US Open sleepers 2023: 5 dark horse picks who could win at LACC

US Open sleepers No. 4: Gary Woodland (+13000)

Getting to put a previous US Open winner on a list of dark horse picks feels like a bit of a cheat code but, for whatever reason, Gary Woodland is sitting here at 130/1 for Los Angeles Country Club and that’s not something I’m going to overlook.

Woodland has been one of the truly elite ball strikers on the PGA Tour this season, currently gaining 2.23 weighted strokes tee-to-green over his last 16 rounds. The bugaboo with the 2019 national champ is the putter. That has continued as he’s lost more than half a weighted stroke per round over that same span with the flat stick.

Having said that, with the speed of these greens at LACC this week and the emphasis on ball striking, you can’t count out Woodland as a potential sleeper who could make US Open noise once again.

US Open sleepers No. 3: Eric Cole (+21000)

Of the 2023 US Open dark horse picks we’re running through for this week, Eric Cole has the longest odds of this quintet. But when you dive into the numbers, that might actually be far too long given how well he’s playing.

Cole has six Top 25 finishes in his last eight starts, including a peak at T6 last week in Canada. He’s gaining strokes with ball striking consistently but, even more so, has been impressive around the green, which is going to be a test this week on these fast-rolling greens, gaining 1.03 strokes around the green over the last 16 rounds, eighth-best over that span among PGA Tour players in the field.

His approach play has been good but a bit spotty. If he can dial that in a bit, or if he can recover well still around the green, Cole is playing well enough right now to definitely be considered a live sleeper this week.