Horse For The Course: PGA DFS Course History - 2023 Open Championship

Hi, golf fans! Welcome back to "Horse For The Course." If the Genesis Scottish Open is any indicator of what's in store this week at the Open Championship, we're gonna be in for a fun ride!

Despite the fact that not all golf fans could see it happen live, Rory McIlroy outran Scotland native Robert Macintyre to win at The Renaissance Club. McIlroy birdied the last two holes of the final round to clear Bobby Mac by a shot. He now heads to a Royal Liverpool layout on which he won his lone Open Championship title in 2014.

"Horse For The Course" is an article that highlights players in this week's field with elite course history and is part of our free PGA DFS content here at RotoBaller. For my favorite DFS plays of the week, check out my Core Four article here at RotoBaller every Wednesday. It's part of our excellent PGA Premium package that includes an all-new PGA Research Station, Lineup Builder & Optimizer, and some of the best articles in the PGA DFS industry! You can sign up now using Promo Code: NICE for an extra discount at checkout!

2023 Open Championship

Last week was a terrific reminder of just how great golf can be, as we were blessed with a rousing finale at the Genesis Scottish Open. Come to think of it, we've had a pretty amazing season in 2023 with plenty of star power, as well as comeback stories.

Everything is coming together for this to be a memorable Open Championship, as we head to Royal Liverpool for the final major of the year. Hoylake is the spot of Rory McIlroy's lone Open win back in 2014 and this will mark the historic event's first renewal at Hoylake since then.

McIlroy himself comes in with a head of steam off last week's dramatic victory, though we shouldn't count out the man that bested him at St. Andrews last year - defending Open champion Cameron Smith. We'll also have to consider elite options such as Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, and Brooks Koepka on this star-studded DFS slate. It's going to be a fun one...let's dive in!

You can also find out who the smart money is on by checking out Spencer Aguiar's PGA DFS: Vegas Report every week. Be sure to read all of our other top-notch weekly PGA DFS articles to help you win big!

The Course: Royal Liverpool Golf Course (Hoylake)

Par 71 - 7,383 Yards, Greens: Fescue/Bent/Poa Blend, Designed By: Robert Chambers & George Morris & Harry Colt 

A traditional links layout that is perhaps the flattest course in the Open Championship rota, Royal Liverpool has yielded elite winners during its time hosting modern Opens with Rory McIlroy (2014) and Tiger Woods (2006) emerging victorious at Hoylake.

As with many Open host venues, Royal Liverpool's main defense is the elements, as breezy conditions can make things tricky in a hurry on this exposed piece of land. There are also some unique wrinkles present, such as internal out-of-bounds boundaries that lurk on two pivotal holes.

While we need to wait on the weather, Hoylake will likely be a rather gettable affair if the winds don't blow, as McIlroy won here at 17-under par in 2014 and Woods triumphed at -18 in 2006. If conditions are indeed scorable, the biggest emphasis will be on controlling your golf ball, which leads me to target elite ball-strikers who are excellent from tee t0 green.

Recent Open Championship Winners & Scoring Info

• 2022: Cameron Smith (-20)
• 2021: Collin Morikawa (-15)
• 2020: Cancelled due to COVID
• 2019: Shane Lowry (-15)
• 2018: Francesco Molinari (-8)
• Average Winning Score Last Five Years: -11.6

The Horse

Rory McIlroy

• Event Scoring Average: 70.50 (13 career starts) 
• Notable Course History: 3rd (2022), T2 ('18), T4 ('17), T5 ('16), Win ('14)
• DraftKings Price: $11,900 FanDuel Price: $12,200

There's not really any way to get around Rory McIlroy this week, as the already-popular fan favorite possesses both winning history at Royal Liverpool and winning recent form from last week's Genesis Scottish Open.

Of the many talking points surrounding him this week, the most touched upon will likely be his win on this very layout in 2014, his near-miss last year at St. Andrews, and the spectacular moxie he displayed down the stretch last week at the Renaissance Club. All are relevant and are pieces of the larger McIlroy picture.

If we zoom in, it's interesting what we find between his Open triumph in 2014 and his brutal defeat in 2022, which is, simply put, lots of quality golf in this Championship. Sure, there was the emotional, high-profile failure at Portrush in 2019, but McIlroy has still finished T5 or better in five of his last seven Open starts. When we couple that obvious comfortability with the fact that he's gained nine or more Strokes Total in each of his last six starts, we have a player that's going to be popular with reason and is impossible to take lightly this week.

Nice to add another National Open to the CV. Incredible week in Scotland. Can’t wait to come back next year. @ScottishOpen pic.twitter.com/3N0c8MCVYh

— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) July 16, 2023

The Ponies

Brooks Koepka

• Event Scoring Average: 70.96 (Eight career starts)
• Notable Course History: T6 ('21), T4 ('19), T6 ('17), T10 ('15), T67 ('14)
• DraftKings Price: $10,400 FanDuel Price: $11,800

The freshly-minted five-time major champion doesn't yet have a Claret Jug, though it's not been due to bad play in the Open. A missed cut last year at St. Andrews was just his second blemish in eight career Open starts.

