California schemin' for the U.S. Open

The 2023 U.S. Open is set to begin Thursday from the Los Angeles Country Club. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is holding steady as the +700 betting favorite, with Jon Rahm (+1100), Brooks Koepka (+1200) and Rory McIlroy (+1300) rounding out the top of the odds board. 

This year's tournament will be a unique one to handicap considering LACC hasn't hosted a professional golf tournament since 1940. The golf course has gone through a few redesigns since then, most recently by Gil Hanse 15 years ago.

The name of the game this week, as it always is at the U.S. Open, will be fairways and greens. LACC will play extremely long at around 7,500 yards, and the thick Bermuda rough will punish players who can't keep it straight off the tee. That's why we're targeting elite ball strikers who will stay out of trouble and give themselves enough birdie chances to climb the leaderboard. 

California love at LACC

California seems to provide more of a home-field advantage for local golfers than most states. Just in the last few years, we've seen Collin Morikawa win his first major on home soil and Max Homa win twice in his home state, so I'm hoping that trend continues with two of my favorite outright bets this week.

Xander Schauffele +2000 (FD)

Schauffele isn't the best in the world at any particular skill set, but he's so darn solid at every facet of the game and doesn't have a single weakness. That's why his U.S. Open resume is so impressive (five top-seven finishes in six starts). If he's finally going to get over the hump and win one of these things, it's going to happen in his home state. 

Collin Morikawa +3600 (FD)

Morikawa grew up less than an hour away from LACC. He's also one of the few players in the field with competitive experience at this track, as he went 4-0 here during the 2017 Walker Cup. The last time we saw Morikawa he was withdrawing from the Memorial due to a back injury, but he says he's not feeling any pain and will be ready to roll this week.

U.S. Open matchups

Corey Conners > Sam Burns (+100 FD)
I have no idea why Corey Conners is the underdog in this matchup. The Canadian fits LACC well as an elite ball striker, and he has a win and four top-20 finishes in his last six starts. As for Sam Burns, he's never finished better than T-20 in 12 major starts. 

Rickie Fowler > Jason Day (-120 DK)
Something isn't right with Jason Day. Since winning the AT&T Byron Nelson in May, the Aussie has missed two cuts in two tries and lost strokes on approach and with the putter in both starts. Meanwhile, Rickie Fowler has been remarkably consistent with 11 top-20 finishes in his last 13 events. 

In the news ...

Golden Knights win first Stanley Cup in franchise history — The Vegas Golden Knights demolished the Florida Panthers by a score of 9-3 last night to secure their first Stanley Cup in just their sixth year of existence. Mark Stone led the way with a hat trick, while Jack Eichel and Shea Theodore both chipped in three assists apiece. The Knights were +1500 to win it all entering the season. Who cashed a ticket?

Stefon Diggs a surprise no-show at minicamp — What's going on in Buffalo? The Bills began their mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, but star wide receiver Stefon Diggs was a no-show at practice. Head coach Sean McDermott told reporters he's "very concerned" about the situation. Diggs' agent, Adisa Bakari, told Adam Schefter of ESPN that the WR "will be there for the entirety of the minicamp," so we'll see how this story develops.

A's fans hold reverse boycott at the Coliseum — The Oakland Athletics finally played in front of a crowded Coliseum Tuesday, but the fans weren't there to cheer on the team. More than 27,000 fans packed the bleachers while wearing green shirts that read "Sell" and chanting "Sell the team!" for the entire game. As Nevada lawmakers continue to debate whether or not to allow the franchise to move to Las Vegas, it's clear the Oakland faithful want the A's to stay. 

Today's Bark Bets is written by Jack Dougherty