After crowning Rory McIlroy, Aaron Rai and Wyndham Clark as major champions, 2026 has one more major championship this season, with the title of “Champion Golfer of the Year” on the line as the best players in the world visit Royal Birkdale Golf Club for The Open Championship. Royal Birkdale is hosting the event for the 11th time in history, and the first time since 2017, when Jordan Spieth got the win. For each week’s tournament, DraftKings has a wide range of contests available, including some excellent cash game opportunities. In this post, I’ll focus on three solid cash game plays for conservative lineups that are designed to help your lineup finish in the top half of cash game contests. My three top fantasy golf cash plays to consider this week are Tommy Fleetwood ($10,500), Russell Henley ($7,700) and Tom Kim ($6,800).
Make sure to also check out my top-three pivot plays for tournament lineups for The Open Championship if you’re looking for some less popular, under-the-radar picks. Pivot plays for tournament lineups are usually more aggressive, while fantasy golf cash game picks are safer with higher floors and lower risk. The picks in this post generally have higher ownership than my pivot plays, but they are good selections for contests where the uniqueness of your lineup is less important. Think of cash game picks as lying back and playing a par 5 as it was designed, taking three shots before reaching the green, searching for a solid birdie. Tournament picks are like going driver off the deck to try to reach the green in two — more reward if it works, but much more risk, as well.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR Single Entry $25 Double Up
Tommy Fleetwood ($10,500)
Fleetwood will be the focus of plenty of attention this week since he grew up so close to the course at Royal Birkdale. While that narrative is nice, the main reason he makes sense for fantasy golf cash plays this week is that he has been so consistently excellent throughout his career and this season. He has the upside to win, but even if he doesn’t, he has a high floor based on his recent play and his long-term success in Europe.
The 35-year-old claimed his first PGA TOUR win at the end of last season’s FedExCup Playoffs by winning the TOUR Championship. He added his eighth DP World Tour last October at the DP World India Championship. In 2026, he hasn’t won yet but has racked up 11 top-25 finishes, including six top-10 finishes, even though he has only played 15 events. He finished in the top 15 in each of his last five tournaments after finishing T13 at the Genesis Scottish Open last week.
Over the last three months, he ranks third in the field in Driving Accuracy and seventh in Total Strokes Gained. He also ranks in the top 12 in the field in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, Total Strokes Gained, and Driving Accuracy over the last 12 months. He has strong short-term and long-term form, and he also brings plenty of experience.
This will be his 33rd career major, and he has made the cut in seven of his 11 appearances at The Open Championship. He has racked up five top-25 finishes, highlighted by a runner-up finish in 2019, a T4 in 2022, and a T10 in 2023. Last year, he finished T16 at Royal Portrush.
The Narrative Street crowd will be all in on the hometown kid, but he makes sense from so many perspectives that he’s worth using for cash picks, especially in cash game formats where differentiation isn’t as critical.
Russell Henley ($7,700)
One of the players who is commonly recurring in my cash game picks is Russell Henley, who has earned his reputation as a second-shot specialist who excels on approach. His consistency and accuracy from tee to green makes him a reliable fantasy optoin from week-to-week, and he has a good history at The Open Championship.
In the last two seasons, Henley has posted back-to-back 10-finishes at The Open, and he is rolling along this season. He won the Charles Schwab Challenge in a playoff at the end of May and has been very consistent with 10 top-25 finishes in his 15 PGA TOUR events this season, including four top-10 finishes.
Following his win at Colonial at the end of May, he posted a T22 at the Memorial Tournament and a T12 at the Travelers Championship. His iron play is exquisite and should play up in this setup, along with his accuracy off the tee. Over the last three months, he has led the field in Driving Accuracy, ranks 16th in Strokes Gained: Approach, and 17th in Total Strokes Gained.
He brings a very high floor and a high ceiling with his momentum, and he also has a good recent history in majors. He has made the cut in four of the last five majors with three top-10 finishes. He hasn’t ever won or finished second in a major but did have a T3 at the Masters earlier this year.
Tom Kim ($6,800)
Over the last several years, players who have finished well at the Genesis Scottish Open have been able to carry over their success to The Open Championship. Royal Birkdale and The Renaissance Club are definitely not exactly the same, but they are both links-style setups, and there should be some carryover for Kim, who got back into the winner’s circle with a big week last week to claim his fourth career PGA TOUR title.
The 24-year-old has proven he can thrive in links setups in the past, finishing T2 at The Open Championship in 2023. He did miss the cut in each of the last two years, but he was not nearly in such good form before those tournaments.
He had been gathering momentum even before his win, with a T3 at the U.S. Open, a T15 at the RBC Canadian Open, and a T6 at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic. While he mixed in a few down weeks between those high finishes, he ranks second in this strong field in Strokes Gained: Approach over the last three months and is also in the top 15 in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green.
Given his current form and links success, Kim should be in a good spot to make the weekend and deliver another good finish this week at Royal Birkdale. He brings a nice blend of upside and floor this week.
