green, second approaching the green, and 19th off-the-tee. Plus, he’s ranked 30th in total driving, which will be a massive difference maker on Royal Liverpool’s narrow fairways. A couple weeks off to rest and prepare after losing a playoff to Rickie Fowler during the Rocket Mortgage Classic could be the difference maker in Morikawa securing his second Open Championship in three years. His putting is the primary weakness, but we’ve seen him get red hot on the greens before, so with the assistance of slower fescue greens, I’m all over Morikawa at $11,100 on FanDuel as a solid blue-chip value prospect

Bryson DeChambeau: $9,400
Bryson DeChambeau finally broke through at St. Andrews with his first T10 finish, T8 to be exact, at The Open Championship. Previously, DeChambeau has two missed cuts, a T51, and a T33, so he’s improved his play on links courses. His powerful driver is the biggest weapon he possesses, but DeChambeau also knows how to dial in precise irons and deliver bursts of good putting to climb leaderboards quickly. He’ll make his debut at Royal Liverpool on Thursday, after recording finishes of T4 at the PGA Championship and T20 at the U.S. Open following a missed cut at The Masters during the first major event of the season. I expect DeChambeau to turn in another T20 finish, with T10 upside, as he logged 15 birdies at the latter two major events. $9,400 is a massive value for DeChambeau, so let’s plug him into our lineups as a dual-threat anchor.

Byeong Hun An: $8,400
We watched Byeong Hun An put on a clinic in the first round of the Genesis Scottish Open last week, starting -9-under-par, leaning on his precise irons and driving ability to overcome his putting weakness. The South Korean native is ranked third in strokes gained around the green, 30th tee-to-green, and 34th off-the-tee. An is also 11th in scrambling, first in total hole outs, and fourth in sand save percentage. Plus, he’s ranked fifth in putts per round, including 27th in birdie or better conversion percentage. An has delivered 19 birdies in back-to-back events at the John Deere Classic and the Genesis Scottish Open, as he seeks his fourth T10 finish of the year. This will be his first major of the season, so expect his confidence from the Renaissance Club links course to translate nicely into his performance at Royal Liverpool this week. Treat An as a strong salary-saving prospect at $8,400 on FanDuel.

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Whether you’re new to daily fantasy golf or a seasoned professional, be sure to check out our Daily Fantasy Golf Glossary. You can get started with The Stats That Matter Most or head to a more advanced strategy – like How To Use Vegas Odds To Generate Your Lineup – to learn more.

Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.