PGA Power Rankings: The 2019 U.S. Open
We do a lot of DFS site specific coverage here at FantasyCPR, so in an effort to bring in new golf fans, and look at Fantasy Golf as a whole, I am excited to bring you my PGA Power Rankings for this weeks U.S. Open, taking place at Pebble Beach Golf Links, in Monterey, California.
This PGA Power Rankings article will cover the top 30 golfers for this event, and with each golfer will come a short blurb with some justification to their respective rankings. That’s right, once again we are going a bit deeper this week, as the third major championship of the year is upon us. Before we do that, let’s touch briefly on the history of the this event.
PGA Power Rankings: The 2019 U.S. Open – Course and History
It’s hard to believe it is already June, but here we are, and the third major championship of the season the U.S. Open is just days away. Always a rotating event featuring the best courses in the United States year in and year out, the 2019 version will take place in Monterey, California. Oceanside at the beautiful Pebble Beach Golf Links. Heavy ocean winds, small greens, and nearly impossible rough conditions in various areas will likely keep the winning score right around even par, as the best in world will certainly be challenged here.
Pebble Beach will play right around 7,000 yards and at par 71, so it is not an extremely long course. Bombers off the tee do not have an advantage here, as it will come down precise iron play and who can make putts. Nine holes are by the water, and could be challenging if it is windy. With fact that these greens are tiny, GIR, Approach, and Poa Annua green putting should be your metrics of focus.
The U.S. Open at Pebble Beach was in 2010, and I can remember how challenging it was. Graeme McDowell was the champion finishing at even par, and other golfers in the mix that year, who will be back nine years later, include Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Martin Kaymer, and Tiger Woods. RBC Canadian Open contenders from last week who also were in that mix in 2010 include Brandt Snedeker and Matt Kuchar.
Brooks Koepka is trying to win his third straight U.S. Open, as he was victorious at Shinnecock Hills last year, and at Erin Hills in 2017. Dustin Johnson will likely be his stiffest competition, as he is a master on these Poa Annua greens, and has been spectacular here at Pebble Beach throughout the years. Other recent U.S. Open champions include the big names like Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, and Justin Rose, as well as of course, three time champion Tiger Woods, who last won in 2008 at Torrey Pines.
Without further ado, let’s dig into this weeks extended PGA Power Rankings.
PGA Power Rankings: The 2019 U.S. Open
***The following golfers are my top 30 overall. Each golfer will be followed by their official golf world ranking (OWGR) in parenthesis. All rankings are prior to the finish of the RBC Canadian Open***
30 – Tyrrell Hatton – (41)
I will try my best not to be repetitive throughout the course of this article, but it can be difficult to do so at times when this game seems so simple at this level for these guys. For hopefully the first time of not too many I will say it over the course of the 5000 words this article will become, if Hatton can putt this weekend at Pebble Beach like, so many others, he has a shot to be in it.
Hatton recently tweeted this week that he felt really comfortable with his long game, and that he currently feels it is the best he has been in a long time. He also admitted to struggling on the greens. In his most recent action, Hatton T-33 at the Memorial Tournament, and T-8 at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
29. Shane Lowry – (42)
Lowry continued his stretch of solid play this weekend at the RBC Canadian Open, and he has cracked the top 30 in this weeks PGA Power Rankings because of it. Rory McIlroy couldn’t miss a shot on Sunday is just about wrapping up the win, but it looks as though Lowry will finish in the top-five at the very least, as he currently alone in second place with just a couple of holes to play.
That makes three straight top-tens for Lowry, and with the T-8 at the Bethpage included in this run, it is safe to say he is dialed-in. His iron play, ability to hit the low shots and avoid the wind, and his links experience, along with his recent form, make him one of my favorite value picks for PGA DFS this weekend.
28. Bubba Watson – (19)
With the RBC Canadian still not quite wrapped up at this point, one this for certain is that Watson will be coming in to Pebble Beach off of a rough weekend, in which he finished +2 for the tournament. He also missed the cut at the PGA Championship in his last action, after a pretty solid T-12 at the Masters. Watson did not play that 2010 U.S. Open held here, and has only played in two Pro Am’s here in the last ten years, missing one cut, and finishing T-35 in 2018.
27. Patrick Reed – (23)
After a great showing in major championships in 2018, including his win at the Masters and his solo fourth place at the US Open, 2019 has not been good to Patrick Reed. He T-36 at the Masters this year, and missed the cut at the 101st PGA Championship in his last action. On top of that, he has not been able to crack the top-ten in any event yet in 2019, as his best finish is a pair of T-13’s. At the Pebble Beach Pro Am over the last few years, Reed has been pretty solid, with just one missed cut, and a pair of top-tens, playing in each of the last seven years.
