Round 2 of the 2023 U.S. Open is now in the books as the course played significantly tougher on Friday. Currently, Rickie Fowler holds a one-stroke lead over the rest of the field at 10-under, not far off Rory McIlroy for the outright U.S. Open odds lead.
With the cut behind us, the field is narrowed down, and the tournament is still wide open considering how difficult LACC is likely to play over the weekend. Below, I look ahead at the current odds and give you my best U.S. Open picks for Round 3.
U.S. Open Round 3 picks
Picks made on 6/16/2023 at 10:45 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Best 2023 U.S. Open Round 3 picks
Patrick Cantlay Top-20 finish
The bad news for Patrick Cantlay is that he has played some of his worst golf in nearly four months this week. The good news for Cantlay is that, even when playing as poorly as he has, he is still scoring low enough to make the cut.
In fact, with how difficult the course played on Friday, he is just three shots out of the Top 20. Now is the best time to buy low on Cantlay, because if he is still T52 with how poor he has played compared to his standards, then a Top 20 finish is still absolutely within reach.
It’s been a difficult homecoming for the No. 4-ranked golfer in the world. However, he is still one of the very few in the field who has played at LACC numerous times, given that he was born in Long Beach and played golf at UCLA.
We should still expect this to play to his advantage as the tournament continues to roll on. On top of being one of only a handful of guys this week that has played this course competitively prior to this tournament, Cantlay’s recent form suggests a strong finish over the weekend.
This season, he has made 13 of his 14 cuts with seven Top 10 finishes. Additionally, Cantlay has finished inside the Top 15 in each of his past four major championship appearances.
Best odds: Patrick Cantlay Top-20 finish (+200 at DraftKings – 0.5 units)
Rickie Fowler winner
The Rickie Fowler we have seen this week is not one we have seen in nearly four years.
In fact, the entire 2022-23 campaign has been a sort of renaissance for the 34-year-old. Fowler has made 15 of his 17 cuts this season, with a whopping 12 Top 25 finishes.
It is safe to say that the decision to go back to his old swing coach has paid off dividends for the fan-favorite, who is playing as good of golf as he was when he finished in the Top 5 in all four majors in 2014.
There is good reason to believe that Fowler will keep it going over the weekend, primarily because there is no current flaw in his game. His driver is staying accurate, while his iron play has been strong, ranking eighth among the field in strokes gained on the approach and second in strokes gained tee to green.
However, the most dominant part of this game has been his putter, which has been nearly lights out on the greens this week. If Fowler is going to go on to finally claim that elusive first major championship, then I want to be a part of it.
Best odds: Rickie Fowler (+330 at DraftKings – 0.6 units)
