DraftKings Preview: Tommy Fleetwood trending ahead of The Open

The fourth and final major of the season is upon us, as the world’s best all head to Hoylake, England, for the 151st edition of The Open Championship. Royal Liverpool Golf Club will be the host course, measuring 7,383 yards (par 71) with a blend of Fescue, Bent and Poa grass greens.

Below, I have outlined three of my favorite DraftKings plays for the week as The Open returns to Hoylake for the first time since 2014.

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GOLFERS TO CONSIDER

Tommy Fleetwood ($9,300)

Fleetwood was mentioned in this article last week and ended up bouncing back from his missed cut at the Travelers Championship in strong fashion. He finished T6 at the Genesis Scottish Open, and if not for extremely tough conditions on Sunday, could have finished higher. After opening with a 70, Fleetwood shot 66 on Friday and then fired a 63 on Saturday. He gained at least 1.03 strokes in every major category for the week, including 4.38 with the putter. The Englishman appears ready for The Open.

Fleetwood’s history at this event has been stellar over the years, having made five straight cuts, with a T4 last year, solo second in 2019 and T12 in 2018. He’s always thrived on links golf courses and should acquit himself quite nicely this week at Royal Liverpool. Going back 24 rounds in this field, Fleetwood sits seventh in Strokes Gained: Total as well. He’s having a fantastic season and capping it off with his first major championship would be quite the cherry on top.

At $9,300, he’s a strong play in all formats.

Justin Rose ($8,000)

Rose missed the cut in Scotland last week but had just finished T4 at the Betfred British Masters a week prior on the DP World Tour, so his form is still in pretty good shape. If you recall, Rose withdrew from The Open last year before his opening tee time due to injury, so it’s been two years since we’ve seen him at this event.

Prior to that, however, Rose had some of the best event history in this field, having made seven consecutive Open Championship cuts from 2014 to 2021, with a T2, T6 and three additional top-20 finishes.

The only part of Rose’s game that’s lacking right now is his off-the-tee play, but otherwise, he’s been stellar in almost every other area. Over his past 24 rounds in this field, Rose sits 11th in SG: Approach, fifth in SG: Around-the-Green and 16th in SG: Total.

I firmly expect him to bounce back this week, and he possesses a ton of upside for his affordable $8,000 price tag.

Denny McCarthy ($7,300)

McCarthy will be entering his first Open Championship in impeccable form, having posted three top-seven finishes across his past four starts. He’s also done quite well in both his major starts in 2023, finishing T29 at the PGA Championship and T20 at the U.S. Open.

Royal Liverpool was lengthened by about 70 yards since the last time the Open was played here in 2014, but even with that, there will be a premium on both short game and driving accuracy, which both suit McCarthy’s game to a T. Over this mini-run that he’s been on, the only three players in this field who have gained more total strokes than McCarthy over the past 16 rounds are Rickie Fowler, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy – so you can clearly see what kind of company he’s in right now.

This $7,300 price tag on him is simply too cheap and does not accurately reflect both McCarthy’s odds of making the cut or his top-10 equity. Fire him up in all formats.

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is Lan1228) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.