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<\/p>\nThese get harder and harder to write as we go.\u00a0 Not only because we’re at a spot where you’ve used up 25 golfers, but there’s also the question of strategy based on where you are in the standings.\u00a0 On top of that, those strategies are going to mesh with each other and differ based on the combination of players you have.\u00a0 A person leading that saved big names isn’t going to play it the same as a person leading that has a bare cupboard.<\/p>\n
So, I’ll do the best I can to lay out who I think finds the first page of the leaderboard here and leave the thinking up to you.\u00a0 This is also the second-to-last chance to use some LIV players, adding a final wrinkle to this already taxing week.<\/p>\n
I hated to include results at like say, Myrtle Beach here, so I did end up leaving filters on that sorted out basically any event with easy scoring conditions or a weak field.\u00a0 So, let’s see who excelled int he tough conditions against the big guns:<\/p>\n
Tons of big names on this list, with some obvious “0.0” spots in the Win% column on the usual suspects.\u00a0 This is the past two years of golf, with players having at least five starts in the tough conditions\/tough fields.\u00a0 It just goes to show, most often, when the stakes are high and the course in unforgiving, the cream rises to the top.<\/p>\n
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I think driving distance, carry distance, and long irons are all obviously important, but a common trait between folks good at all three is just simply going to be club head speed.\u00a0 A secondary issue that this solves is being able to muscle your way out of nasty, tall rough when you inevitably find yourself in trouble.<\/p>\n
This one isn’t filtered by anything, since I don’t think that does us any good.\u00a0 This might be a good one to use to sort out some of your wagers as well, possibly by sorting by lowest speed and seeing who’s been getting it done without (popular pick Sepp Straka<\/span> is near the bottom of the list)<\/p>\n Noonan covered this well in one of his videos this week<\/a>.\u00a0 The greens are impossibly fast, but also massive.\u00a0 So finding yourself on the wrong end of a long green might actually be worse than some spots just off the green complexes.\u00a0 Here are the top ten in Noonan’s putting model (you can find the whole thing<\/a> in the Expert Rankings in the Rabbit Hole<\/a>).\u00a0 As he points out, seeing Scottie Scheffler<\/a> this high on the list is a bad sign for the other guys in the field, as it was something he struggled with for quite a while.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Finally, I built another mini-model looking at a few traits that everyone needs to stay out of trouble here, again all sorted on tough courses\/high-end fields.\u00a0 Scrambling, Bogey Avoidance, Hitting Greens, and find your way home out of the rough.\u00a0 Funny enough, Niemann pops up (along with Noonan’s crush, Bud Cauley<\/a>).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It’s a major, and not only that, last year it was the biggest purse out of the four majors at $21.5 million.\u00a0 So, you can’t get too cute if you have the names and your near the top.\u00a0 There is a case to get a little wilder if you are chasing, but again, you really have to feel confident in a name if you’re going past the top 30-40 golfers I’d think.<\/p>\n The list is pretty boring in my opinion, it’s a damn major, you need to use a major name that you trust here:<\/p>\n Joaquin Niemann<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/clubhead-1024x693.png\")
<\/p>\nThree-Putt Avoidance<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/putting-1024x524.png\")
<\/p>\nGrinders<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nU.S. Open One and Done Suggestions<\/h2>\n
\nBryson DeChambeau<\/a>
\nScottie Scheffler<\/a>
\nJon Rahm<\/span><\/p>\n