The U.S. Open tees off this week at Oakmont Country Club.
This is a look at the best first-round leader bets to make for the event on DraftKings Sportsbook.
U.S. Open: First Round Leader Picks
The U.S. Open is being played at Oakmont Country Club, and it is the third major championship of the year. Oakmont last hosted the U.S. Open in 2016, where Dustin Johnson won the tournament. Prior to that, it hosted the famous 2007 U.S. Open, where Angel Cabrera won with a 72-hole score of +5. Oakmont is a par 70 golf course and ranges 7,431 yards. It is one of the most difficult golf courses in the world, illustrated by Cabrera’s major win at five strokes over par. The poa annua grass greens are a great challenge for the world’s best golfers. Oakmont is famous for its brutal rough and punishing conditions. All of the best golfers in the world will be facing off for this U.S. Open title. The two best players in the world, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, have won the first two majors of the year and will both want to win another. Meanwhile, defending U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau will also be a contender this week.
Jon Rahm FRL (+2500)
Jon Rahm was one of the three best players on the planet at the end of the 2023 season. In 2023, he won the Masters, finished T-10 at the U.S. Open and finished second at The Open Championship. At the beginning of 2024, he decided to head to LIV and leave the PGA TOUR behind. It seemed as if Rahm was another player who had lost their competitive fire and their top-tier game after going to LIV. In 2024, his major finishes were 45th at The Masters, a missed cut at the PGA Championship, a DNP at the U.S. Open, but a strong finish at the Open Championship with a T-7. It took Rahm almost a full season to adjust to his new tour. However, his last three major finishes were T-7 at the 2024 Open Championship, T-14 at the 2025 Masters and T-8 at the 2025 PGA Championship. After three straight top-15 finishes in majors, Rahm is poised for a big week at Oakmont.
Rahm has been in great form on LIV this season as well. He has finished T-9 or better in all eight tournaments he has played in this season on LIV. While the level of competition isn’t as high on LIV, that still shows great consistency in Rahm’s game, not having a single week of bad play. Jon Rahm has proven himself to be elite at these U.S. Open venues, which all have a similar setup. In the past six U.S. Opens, he won the 2021 U.S. Open and has finished T-3, T-12 and T-10 in three other Opens. Every aspect of Rahm’s game is fantastic, and his form is finally back to what it was before he left for LIV. He has a great chance to go low and be atop the leaderboard after Thursday.
Ludvig Aberg FRL (+3500)
Ludvig Aberg is bound to win a major championship someday soon. Aberg is just 25 years old and already one of the best players in the world. This is only his second season on the PGA TOUR and he has already cemented himself as a dangerous contender at major championships. He finished second at the 2024 Masters and was one of three contenders on Sunday at the 2025 Masters before ultimately finishing seventh after a triple bogey on the 18th hole. In 2024, he finished T-12 at the U.S. Open after leading through 36 holes. Aberg has been unable to piece together four rounds to get him a major championship, but he has already shown that over one or two rounds, he can be the best player in the field at a major. Aberg is fourth on the PGA TOUR in approach from more than 200 yards. On this long, challenging course, players who can avoid the rough around the greens will put themselves in a great position. Aberg has a great chance to go low on Thursday and be the leader after the first round.