26. Gary Woodland – (24)
Woodland has been up-and-down for the most part as of late, but the 35-year-old has been solid in major championships thus far this season. He had a decent T-32 at Augusta, and cracked the top-ten with a T-8 at Bethpage. In his last action, he struggled a bit on the weekend, and ended up finishing T-52 at the Memorial. He comes into Pebble Beach on a weeks rest like a good chunk of these guys, but his history here at Pebble Beach is not great. Other than his T-5 at the Pro Am in 2017, Woodland has missed the cut here in four other tries in the last 10 years.
PGA Power Rankings: The 2019 U.S. Open
25. Matt Wallace – (26)
After some early success on the European Tour to start 2019, Wallace traveled across the pond and held his own in on the PGA Tour up until the Masters. He missed the cut at Augusta, then went right out and missed another the following week at the RBC Heritage. Wallace then mixed up his schedule a bit, and regained form with a T-2 at the Betfred British Masters. He then promptly returned to the states and T-3 at the PGA Championship the following week, getting it done despite a likely hectic travel schedule. He went right back across the pond following Bethpage and managed a T-41 at the Made in Denmark.
24. Adam Scott – (17)
Scott is playing really well this year, and has improved his OWGR almost 30 spots since the start of 2019. He grabbed top-20’s in both majors this year with a T-18 at the Masters and a T-8 at the PGA Championship, and other than an early missed cut at the Sony Open and just one more at the Honda Classic, Scott has actually been lights out.
In just four events since the Honda Classic, Scott has finished no worse than T-18, and comes into Pebble Beach off of back-to-back top-10’s, and a solo second at the Memorial. The only thing keeping him down so far in the PGA Power Rankings this week is his poor history here, as he has three missed cuts in four tries at the Pro Am over the last ten years.
23. Bryson DeChambeau – (9)
After weeks of the genius that is Bryson DeChambeau malfunctioning and missing cuts left and right, he sort of righted the ship a little bit at the Memorial, as he was able to make the weekend and finish T-22. We have to go back to the Players Championship to find the last time DeChambeau even cracked the top-20, and it is safe to say while he has a ton of talent, his run is briefly at a standstill. Here at Pebble Beach for the Pro Am, DeChambeau has not had much luck either, with a missed cut in 2017, and a T-55 in 2018.
22. Webb Simpson – (20)
It was a little more dramatic finish than expected as McIlroy and Simpson circled the 18th green at Hamilton Golf Club. McIlroy had it wrapped up, but Simpson sank a huge putt from the fringe to move into a T-2, and the fantastic crowds roared, then shortly after started the RORY chants. Simpson has been playing really well, and was a great fit for the course, and with how good McIlroy was, he was clearly really happy with his finish.
In this seasons first two majors, Simpson T-5 at the Masters, and T-29 at the PGA Championship. He is a former U.S. Open Champion, capturing victory at Olympic Club in San Francisco, Ca, where he held off Graeme McDowell and Michael Thompson by one stroke. Another precise iron player and solid putter, Simpson could also continue his hot stretch this week at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
21. Henrik Stenson – (43)
Despite a rough Sunday at Hamilton Golf Club, in which he finished even par while others were going low, Stenson still was able to finish 10-under par for the tournament, and finish T-8. With his recent stretch of really just making cuts, and not playing good enough on the weekend, it was promising to see Stenson play solid for the majority of the tournament and grab a top-ten finish.
At majors this season, Stenson has been mediocre at best, with a T-36 at the Masters, and a T-48 at the PGA Championship. Prior to his T-8 this last week in Canada, Stenson had not had a top-ten on the PGA Tour in almost a year. He does not play the Pebble Beach Pro Am, but he was here in 2010, and T-29 at 11-over par.
PGA Power Rankings: The 2019 U.S. Open
20. Tony Finau – (14)
The inconsistency with Finau is real, and this may be the hardest golfer on tour to try to predict how he will do in any given event. We know he has an incredible all-around game, but he can just as easily fizzle out and miss cuts as he can win. He is in fact coming into Pebble Beach off of a missed cut at the Memorial, but grabbed a solo second at the Charles Schwab Challenge the week prior. He seems to do be doing well at courses that do not necessarily fit his game this year, and struggling at those he should do well, with the exception of the Masters of course, where he T-5. In two Pebble Beach Pro Am’s, Finau has not missed a cut, and his best finish was a T-23 in 2017. Finau T-38 in this years tournament.
