Bryson DeChambeau
Saving Bryson DeChambeau for the U.S. Open has been my plan from the start of the season. As arguably the best driver in competitive golf, DeChambeau’s game is perfect for U.S. Open venues and it is no surprise that he has won this major twice, including last year at Pinehurst No. 2. This year’s U.S. Open will be played at Oakmont Country Club, which is the prototypical U.S. Open course.
This venue is a very long par 70 that measures in at 7,372 yards, featuring penalizing rough, 168 bunkers and large, fast greens. Being long off-the-tee will be a key to winning at Oakmont, just like when this venue last hosted the U.S. Open in 2016. That year, Dustin Johnson, who was without question the best driver in the world at the time, won by three shots and led his field in driving distance in the process. DeChambeau leads the LIV Golf Tour with a ridiculous 331.9-yard average drive this season and he finished T-15 at Oakmont in 2016, which was just the third major start of his career. At the time, DeChambeau was just 22 years old. Furthermore, he was just the No. 201 ranked golfer in the world and he was a much smaller man who wasn’t even close to the driver of the golf ball he is today. For some reference, when DeChambeau finished T-15 at Oakmont in 2016, he ranked T-24 in driving distance for the major.
Now, DeChambeau is the No. 10 ranked player in the world and he will be the longest hitter teeing up at Oakmont this week. DeChambeau isn’t just a longer hitter either, he is one of the most complete players in the game. On top of leading the LIV Golf league in driving distance, DeChambeau ranks first in scrambling, third in birdies and eighth in GIR this season. In his eight starts on the circuit this season, DeChambeau has carded six top-six finishes, including a two-shot win at LIV Korea last month and a T-4 at LIV Virginia this past week. Overall, the bomber ranks second in total points on the LIV Golf Tour this season.
Not only has DeChambeau dominated the LIV Golf league, but he has continuously contended at majors recently. In his six major starts over the last two years, DeChambeau has finished T-6, runner-up, first, MC, T-5 and runner-up. If we compare this field’s results at majors the last two seasons, DeChambeau ranks third in strokes gained per round.
DeChambeau has been heavily preparing for his U.S. Open title defense this week, so much so that he was already practicing at Oakmont two weeks ago before last week’s LIV Golf Virginia event. DeChambeau winning his third U.S. Open is a strong possibility this week and the time is now to deploy him in your OAD pool. On DraftKings Sportsbook, DeChambeau carries the second-best odds to win the U.S. Open at +750, trailing only world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
Past One and Done Tournament Results
The Sony Open: Maverick McNealy (T45)
The American Express: Justin Thomas (second)
The Farmers Insurance Open: Ludvig Aberg (T42)
The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: Collin Morikawa (T17)
WM Phoenix Open: Hideki Matsuyama (T25)
Genesis Invitational: Taylor Pendrith (T50)
Mexico Open at Vidanta: Patrick Rodgers: (T25)
Cognizant Classic: Shane Lowry (T11)
Arnold Palmer Invitational: Russell Henley (first)
THE PLAYERS Championship: Sepp Straka (T14)
The Valspar Championship: Tommy Fleetwood (T16)
The Texas Children’s Houston Open: Tony Finau (T32)
Valero Texas Open: Corey Conners (T18)
The Masters: Scottie Scheffler (fourth)
RBC Heritage: Jason Day (T49)
THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson: Jordan Spieth (fourth)
The Truist Championship: Viktor Hovland (T54)
PGA Championship: Rory McIlroy (T47)
Charles Schwab Challenge: Daniel Berger (MC)
The Memorial Tournament: Patrick Cantlay (T12)
RBC Canadian Open: Sam Burns (second)
