For the third of four major championships this season, the U.S. Open will be played at Oakmont Country Club (par 70, 7,372 yards, POA annua greens) in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. This will be the 10th U.S. Open played at Oakmont, a venue which last hosted this major in 2016 when Dustin Johnson (-4) came out victorious. At last year’s U.S. Open, played at Pinehurst No. 2, Bryson DeChambeau (-6) claimed his second U.S. Open title. There will be 156 players competing at Oakmont this week and there will be a slightly limited cut after the first two rounds, with the top-60 and ties advancing.
Oakmont is regarded as one of the most challenging golf courses in the world. When Johnson won at Oakmont in 2016, he was notably only one of four players to shoot under par for the event. This very long tree-lined par 70 features narrow fairways, extremely penalizing rough, a whopping 168 bunkers and lightning fast greens. There is no water on the course, but Oakmont’s 168 bunkers — including the famous church pew bunker — are the most of any course so far this season by a significant 50 bunkers.
Not only do you need to be a long hitter to win at Oakmont, but you also need to be accurate with your driver, as missing the fairway at this venue is a huge disadvantage. Johnson led his field in driving distance and finished T18th in fairways found when he won the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont, so we need to be prioritizing elite drivers this week. Johnson also led his field in GIR, so we must target players who are in great form with their irons as well. Oakmont is a traditional par 70 that includes 12 par fours, four par threes, and two par fives. As always with this type of course, scoring on the par fours is most vital and we must target elite par four players this week. During his three-stroke win at Oakmont in 2016, Johnson led his field in par four efficiency.
Below, I have featured four of my favorite DraftKings bargain plays for the U.S. Open, which all cost less than $7.5K.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA $3M Fantasy Golf Millionaire [$1M to 1st]
Russell Henley ($7,400): Henley has been great at U.S. Opens in the past, making 8-of-11 cuts at this major with six top-30 finishes, including a T7 at Pinehurst No. 2 last season. Plus, the veteran is in the midst of another excellent season on the PGA TOUR. In 12 starts, Henley has made 10 cuts and carded six top-25 finishes, including a win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Henley ranks 17th in SGT2G and 30th in par four performance this season. Furthermore, he ranks 14th in driving accuracy, which is great news for Oakmont, where being in the fairway will be a distinct advantage. Henley’s +6500 odds to win the U.S. Open on DraftKings Sportsbook are outstanding relative to his low DFS salary and he is without a doubt one of the best values available for this major.
Sam Burns ($7,100): Burns nearly claimed his sixth PGA TOUR win last week at the RBC Canadian Open, losing to Ryan Fox in a nail-biting playoff that went four holes. Burns posted an 8-under 62 in the final round, one stroke of tying his career-low, and he gained strokes in every major category at TPC Toronto.
Coming off this season-best showing, Burns has now made seven cuts in a row and five of these finishes have been top-20 results. The LSU product has shot under par in 18 of his 28 rounds during this cut streak and for the season, Burns ranks first in SGP and 30th in total driving. Most notably with a T9 at last year’s U.S. Open, Burns has made 4-of-6 cuts at this major and is an elite bargain at this low salary.
Harris English ($6,700): English is an easy choice at this cheap price point. The 35-year-old has been awesome this season, making 12-of-14 cuts with seven top-25 finishes, including a win at the Farmers Insurance Open in January and a runner-up at the PGA Championship last month. English’s putting has been terrific this season, with him ranking 19th in SGP. His driver has also been strong at 30th in total driving.
To put a cherry on top, English boasts a sensational resume at the U.S. Open. The veteran has never missed a cut at this major in nine starts, including three top-10 finishes and a T37th at Oakmont in 2016.
Cameron Young ($6,500): After a shaky start to his season, Young has regained his form just in time for the U.S. Open. Young has advanced to the weekend at the last two editions of this major and he travels to Oakmont on the heels of a T4 finish at the RBC Canadian Open last week. A few late errors held Young back from truly contending, but this was a very encouraging performance, as he carded back-to-back 5-under 65s over the weekend and gained strokes in every major category at TPC Toronto, except around the greens. Specifically, Young’s driving was outstanding as he finished second in SG OTT for the event, which is the third straight tournament he has gained strokes OTT at.
Young has now made five straight cuts and three of these finishes have come inside the top-25. The 28-year-old’s strong driving skills set him up well for the daunting Oakmont and Young is a sensational GPP target at this cheap price tag. In 16 career starts at majors, Young has produced five top-10 finishes.
