Value Report: U.S. Open

The RBC Canadian Open always has its own unique way of driving eyeballs, and the heartwarming story of Bud Cauley getting his first victory was one for the record books. Overcoming the car crash and getting his career back to that same level has been awesome to see for Cauley, especially with the way that he went and took the tournament on the back nine. TPC Toronto, too, has pushed some awesome crowds over the past two seasons, so it was a very welcomed warm-up for what lies ahead at the U.S. Open this week!

It was as good a week as you could ask for from the Value Report without picking up a winner, which is amazing considering we had the leader after each of the first three rounds. Ben James came out smoking hot in his professional debut, with the solo lead after 36 holes before the moment caught up to him. That’s something that, of course, is likely to take time getting comfortable with, but given where his ownership landed despite the projection, I was so happy with the conviction. Jackson Suber was the one who took the lead into Sunday, but a mediocre round wasn’t enough when Cauley couldn’t be stopped on the back nine. Still, at relatively low ownership despite being a popular outright selection, Suber was a GPP-winning play, as was Aldrich Potgieter. The field seemingly is over the big South African despite the continual pops, so I’ll keep going back to the well, especially in the weaker events we have coming up. Patrick Fishburn did quite outstanding despite finishing just T29, as Sunday’s round had the look of an insane one out of the gates. I’m going to keep tabs on him for sure post-U.S. Open. The disappointments were Max Greyserman and Steven Fisk, both of whom I’ve been on for the past month. Greyserman had an uphill battle out of the gates with a triple on his second hole, while Fisk never really showed the same form he had. Overall, though, I was super happy with the week, and it was a bummer not to have the combinations with Cauley.

Now we go to my favorite major each year, as the U.S. Open is the most proper test we get in golf. It’s as much of a mental battle as it is physical, and Shinnecock Hills is the perfect venue to make this all happen. It’s a bit of a unique one too compared to the typical power fest U.S. Opens we are accustomed to, and despite Brooks Koepka winning in 2018, it really is a spot where off the tee is rather irrelevant as long as you’re staying out of the hay. There will be a premium on iron play, but given the wind in the forecast, it’s going to be nearly impossible to hit these greens at even a decent clip, so we surely are going to see short game be an important skill, too. For some, it’ll be deep par putts, while others will need to hack it out for up-and-downs from the fairways, but anytime that an even-par winning score is well within the range of outcomes, sign me up. As always with each major, the prize pools are booming, and with what is likely the most volatile one we’ve had yet, let’s embrace the chaos and find a way for our shot at glory!