Another week of PGA Daily Fantasy picks for DraftKings and it’s a major! The U.S. Open is on the card this week and it’s out West at Chambers Bay. I’m back again to provide daily fantasy golf picks for DraftKings’ PGA games.

It’s a great week to check out DraftKings as they have some top notch contests. Come on over and take a look.

Tour Stop

This week we tee it up at Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington for the U.S. Open. Chambers Bay is a relatively new course (eight years old) that was built specifically to host USGA tournaments like the U.S. Open. The course plays around 7,742 yards and par 70, but the length will change each day and will be between 7,500 and 7,900 yards depending on the setup.

It is a links-style course that is seeded with fine fescue grass found rarely in the States but frequently in courses in the United Kingdom (which also has a ton of links courses). The only tournament of note this course has hosted is the U.S. Amateur in 2010.

The weather looks like it will be temperate with little chance of wind or rain. As always, keep checking in during the week as wind can crop up at any time at this course.

Scorecard breakdown: Three (3) par threes, thirteen (13) par fours and four (4) par fives. It’s a par 70 course, but it plays at 7,742 yards (and longer sometimes).

Field

It’s a major. All 50 of the top 50 in the OWGR are here. In fact, the entire top 60 is here.

Importantly, of the current field, 11 players in the field this week played in the U.S. Amateur in 2010. Thanks to Ryan Lavner of the Golf Channel for the list.

Byeong-Hun An – made the final four
Blayne Barber
Russell Henley
Morgan Hoffmann
Tom Hoge
Alex Kim
Brooks Koepka
Denny McCarthy
Cheng-Tsung Pan
Patrick Reed
Jordan Spieth

The full field can be found here.

Thanks to GolfOdds.com for the odds this week. If you’d like to see a second set of odds, check out the Betting Zone’s odds here – just click on this week’s tournament on the left hand pane.

Past Tournament Results

2014 Winner: Martin Kaymer ran away and hid from the rest of the field last year putting up a nine-under score for the tournament. He was one shot short of getting to double digits under par – a feat accomplished by only Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

Statistical Review

We don’t have much to go on other than the reports this week about the course and how it will play. However, it’s still a U.S. Open course and we know it’s similar to a links course. So, we’d want players who are successful at these types of course.

I’m going to also review some of the results on links courses in Europe (especially those that have hosted British Opens like St. Andrews). I’ll also consider results from the 2010 PGA Championship that was held at Whistling Straits which is a course with similar traits to Chambers Bay.

You will need a premium player who can drive the ball well, and if they can’t, they have to be hyper-accurate. And when they get in trouble they need to have the skill and creativity to get out of it.

Driving Distance – It’s a long course and big hitters can escape some of the issues on the course just by bombing away.

Driving Accuracy – We need our players to stay out of the weeds…and rough…and sand…

So, we’ll combine these two and look at Total Driving with a lean toward driving distance being more important than accuracy.

Scrambling – There is trouble in many forms on the course. The winner will need to scramble to have a chance.

SG: Putting – These greens are treacherous, so we’ll need players who can putt.

I’d also love to be able to analyze mental toughness and creativity. The players are going to get in trouble so they are going to have to have the “closer mentality” to be able to forget problems and the improvisational skills to get out of some hairy locations.

As always, you should examine Strokes Gained: Putting and Strokes Gained: Tee to Green every week.

DraftKings Expert Picks

Rory McIlroy | $13,000 – I just think he’s too expensive to take a shot on this week. He likely would have to win in order to justify this price, and his form is poor. He won the Match Play, finished T8 at the PLAYERS and won at Wells Fargo. Then, he went back to Europe and missed the cut at the BMW PGA Championship and then the Irish Open as well. He’s four for six at U.S. Opens, including a win I witnessed in 2011, and six for seven at the British with a win last year (and a T3 at the Old Course in 2010). He was also a T3 at Whistling Straits. His profile fits (though there aren’t many courses where it doesn’t).

Jordan Spieth | $12,600 – Spieth played here at the U.S. Amateur in 2010. His caddy has lived near Chambers Bay since 2010 and has caddied there on and off since. So, he’s got two advantages that almost no one else in the field has. He has two wins on the year and has made three cuts in a row with two top five finishes. I can make more of an argument for Spieth than McIlroy based on current form and his course history. He’s made the cut in two of three U.S. Opens (top 25 both times) and made the cut in the two British Opens he’s started in.