19. Phil Mickelson – (25)
We know Phil loves Pebble Beach, and whether a Pro Am or not, his history here is only bested by Dustin Johnson. Mickelson won the 2019 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am holding off Paul Casey, and he also won here in 2012, and T-2 last year. In our only four-round sample, Mickelson T-4 at the 2010 U.S. Open.
So why is he so far down the PGA Power Rankings this week? Well since his win at Pebble, Mickelson has been plenty more bad than good. He is coming off of a missed cut at the Memorial, his fourth MC in eight events, and he struggled mightily at Bethpage and T-71 at the PGA Championship in the last major. His best finish since that win was a T-18 at Augusta.
18. Francesco Molinari – (7)
Molinari has the style of game that should benefit him here this week. He stats don’t show it, but he is a plodder-type, that is precise with irons, and can get really hot with the flat stick. He has no history at the Pro Am as he is usually playing on the European Tour about 50% of the time, and in his only action here in the last ten years, Molinari missed the cut at the 2010 U.S. Open.
So far in 2019, Molinari did not play much early in the season, and he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in March, in what was his just his third event of the season. Bay Hill is one course that I have seen some use as a comp to Pebble Beach this week, which is another indicator that Molinari could excel here. He T-5 at the Masters, but has struggled a bit in his three events since.
17. Matt Kuchar – (13)
Even with all of the studs in action at the RBC Canadian Open, it was Kuchar who went into Sunday tied for the lead with eventual champion Rory McIlroy. Kuchar couldn’t get anything going on Sunday, and a round of even par left him with a T-4 finish at 13-under par. It was a solid bounce back from his missed cut at the Memorial, and Kuch now has four top-tens in his last six events, including a T-8 at the PGA Championship.
Being that this is another plodders course, Kuchar should be right in the mix once again if he can hit fairways and putt. He has not played many Pro Am’s here over the years, but at the 2010 U.S. Open, a score of +4 was good for a T-6 finish. The 40-year-old is playing some of the best golf of his career in 2019, and it will be interesting if this ranking turns out too low or not.
16. Tommy Fleetwood – (18)
It has been nearly a year since Fleetwood last missed a cut, and his T-48 finish at the PGA Championship in his last action was actually his worst finish since that missed cut. He finished one stroke behind Koepka at last years U.S. Open at Shinnecock for a solo second place, and while extremely consistent, he hasn’t had a great finish as of late.
After back-to-back top-fives on the Florida swing in February, Fleetwood’s best finish was a T-8 at the Betfred British Masters on the European Tour, on this side of the pond however, in his last three events, his best finish was a T-25 at the RBC Heritage. In his only action at Pebble Beach in his PGA Tour career, Fleetwood T-45 this year.
PGA Power Rankings: The 2019 U.S. Open
15. Hideki Matsuyama – (29)
Matsuyama is inching closer and closer to being in the form he was when he was the #2 player in the world back in 2016 and 2017. The 27-year-old battled some injuries in 2008, but finally seems to back to being a threat to contend any time he tees it up. Another incredibly consistent golfer, Matsuyama has not missed a cut since last years Open Championship.
The only thing missing is wins. Matuyama has just six top-tens since that last missed cut, and his best finish in this span was at this years Farmers Insurance Open, where he T-3. Although he has no history here at Pebble, one thing trending in the right direction is his recent form. Matsuyama has improved on his finish in five straight tournaments, and is coming off of a solo sixth place finish at the Memorial.
14. Brandt Snedeker – (50)
Kind of like with Kuchar before him, Snedeker is another veteran who is playing extremely well as of late. On top of that, it is well-known that Pebble Beach is among his favorites, and he comes into this weeks U.S. Open with the rare combination of excellent recent form and course history. Sneds T-4 at the RBC Canadian Open after a Sunday round of 1-under par made him 13-under for the tournament, as he continues to knock on the door with his third straight top-20.
A regular at the Pebble Beach Pro Am, Snedeker is a two-time champion of that event, with wins in 2013 and 2015. He did miss the cut here this year for the first time since 2014, but he of course followed that MC with a win in 2015. Throwing in an all four-round event at Pebble Beach should actually benefit him as opposed to a Pro Am, and I expect to have him ranked higher than most this week. With our only previous four round sample coming from the 2010 U.S. Open, it is worth noting Snedeker T-8 as well.
13. Jon Rahm – (12)
I am not exactly sure what the reason is, but Rahm is really playing sparingly this season. It’s June already, and he has only played 11 events not including the WGC-Dell Match Play. He started out playing really well in 2019 with five straight top-tens, and then played well at Augusta as well in the season first major where he T-9, but since then he has had some troubles.
