2023 U.S. Open PrizePicks: Tony Finau, Dustin Johnson Among Fourth-Round Plays
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images. Pictured: Tony Finau
Round 3 of the 2023 U.S. Open is now in the books, as the course continues to play much tougher than Thursday's opening round.
Currently, Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark hold a one-stroke lead over the rest of the field at 10-under.
We're in for a treat on Sunday in what's likely a four-man race between Clark, Fowler, Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler.
Below, I give out my four Round 4 PrizePicks plays for the 2023 U.S. Open.
U.S. Open Round 4 PrizePicks Plays
Tony Finau: Round 4 More Than 70.5 Strokes
The first golfer to fade on Sunday is Tony Finau, who's currently T15 at 1-under. However, Finau is trending in the wrong direction entering the final round.
After getting off to a red-hot start on Thursday with a 68, he followed that up with a 69 on Friday and 72 on Saturday. This regression was predictable given his poor underlying metrics, and further regression is likely on Sunday.
Currently, Finau ranks 34th or lower amongst the remaining field in strokes gained putting, greens in regulation percentage, driving accuracy and strokes gained off the tee. While his irons have been good-not-great, LACC has generally rewarded the better drivers and putters through the first three rounds.
Finishing major tournaments has always been an issue for Finau, something that could occur once again on Sunday.
In fact, he hasn't finished better than T15 in any of his past eight major championship appearances.
Dustin Johnson: Round 4 More Than 70.5 Strokes
Another guy to fade on Sunday is Dustin Johnson, who's T6 at 5-under. Despite starting the tournament off with two strong rounds, DJ regressed on Saturday with a 71.
This is not the first time the weekend has given him some trouble this season. After making the cut, he finished 48th at the Masters Tournament and 55th at the PGA Championship.
We could now see yet another disappointing finish from DJ after such a promising start. Prior to the third round, I wrote about how I didn't think that his 12 birdies through the first two rounds were sustainable, and that was verified with his three-birdie, four-bogey performance in the third round.
It wouldn't be shocking if the fourth round goes similarly for DJ.
Scottie Scheffler: Round 4 Less Than 69 Strokes
Scottie Scheffler has shot a 68 or lower in each of the first three rounds, and there's little reason to expect anything different on Sunday. Currently, he's in fourth-place at 7-under.
Scheffler is playing some terrific golf, ranking in the top six amongst the remaining field in strokes gained on the approach, off the tee and tee-to-green.
Once again, his putter is the only reason he's not further up the leaderboard, although he still ranks 24th in strokes gained putting.
That's been the same story time-and-again this year, and based on his results, I'm not too concerned about the putter drastically cutting his score in the final round.
Not only has Scheffler made each of his past 15 cuts, he's also finished inside the top 12 in all 15 of those events. Additionally, he's finished inside the top 10 in seven of his past nine major appearances.
Scheffler has now shot a 69 or lower in 17 of his past 23 rounds.
Rickie Fowler: Round 4 Less Than 71 Strokes
The books are once again predicting some decent regression from Rickie Fowler, and I'm once again not buying it.
Fowler has shot a 70 or lower in each of the first three rounds, and that was with him leaving a gimme-putt on 18 to close out Saturday.
He's playing as good of golf as he was when he finished in the top 5 in all four majors in 2014. In fact, the entire 2022-23 campaign has been a sort-of renaissance for the 34-year-old.
Fowler has made 15 of his 17 cuts this season, boasting a terrific 12 top-25 finishes over that span. It's safe to say that the decision to go back to his old swing coach has paid dividends for the fan-favorite.
There's currently not a flaw in Fowler's game. His driver is accurate, he's among the top eight in the remaining field in ball striking and his putter has been immaculate (hole 18 on Saturday withstanding).
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