DraftKings PGA DFS Picks: The U.S. Open

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Updated on June 14, 2016 4:43PM EST

U.S. OPEN

Purse: $10M
Winner's Share: $1,800,000
FedEx Cup Points: 600 to the Winner
Location: Oakmont, Penn.
Course: Oakmont Country Club
Yardage: 7,254
Par: 70
2015 champion: Jordan Spieth

Tournament Preview

Welcome to the 116th U.S. Open, to be played at the self-proclaimed hardest course in America, Oakmont. A lot of other people proclaim it as well, including many of the golfers who toured "Oakmonster" leading up to this week. The course has no water, no trees, and big greens, so someone otherwise unfamiliar with the course might wonder what makes it so hard. First, it's the narrow fairways. Second, the first cut of rough is almost three inches deep and the second cut is about five. So getting the ball in the fairway is important but not easy. Along the way, there are some 200 bunkers leading to the diabolically slick and undulated greens. Par is a good score — on every hole. In 2007, Angel Cabrera won at 5-over, edging Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk by a stroke, Even though the course isn't long by today's standards, No. 8 is the longest par-3 in championship golf at nearly 300 yards. No. 12 tops out at a whopping 667. The first three holes are among the hardest on the course, as is 18. Oakmont's signature is the humongous Church Pew bunker bridging the third and fourth fairways. It's 100 yards long with rows of grass in the middle, a la pews in a church. Thunderstorms are in the forecast for Thursday, with more showers early on Friday. That could soften the lightning-fast greens significantly, but would also make the course play significantly longer.

Key Stats to Winning at Oakmont

• Total driving
• Greens in regulation
• Scrambling
• Proximity to the hole
• Putting average

Past Champions

2015 - Jordan Spieth
2014 - Martin Kaymer
2013 - Justin Rose
2012 - Webb Simpson
2011 - Rory McIlroy
2010 - Graeme McDowell
2009 - Lucas Glover
2008 - Tiger Woods
2007 - Angel Cabrera
2006 - Geoff Ogilvy

Champion's Profile:

There are no quirks or gimmicks at Oakmont like the golfers experienced last year at Chambers Bay. It is just a straightforward, brutally hard golf course in which a golfer needs to be good at all facets of the game. Getting the ball in the fairways is important, but they are so narrow that everyone will miss on occasion. What a golfer does after that — GIR, scrambling, putting — will determine this year's champion. As often is the case, the longest/straightest drivers will have an edge.

DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)

DraftKings Tier 1 Values

Jason Day - $12,100 (Winning odds at golfodds.com: 13-2)
Rory McIlroy - $12,000 (7-1)
Jordan Spieth $11,900 (8-1)
Dustin Johnson - $11,000 (12-1)

DraftKings Tier 2 Values

Adam Scott - $10,100 (30-1)
Danny Willett - $9,600 (40-1)
Bubba Watson - $9.500 (40-1)
Matt Kuchar - $8,500 (30-1)

DraftKings Tier 3 Values

Louis Oosthuizen - $8,200 (60-1)
Russell Knox - $7,600 (100-1)
Charl Schwartzel - $7,500 (60-1)
Billy Horschel - $7,300 (80-1)

DraftKings Long-Shot Values

Webb Simpson - $7,000 (100-1)
Emiliano Grillo - $6,900 (150-1)
Luke Donald - $6,800 (125-1)
Retief Goosen - $6,300 (200-1)

MY PICKS THIS WEEK

Lower-Risk Cash Game Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Rory McIlroy - $12,000
Matt Kuchar - $8,500
Russell Knox - $7,600
Charl Schwartzel - $7,500
Jason Dufner - $7,200
Ryan Moore - $7,000

McIlroy got back on track with a win last month at the Irish Open, then was second in putting at Memorial. Kuchar has been the hottest golfer going, and he hits the ball very straight. He's also a top scrambler and putter. Likewise, Knox is very accurate off the tee and has been playing better as of late, plus he's top-5 in GIR. Schwartzel isn't especially accurate off the tee — though he should use driver less at Oakmont. But the South African is among the leaders in GIR and scrambling. Dufner has missed only three cuts all season, and he has a good tee-to-green game. He was T4 at the Open in 2012 and '13, and was top-20 last year. Moore is good at finding the fairway and is top-25 in strokes gained: putting.

Higher-Risk Tournament Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Dustin Johnson - $11,000
Sergio Garcia - $8,900
Louis Oosthuizen - $8,200
Brandt Snedeker - $8,000
Billy Horschel - $7,300
Kevin Na - $6,600

This course should be a huge advantage for Johnson and, to a lesser extent, Garcia. They have fantastic tee-to-green games. But something always gets in their heads at the wrong time, and disaster strikes. The gamble is, one or both will keep their heads on straight for four full days. Oosthuizen lends a little stability, and at $8,200 seems a nice price. Snedeker traditionally excels at the Open, with four top-10s going back to 2008. Horschel is good at getting from Point A to Point B, making his way up the golf course. He also has the grit to take on Oakmont. Na hits the ball straight and is a decent scrambler. This isn't his best season, but all we're really hoping for is weekend play at a nice cost of $6,600.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Len Hochberg plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DK: Bunker Mentality.