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Los Angeles Country Club hasn't hosted a PGA Tour event since 1940, but several of the players competing in the 2023 U.S. Open starting Thursday will be familiar with it from their amateur careers. Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa were members of the U.S. team that won the 2017 Walker Cup. Max Homa set a course-record 61 on his way to winning the 2013 Pac-12 Championship at LACC, while Jon Rahm finished seventh in that tournament as a freshman. Scheffler is the No. 1 player in the world and the 13-2 favorite in the 2023 U.S. Open odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while Rahm is 8-1.

Homa is 16-1 in the 2023 U.S. Open field, while Morikawa, a two-time major champion, is 25-1. Before making any 2023 U.S. Open picks, see the PGA predictions and best bets from golf betting and fantasy expert Sia Nejad.

Nejad specializes in betting and DFS in golf, among other sports. He's had incredible success in the outright and first-round leader markets and betting head-to-head matchups. At the Wells Fargo, he had Wyndham Clark among his longshot outrights, backing the 75-1 shot before he dominated at Quail Hollow for his first PGA Tour victory.

In 2022, Nejad hit six first-round leaders in a 12-week span while peppering in tournament outrights throughout the year. In 2023, Sportsline debuted "The Early Wedge," and in the first three months of the show, he hit two FRLs and three outright winners. Nejad also had a winning head-to-head record in eight of 10 weeks, including full tournament sweeps on head-to-head plays. He was up more than 70 units over that three-month span.

Now, Nejad has focused his attention on the 2023 U.S. Open field and has locked in his best bets, top sleepers and favorites to avoid. See all his picks at SportsLine

Top 2023 U.S. Open expert picks

One shocker from Nejad: The expert is fading Scottie Scheffler, even though he's the No. 1 player in the world. The 26-year-old was the 2019-2020 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, but earned superstar status during the 2021-22 season. Scheffler broke through with a win at the Phoenix Open and has piled up six wins in the 16 months since. However, his putter has been the glaring weakness in his game and cost him several times during what has been an otherwise incredible run. Scheffler ranks 148th this season in strokes gained putting (-0.248), while his one-putt percentage of 38.43% ranks 153rd.

On the other hand, Nejad sees some value in Patrick Cantlay despite his lack of success in majors so far. In 25 appearances in major championships, Cantlay's highest major finish is third at the 2019 PGA Championship. His best U.S. Open finish came last year, when he finished 14th. But the 31-year-old has eight tour victories, six coming over the past two-plus seasons. Cantlay's game also is among the most well-rounded on tour, and he ranks third in scoring average. "It's simply inevitable that his complete game comes around and starts clicking in these huge spots," Nejad said. See who to back here.

How to make 2023 U.S. Open golf picks

Nejad has locked in his best bets for the U.S. Open 2023 and is picking several longshots, including one player who's priced higher than 50-1. This golfer's results "have continued in a positive trajectory," and the expert expects him to make a strong run. You can only see his 2023 U.S. Open picks at SportsLine.

So which players should you target or avoid for the 2023 U.S. Open, and which golfer in the U.S. Open 2023 field could bring a huge payday of more than 50-1? Check out the latest 2023 U.S. Open odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Sia Nejad's outright picks and top props for the U.S. Open 2023, all from the expert who recently was up more than 70 units on his golf picks in a three-month span.

2023 U.S. Open odds, field, contenders

See Nejad's picks, best bets and predictions here.

Scottie Scheffler +650
Jon Rahm +800
Brooks Koepka +850
Viktor Hovland +1000
Rory McIlroy +1100
Patrick Cantlay +1400
Max Homa +1600
Xander Schauffele +1800
Justin Thomas +2500
Jordan Spieth +2500
Collin Morikawa +2500
Cameron Smith +2500
Tony Finau +2500
Dustin Johnson +2800
Cameron Young +3500
Matt Fitzpatrick +3500
Tyrrell Hatton +4000
Hideki Matsuyama +4000
Bryson DeChambeau +4000
Sungjae Im +4000
Jason Day +4000
Tommy Fleetwood +4500
Joaquin Niemann +5000
Sam Burns +5000
Shane Lowry +5000
Rickie Fowler +5000
Sahith Theegala +5500
Justin Rose +5000
Wyndham Clark +7000
Corey Conners +7500
Joonhyung (Tom) Kim +8500
Patrick Reed +8500
Adam Scott +9000
Talor Gooch +10000
Denny McCarthy +10000
Louis Oosthuizen +12500
Keegan Bradley +12500
Si-Woo Kim +12500
Russell Henley +12500
Gary Woodland +12500
Mito Pereira +12500
Kurt Kitayama +12500
Keith Mitchell +15000
Tom Hoge +15000
Harris English +15000
Carlos Ortiz +15000
Justin Suh +15000
Phil Mickelson +15000
Abraham Ancer +15000
Min Woo Lee +15000
Lucas Herbert +17500
Victor Perez +17500
Seamus Power +17500
Adrian Meronk +17500
Taylor Moore +17500
Cam Davis +17500
Thomas Pieters +20000
Chris Kirk +20000
Eddie Pepperell +20000
Austin Eckroat +20000
K.H. Lee +20000
Taylor Montgomery +20000
Harold Varner +20000
Jason Kokrak +20000