The Power Fade: 2024 US Open
The Approach to fading big names for the 2024 US Open
What’s going on TJ Nation! Ann Arbor's Own Good Ol' AK Allen Klutts here bringing you another edition of the Power Fade: The Fades 8K and Above You Need to Smash Your DraftKings GPP's!
A National Championship. From the beautiful Sandhills of North Carolina, The United States Golf Association presents The US Open. Scottie Scheffler continues his historic en fuego form and rolls into Pinehurst the clear cut favorite.
A Donald Ross design, Pinehurst #2 plays as a Par 70, tipping out at 7,550 yards. Crowned and tiered greens await the world's best. En Route to these greens the players will face sand, sand, and more sand.
The rough will not be as extensive to what a traditional US Open set up will feature. However, the sand and waste bunkers can create wacky lies that can make or break a player's chances at wearing the gold medal come Sunday.
With glory on the line, let us see who will not make Father's Day 2024 a day to remember. Bring on the US Open Power Fades!
Viktor Hovland ($9,800)
Our first Power Fade of the week has shown some form of late, after months of being dormant. Viktor Hovland makes his way to the PF at $9,800 on DraftKings.
Why The Fade Works:
Viktor has been making some improvements to his game and the results have been showing. However, we come to a track in Pinehurst #2 that will highlight the issues Vik has had this season.
Hovland has been notoriously bad at chipping and around the greens his whole career. We are not breaking any news with this, and the stats continue to back this up.
Ranking 108th Around the Green Bunkers and Rough is not a recipe for success at any US Open, let alone Pinehurst. Pair this with ranking 105th in SG Approach in the range of 175-200 yards and it gets ugly quick.
When it comes to the US Open, historically speaking we struggle to make pars and birdies are a premium. This holds especially true on Par 3's. The Par 3's this week are long, and difficult. Vik rates out an abysmal 133rd for Par 3 Scoring.
With the soft pricing allowing people to pay up for a 13K Scottie Scheffler, many may try to pivot off of a chalk Morikawa and get sneaky with Vik. I think it is a good week to pump the breaks on the Hovland resurgence, and conclude to smart decisions the numbers tell us to make.
Brooks Koepka ($10,000)
Our second Power Fade of the week is a 2 Time US Open Champion, a 5 Time Major Champion and someone you can't count out in Majors... Until this week. Brooks Koepka makes a rare PF appearance this week at an even 10K on DraftKings.
Why The Fade Works:
Brooks has been having a sub par year by his standards. As a man who prides himself on how he does in the Majors, it has been a down year.
So why is Brooks struggling? When you delve into the stats, Brooks have been rather mediocre finding the fairway. With a 53rd ranking in Hit Fairway Percentage, this puts immense pressure on Koepka's SG Approach game. In return, this has not been successful. Brooks ranks 69th in SG Approach 175-250 yards.
Brooks inaccuracy off the tee could also force him into third shots from 100-175 yards. In these up and down situations, Brooks has struggled, ranking 107th in this distance range.
That's it folks for this week's edition of the Power Fade! We will be returning to you next week we head to the Northeast. Cromwall, CT and The Travelers Championship await us.
Follow me on X @AllenKlutts and on Instagram @Allen_Klutts906
Until then Be Bold, Be Brave, and Let's Ride the Power Fade!
"With the soft pricing allowing people to pay up for a 13K Scottie Scheffler, many may try to pivot off of a chalk Morikawa and get sneaky with Vik. I think it is a good week to pump the breaks on the Hovland resurgence, and conclude to smart decisions the numbers tell us to make."
— AK
Meet the Author:
Allen Klutts
A long time Tour Junkies fan and Nut Hut Member, Allen has always been an enthusiastic PGA DFS player and is looking to bring that passion to his writing. A frequent participant on the Wednesday Night Live Stage Chat, who DB once compared to Norm from the TV show "Cheers" for always kicking off the live stage segment, Allen lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with his wife and two year old son.
Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and commentary in this post belong to its author and do not necessarily represent the Tour Junkies as a whole.