Rahm comes into the U.S. Open off of two straight missed cuts at the PGA Championship and the Charles Schwab Challenge. As far as history here goes, Rahm has played in two Pro Am’s, with his best finish being a T-5 in 2017.
12. Xander Schauffele – (10)
It has been back and forth for Schauffele as of late, as he missed the cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge, and T-14 at the Memorial. Always a threat in majors, the 25-year-old will have his hands full with Pebble Beach, but he just seems to get it done on for the most part on difficult courses. Schauffele T-2 at the Masters this year, and he had a T-5 at Erin Hills in 2017 for his best finish in a U.S. Open in his young career. At Bethpage Black for the 101st PGA Championship last month, X cracked the top-20 with a T-16 finish.
11. Jason Day – (16)
Day started out 2019 playing pretty well, highlighted by a T-4 right here at the Pebble Beach Pro Am. Unlike quite a few of our previous golfers, Day is a regular in that event, and he carries some fantastic recent history. It isn’t quite like Mickelson or DJ, but Day has played in each of the last seven seasons, has failed to finish inside the top-ten just twice, and one of those was a T-11 in 2016. Remember we have to consider that only two rounds of that tournament are played here at Pebble, but the repetitive success here still says quite a bit.
Day has battled some back issues this season, mostly back in February, as he seems to be healthy now. He T-5 at the Masters for his best finish after this years Pro Am, but comes into Pebble this year off of a missed cut at the Memorial.
PGA Power Rankings: The 2019 U.S. Open
10. Paul Casey – (15)
Cracking the top-ten this week, Casey should be good to go following a surprising withdrawal at the Charles Schwab Challenge, after coming down with a nasty case of the flu. The 41-year-old has been around a long time playing at a high level, but really has had no success in major championships whatsoever. You have to go all the way back to 2010 to find his best finish in a major, and that was a T-3 at the 139th Open Championship.
Casey has won this season, capturing victory at the Valspar Championship, and he also grabbed a runner-up finish at this years AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am. In majors this year, Casey missed the cut at Augusta, and was decent with a T-29 at the 101st PGA Championship. His style of play fits well here at Pebble Beach, as he has shown with back-to-back top-tens in the Pro Am, and this looks like his best chance to capture that elusive first major in a very long time.
9. Rickie Fowler – (11)
Speaking of elusive majors, Fowler still seeks his first major championship, as he is stuck with three runners-up, and two third place finishes. Pebble Beach does not seem favorable for Fowler this week, as he has played just two Pro Ams over the years, and he did not qualify for the 2010 U.S. Open, so his course history is very limited.
In recent action, Fowler had back-to-back top-tens at the Masters and at the Wells Fargo Championship. He then slipped a bit, with a T-36 at the PGA Championship, and a rare missed cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge. He was able to bounce-back somewhat in his last action, as he T-14 at the Memorial. Fowler also has a win in 2019, winning the Waste Management Phoenix Open back in early February.
8. Justin Thomas – (6)
Thomas actually moved his way into the top-ten on Friday after his 65 at Hamilton Golf Club put him right in the mix heading into the weekend at the RBC Canadian Open. It is safe to say the wrist injury is behind him, but while some of his peers continued to go low over the course of the weekend, Thomas managed rounds of 69 both days, and finished T-20. I think there is still some rust, but he looks to be inching closer to form.
Not a fan of the Pro Am it seems, the 26-year-old has made just one appearance, missing the cut in 2014. If he cannot keep it in the fairway here he will be in trouble, but at the very least he was decent with his irons in Canada. Personally, I think he still looks a ways out, but the fact that he even T-20 last week still deserves this push up the rankings.
7. Justin Rose – (3)
Although Rose still carries the number three ranking in the OWGR, and he is usually a threat in major championships, he just has not done enough as of late to garner a ranking inside the top-five. As crazy as it may seem considering he won not too long ago at the Farmers Insurance Open back in January, Rose’s body of work over his last five events is just not what you would expect from a player of this caliber.
Rose missed the cut at the Masters, but was able to follow it in his next action with a solo third place finish at the Wells Fargo Championship. He then T-29 at the PGA Championship, and struggled at the Charles Schwab Challenge where he T-58. In his last action, he was better, but still not great, as he grabbed a solo 13th at the Memorial. Rose is a past U.S. Open Champion, winning in 2013 at Merion Golf Club.
6. Tiger Woods – (5)
I initially had Woods right in the top-five mix, but the recent play of some others over the course of the last couple of weeks has pushed him out to the six spot for my final PGA Power Rankings for the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Tiger is a three-time U.S. Open Champion, capturing his last victory in a similar course in Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California. And of course after his fantastic victory at Augusta this year, Woods missed the cut at the PGA Championship after opting for the long layoff, with no events in between.