Koepka, who came up on the European Challenge Tour and is more familiar with links golf than most American players, has recorded top-10 finishes in half of his Open appearances. He scored just a T67 in the 2014 edition at Royal Liverpool, though an opening-round 68 shows that Koepka has the ability to shoot a number on this layout and that experience could prove to be invaluable this go around.

While it's fair to debate how much to value LIV starts, Koepka has looked sharp on that circuit, posting three top-five finishes in his last five LIV outings. He's, obviously, been phenomenal when squaring off against PGA Tour members in majors this season with a win at Oak Hill, a near miss at the Masters, and a solid, if unspectacular, T17 at the U.S. Open.

Five-time major champion, Brooks Koepka, is a @ManUtd fan.

Watch his full press conference now.

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 18, 2023

Rickie Fowler

• Event Scoring Average: 70.71 (11 career starts)
• Notable Course History: T6 ('19), 2nd ('14), T9 ('18), Win ('17), T4 ('15), T36 ('14)
• DraftKings Price: $9,700  FanDuel Price: $

The Rickie Renaissance reached a new apex in Detroit a few weeks ago, as the popular Fowler nabbed a playoff victory at the Rocket Mortgage. While Royal Liverpool is an entirely different animal than Detroit Golf Club, he still rates as a legitimate contender this week at Hoylake on a layout on which he scored a runner-up finish in the 2014 edition of the Open.

While that 2014 effort was is best career result in the Open, it was no fluke, as Fowler has made the cut in 10 of his 11 career Open Championship starts with three top-six finishes across them. It's anyone's guess as to whether Fowler can ever get across the finish line in a major, but his rejuvenated form that's showcased concrete-solid tee-to-green play at its core, coupled with his strong Open track record, suggests he could once again find himself in the thick of things this week.

Locked in on a Tuesday.@RickieFowler arrives @TheOpen.pic.twitter.com/aqyLfQ43sT

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 18, 2023

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End of the Season Totals: @rotoballer @BettorGolfPod

2017 +54.26 Units
2018 +55.88 Units
2019 +27.743 Units
2020 + 37.015 Units
2021 + 68.846 Units
2022 +67.485 Units

Total Winnings: +311.229 Units

Total Outright Wins Since 2017: 36

H2H Totals Inside Thread… https://t.co/pNQrSK1rFE

— Spencer Aguiar (@TeeOffSports) December 12, 2022

Adam Scott

• Event Scoring Average: 71.19 (20 career starts)
• Notable Course History: T15 ('22), T10 ('15), T5 ('14), T3 ('13), 2nd ('12)
• DraftKings Price: $7,900 FanDuel Price: $9,600

The sweet-swingin' Aussie has a bit of star-crossed history in the Open Championship dating back to his gut-wrenching implosion in the 2012 edition. While Scott has never been able to corral a Claret Jug, he's consistently put forth strong efforts in golf's oldest major. The veteran has made the cut in 16 of his 20 career Open starts, racking up five top-10 finishes across those outings - two of which came at Hoylake (T5 IN '14 & T8 in '06).

I'm not concerned with a missed cut last week in the Scottish Open, as rounds of 72-67 indicate his form is perfectly fine. If we widen our view to the past few months, Scott's output has been encouraging. He's recorded top-10 finishes in three of his last seven starts and grades out 13th in this week's elite field in SG: Total over the last 24 rounds. I suppose it's fair to question the upside of a 43-year-old in a major championship, but we've historically seen older golfers play well in Open Championships and Scott's 2023 form - and timeless swing - indicates he's far from over the hill.

A swing that never gets old 😍

Happy birthday to 14-time PGA TOUR winner Adam Scott! pic.twitter.com/XAC0vL8vX6

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 16, 2023

Robert MacIntyre

• Event Scoring Average: 69.42 (Three career starts)
• Notable Course History: T34 ('22), T8 ('21), T6 ('19)
• DraftKings Price: $6,800 FanDuel Price: $8,900

I'm sure you guys won't believe me, but I promise I had this one in the chamber before his sizzling Sunday at the Genesis Scottish Open. Unfortunately, Robert MacIntyre's eye-opening near miss last week has put him on a bunch of radars this week.

Though our sneak attack has been spoiled, there's still reason to consider Bobby Mac in cash game and single-entry formats, as the big lefty has proven himself to be something of an Open Championship savant. The sample size is small, but the Scotland native has performed beautifully in his three career Open starts, amassing a 69.42 scoring average that's the best in the field among players with a minimum of three Open starts and producing a pair of top-eight efforts already.

Robert MacIntyre's solo second finish @ScottishOpen vaults him up eight spots on the European Points List 📈

He is currently an automatic qualifier for @RyderCupEurope. pic.twitter.com/iWBF6Kujq6

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 17, 2023

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