This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
U.S. Open
Mamaroneck, New York
Winged Foot Golf Club (West Course) - Par 70 - 7,477 yards
Field - 144 entrants
Purse - $12.5M
The Preview
Those who enjoy seeing the pros endure a bit of carnage on the golf course should get their popcorn ready, as a winning score over par is entirely possible at Winged Foot Golf Club, which is playing host to the second major of the 2020 calendar year. Brutally-thick rough lines already-tight fairways, and videos displaying just how penal wayward drives can be have surfaced all over social media. Being forced to reschedule the U.S. Open to the fall series wasn't ideal for the PGA Tour, as the NFL draws a majority of the country's attention most Sundays. However, cooler northeastern temps and a vicious course layout lend the opportunity for quite an entertaining spectacle.
Recent Champions
2019 - Gary Woodland (Pebble Beach)
2018 - Brooks Koepka (Shinnecock Hills)
2017 - Brooks Koepka (Erin Hills)
2016 - Dustin Johnson (Oakmont)
2015 - Jordan Spieth (Chambers Bay)
2014 - Martin Kaymer (Pinehurst No. 2)
2013 - Justin Rose (Merion)
2012 - Webb Simpson (Olympic Club)
2011 - Rory McIlroy (Congressional)
2010 - Graeme McDowell (Pebble Beach)
Key Stats to Victory
SG: Off-the-Tee
Scrambling
SG: Tee-to-Green
Driving accuracy
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Dustin Johnson - $45
Johnson's "value" here comes from the lack of a discrepancy in salary atop the Yahoo board. At $45 he's bunched with four other elites, despite entering the U.S. Open as not only the betting favorite but also the hottest player in the world with finishes of Win-2-Win-T2 dating to the PGA Championship. The freshly-crowned 2019-20 PGA Tour Player of the Year is second in both SG: Tee-to-Green and SG: Approach since the restart in June, and he's also gained an average of 3.2 strokes per event with the flat stick over his last five tournaments.
Jon Rahm - $45
The Spaniard isn't far behind Johnson from an odds perspective after stealing a potential victory from the World No. 1 in a dramatic playoff at the BMW Championship. Rahm owns two wins since the restart and placed no worse than T6 throughout the FedExCup Playoffs. Over his last 38 rounds, Rahm ranks second in SG: Off-the-Tee, third in SG: Tee-to-Green and seventh in SG: Around-the-Green.
Glue Guys
Tyrrell Hatton - $39
The 28-year-old has only made three career U.S. Open appearances, but he's posted back-to-back top-25s at the event, including a T6 in 2018. He quietly finished top-10 in three of his last eight major tournament showings and has climbed to 14th in the Official World Golf Ranking thanks to top-4 results at the RBC Heritage and Rocket Mortgage and the fifth-best 72-hole score at the TOUR Championship. The 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational champ gained an average of 3.4 strokes from tee-to-green over his last 10 starts.
Matthew Fitzpatrick - $33
Fitzpatrick paces the entire U.S. Open field in SG: Putting since the PGA Tour schedule resumed in June, and he's also 10th in driving accuracy during this span. That's a promising combination at this course and in this event. The Englishman is coming off a T6 performance at the BMW Championship where he gained four strokes on his approach shots as well.
Matthew Wolff - $31
Wolff ranks third in driving distance and 10th in SG: Off-the-Tee over his past 38 rounds. This will be his U.S. Open debut, but a lack of major tournament experience didn't bother him at the PGA Championship, as he tied for fourth in San Francisco. He struggled with his wedge play around the greens for a large chunk of the 2020 calendar year, but he has gained 4.3 strokes per event from tee to green throughout his last five showings, dating back to a top-15 at the 3M Open.
Bargain Bin
Louis Oosthuizen - $26
Oosthuizen has finished no worse than tied for 23rd in five consecutive U.S. Opens, and he has gained strokes on approach in five straight starts since the Memorial Tournament while collecting a trio of top-25s in the process. The South African was 23rd in proximity, sixth in scrambling from less than 10 yards and 13th in putting from 4-8 feet during the 2019-20 season.
Shane Lowry - $24
Lowry's back-to-back missed cuts at The Northern Trust and Safeway Open could limit his exposure at this affordable salary, but he's not far removed from the form that led to a T6 at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and a made cut at the PGA Championship prior to another top-25 at the Wyndham Championship. The 2019 Open Championship victor has gained strokes from tee-to-green in seven of his last eight measured events. He also notched a top-10 result in two of the last five U.S. Opens.
Sebastian Munoz - $20
It feels like Munoz hasn't gotten enough respect for going T18-T8 in the first two legs of the playoffs, which ultimately led to a tie for eighth in the final 2019-20 FedExCup Standings. Munoz carded two scores of 66 or better at East Lake to close out the season on a positive note. He ranked second in SG: Around-the-Green and fifth in SG: Tee-to-Green at the BMW Championship, and he's also 44th in SG: Off-the-Tee since the restart.
