RotoBaller PGA: One And Done Staff Picks - U.S. Open

June 12, 2019

The PGA RotoBaller staff digs into their One and Done selections for the U.S. Open. Here are some under the radar plays and picks for this week's event.

Here at RotoBaller, we are always searching for ways to give our readers the best fantasy sports content possible. With that goal in mind, we are very proud to announce the addition of a weekly PGA “One and Done” column. In this feature, our golf staff of Joe Nicely, Spencer Aguiar and Gianni Magliocco will provide their weekly golf picks every Wednesday. The purpose of this article is to present you with alternative options to consider and hopefully make your selection a much easier process weekly. With that plan in mind, let's get started!

Another event, and another successful week for the crew at the Canadian Open. Joe's hot streak continued as he claimed a T2 finish with Webb Simpson north of the border. That means that Joe has amassed almost $4.5 million over the last four events, which is staggeringly good. For myself, a T4 of Matt Kuchar kept me ticking along nicely, although I'm now under severe pressure to keep hold of my small lead this week thanks to the brilliance of Joe. A poor third round was the undoing of Spencer's pick of Kevin Tway last week, as the American hobbled to a T44 finish. Although Spencer did shrewdly tell you all to select McIlroy if you had the chance!

It's U.S. Open time now, and although the event isn't going to be the decider in who will be crowned Rotoballer's OAD champion, it should have a massive say.

2019 U.S. Open

For an in-depth breakdown of the top DraftKings and Fanduel plays, check out Joe Nicely's weekly Horse For The Course that highlights the best fits for the week's course.

And you can also find out who the smart money is on by checking out Spencer Aguiar's PGA DFS: Vegas Report every week.

Pebble Beach Golf Links

7,075 Yards - Par 71 - Greens - Poa

Short, open to the elements and tough as hell. That just about sums up what's in store for the players this week. Wild rough awaits the players should they happen to miss the fairway, but it's approach shots which are the most critical aspect this week. Players won't need driver on every hole at Pebble Beach, but they will need their iron play locked in if they want a chance of surviving the tricky test. Poa greens will make putting tough this week, and the unpredictable nature of the surfaces is going to put a premium on the player's temperaments.

One and Done Selections

Joe Nicely - Dustin Johnson

Alternate - Tommy Fleetwood

Things have been going well. Webb Simpson came through for me in Canada last week with a T2, but Gianni hung tough with Matt Kuchar not far behind. Our little OAD contest has turned into a heavyweight fight! Someone’s gonna land a haymaker at this week’s U.S. Open.

I’ve been fortunate in majors so far this year. I had Tiger at the Masters and Brooks at the PGA, so I’m trying to go 3/3 in majors. I would love to have either one of those guys at my disposal this week, but I’ve got a pretty good “C Player” lined up in Dustin Johnson. Most of us started out this season with a plan for our OAD. Those plans usually go sideways for one reason or another (and several of mine certainly have), but I’ve had DJ earmarked for this event since Day One. He’s perhaps the most physically gifted player in the world, he’s won twice at Pebble Beach (AT&T Pro-Ams), and he always comes to play in U.S. Opens. We know that he’s had trouble winning major championships, but he’s finished second in both of 2019’s big events. I love his chances this week and feel like anything outside a top-10 finish from DJ would be a huge disappointment.

There’s no doubt that he’ll be an extremely popular selection in OAD contests this week, so I did consider pivoting to someone like Tommy Fleetwood or Paul Casey, but at the end of the day, I just can’t ignore DJ’s talent and track record at Pebble. After stumbling out of the gate, I’ve fought tooth and nail to get myself back in this competition. If I’m gonna put a ton of trust in a player this week, I’m comfortable with it being Dustin Johnson. - Joe Nicely

Yearly Earnings - $8,118,207

Yearly Cuts Made - 18/21

Spencer Aguiar - Tommy Fleetwood

Alternate - Jordan Spieth

This OAD competition has taken a weird turn for me. It won't come as much of a surprise that I was saving Dustin Johnson for this exact position. However, with the deficit that I currently face, it seems to be suboptimal game-theory to roll out the player that will be the most widely used in all contests. It goes back to my theory last weekend of having to take some random shots if we want to give ourselves a chance to get back into contention. The biggest mistake I see people make is not recognizing how contrarian they need to go if they're going to make up ground, and I refuse to sit by and accept my fate.

My decision came down to Jordan Spieth or Tommy Fleetwood, but I ultimately decided to select the Englishman as my choice for the U.S. Open. I've always said that the Open Championship is the much more likely grand slam for Fleetwood to win if he does eventually breakthrough on the biggest stage, but Pebble Beach might be just as tailor-made for the 28-year-old to find success.

I'm not expecting Fleetwood to go completely unowned and do believe that he will be a semi-popular choice this weekend, but it comes down to this question: "Do I want to use him as a golfer who will be a fringe top 10 owned option this week? Or do I want to take him at the Open Championship and risk him being the most popular player on the board? I'll go with the first possibility and take my chances on Fleetwood finding his breakthrough in California. - Spencer Aguiar

Yearly Earnings - $5,133,113

Yearly Cuts Made - 20/21

Gianni Magliocco - Tiger Woods

Alternate - Justin Rose

After giving you the winner last week, it's time to provide you with the U.S. Open winner - and thankfully I still have him ready to use in this competition. Tiger Woods is your 2019 U.S. Open champion - of that there is no doubt in my mind.

With a premium on approach play this week, Woods is the guy to rely on, whose iron play has been incredible all year. The 43-year-old is still head and shoulders above the rest with his irons, and he proved that at the year's first major. Woods shook off the rust at the Memorial, and I'm expecting a clinic in not just ball striking, but on the greens too. Nobody knows these greens better than Woods - as he proved on his way to a 15 stroke victory here in 2000.

I'm expecting one, if not both, of my competitors this week to choose Dustin Johnson - who enters the event as a false favorite in my mind. Johnson shot an 82 when he had victory in his sights here in 2010, and in recent times he crumbled to Ted Potter Jr. at the AT&T. Wonderful credentials.

My advice this week is simple - play Tiger Woods as your OAD pick and add over $2 million to your balance. Also, take your hard earned cash and place it on Woods to win. If you have no money, then take someone else's and put it on the great man. Sweet sixteen is coming home, and I'm bringing my OAD total to over $10 million in the process. - Gianni Magliocco

Yearly Earnings - $8,486,045

Yearly Cuts Made - 17/21

Running Totals

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