He changed course this time, playing at the Memorial, and captured a top-ten with a T-9 finish. While he has not played many Pebble Beach Pro Am’s over the years, Woods was in the mix at the 2010 U.S. Open, where he T-4 at 3-over par. Because he missed the cut at Bethpage, I have no idea what to expect from Tiger this week. He could win just as easily as he could not make the weekend.
PGA Power Rankings: The 2019 U.S. Open
5. Jordan Spieth – (28)
It has been a process, but getting to the top of the OWGR at such a young age for Jordan Spieth likely did a little number on his psyche. I am not doctor obviously, but as we have watched him struggle off the tee and miss three foot putts for the latter of the last year plus, I could not be happier to see this now 25-year-old coming back into form with three straight top-tens.
I understand he is still very young, but anybody who has played golf at any level knows that if you are not mentally in it for every shot, you have no chance. With that said, the fact that Spieth has put it together for 12 straight rounds, coupled with his history here at Pebble Beach, force me to push him into the top five of the PGA Power Rankings this week.
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Spieth has not missed a cut at seven straight Pebble Beach Pro Am’s, highlighted by a win in 2017, and three top-tens. He T-3 at the PGA Championship last month, and followed it up with a T-8 at the Charles Schwab Challenge, and a T-7 at the Memorial. It would be great to see if the past struggles are behind him, and he continue this solid run this week.
4. Patrick Cantlay – (8)
Cantlay moved up seven spots in the OWGR after his impressive victory at the Memorial, and the 27-year-old might be in the best form of his career heading into Pebble Beach this week. The win gave him four straight top-tens, including a T-9 at the Masters and a T-3 at the PGA Championship. Another T-3 at the RBC Heritage completes this incredible run, and it puts him well ahead of some household names this week. Cantlay has played just three Pebble Beach Pro Am’s over the years, with his best finish a T-9 back in 2013. I don’t think anybody is coming in hotter, and for many that expected this from Cantlay for a few years now, it appears to taking shape in 2019.
3. Rory McIlroy – (4)
As of last Friday, I was all set to go with McIlroy outside the top-five after his missed cut at the Memorial. After a lackluster opening round on Thursday where he was not quite sniffing the leaderboard, I expected McIlroy to mail it in to get ready for Pebble Beach. However, he did just the opposite, and went on an absolute tear on the weekend, shooting a 64 on Saturday and a 61 on Sunday to nab his second victory of 2019.
After that performance, considering he is one of the best in the world when he is on, he deserved to jump back up a few spots in the PGA Power Rankings before they were ready to publish. The missed cut a couple of weeks ago was obviously just a blip after bouncing back with authority, and McIlroy now has a total of nine top-tens in 11 stroke-play tournaments in 2019
2. Dustin Johnson – (2)
Even a disappointing RBC Canadian Open will not mix up the PGA Power Rankings for the 2019 U.S. Open. Johnson and Koepka are so close this is a true 1A and 1B situation, as it is hard to expect anyone else will win this week. Johnson is a past U.S. Open Champion, winning in 2016 at Oakmont, and what he has done at Pebble Beach in the Pro Am over the years is amazing.
Johnson is well-known as a dynamite putter on Poa Annua greens, and here at Pebble Beach he has been the best in the world. He won the 2010 Pro Am the same year the U.S. Open was held at Pebble Beach, and T-8 in that major championship as well. He won in 2009 as well, and has added five additional top-fives since 2012. Johnson T-2 at the Masters, and grabbed a solo second at the PGA Championship this season, and although Koepka gets the nod this week, DJ is my pick to win.
1. Brooks Koepka – (1)
As he wrapped up his final round at the RBC Canadian Open, it seemed Koepka was already looking ahead to Pebble Beach, and could not build off his round of 66 on Friday. He shot 72, 70 for the weekend, and fell all the way down to a T-50 finish.
I put little into that though, and if anything, the poor finish this week will lead to even greater focus from the number one player in the world this week. The week before he won the U.S. Open last year, he T-30 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, so I cannot let what happened this week deter his ranking. With a T-2 at the Masters this year, and his win at Bethpage, Koepka has been the best player in major championships over the last couple of years with a bullet.
PGA DFS: The 2019 U.S. Open – Yahoo Fantasy Special. dark. Next
Thanks for stopping by FantasyCPR and checking out our ever-expanding PGA page. Be sure to keep an eye out for my FanDuel article coming soon, as well as the DraftKings Cash Core. Please give me a follow on Twitter with the link at the top of the page, and feel free to ask any PGA DFS questions if you wish. Good luck with your Fantasy Golf this weekend!