Justin Rose | $11,500 – Rose nearly made my list up above so let’s call him the fifth best value of the studs. Rose’s U.S. Open record doesn’t look great (five out of nine cuts), but dig a bit deeper and see he’s made three straight cuts with a win and no finish worse than T21. He finished T2 at the Masters and then won the following week at the Zurich. He was a solo second his last time out at the Memorial. His record at the British (8 out of 13 cuts made and only one top 10) gives me a bit of pause for this week.

Dustin Johnson | $11,300 – Johnson withdrew from the St. Jude Classic with an “illness.” Uh-huh. I’m sure he was sick of his play and that’s probably about it. He’d had back to back top 15 finishes prior to the WD. He’s made five straight cuts at the British including four top 15s, six of seven cuts at the U.S. Open and had a T5 at Whistling Straits. He leads the tour in driving distance, and is 40th in scrambling, which is necessary when you aren’t accurate.

Rickie Fowler | $10,800 – It’s a major so we have to consider Fowler who said he changed his training regimen to focus on the majors. It worked last year as he finished in the top five in each tournament. He’s made four of six cuts at the U.S Open and four of five at the British including a T14 at the Old Course at St. Andrews. His putting (118th in SG: Putting) is the only blemish on his profile (23rd in total driving and 67th in scrambling), but it may not matter as he hasn’t seen these types of greens this year.

Adam Scott | $10,700 – I don’t think the return of Steve Williams as caddy makes him an option this week. It won’t magically make him remember how to putt. He’s succeeded on British Open layouts previously (three straight top 5 finishes at the Open bear that out), but his current form is atrocious. He is currently tied for 187th in SG: Putting. His best finish in the last three months is a T24 at the Crowne Plaza.

Phil Mickelson | $10,200 – Mickelson is playing quite well with three top five finishes in his last five tournaments. He’s made 22 of 24 cuts at the U.S. Open including six (!) second place finishes. He’s made 17 of 21 cuts at the British (including three top ten finishes with two of those in the last four years). He was even T12 at Whistling Straits. He’s still a good driver of the ball (28th in driving distance), 94th in scrambling and 63rd in SG: Putting. And he has the creativity to make shots from anywhere.

Henrik Stenson | $10,000 – It is going to be tough for me to keep Stenson off of all of my lineups this week. Stenson comes in playing pretty well with a T13 at the Nordea Masters last week which should hopefully mean he’s fully healthy after dealing with a nasty illness. He’s made six of eight cuts at the U.S. Open including a T4 last year at Pinehurst. He’s eight out of ten at the British including a T3 at the Old Course in 2010 (and a solo second in 2013). Oh, he’s also number one when I take a look at the stats as he’s 12th in total driving, 48th in scrambling and 15th in strokes gained putting. He’s fully healthy and ready to sit atop the leaderboard.

Jason Day | $9,900 – Day’s health is a question mark though one would assume he’s had time to heal. In a tournament like this with so many premium players, I’m not sure I’d risk it with him. The tough part with ignoring him is his profile fits as he crushes the ball, scrambles well, and sits 39th in SG: Putting. He’s also made all four cuts in his trips to the U.S. Open including three top five finishes. He was even T10 at Whistling Straits. He’s never done well at the British (even though he’s made the cut in each of his four starts). He’s tough to ignore, but I want to see him healthy.

Sergio Garcia | $9,600 – Garcia leads the European Tour in driving distance, but in looking at his performance at U.S. Opens in the past, it becomes clear that he’ll see the weekend, but won’t likely challenge for the win. He’s made 13 of 15 cuts, but only has four top ten finishes and his last three attempts have ended with T38, T45 and T35. He’s had better success at the British (eight of 14 cuts made with eight top tens) so you’d be counting on that success carrying over here.

Bubba Watson | $9,400 – Watson’s putting this year (37th in SG: Putting) makes him dangerous this week. He’s always smoked the ball off the tee (he’s 22nd in total driving, but third in distance while 130th in accuracy). He’s been uneven at the U.S. Open with four of eight cuts made and only one top 10. He’s similary uneven at the British as he’s three of six in cuts made there. He finished second at Whistling Straits in 2010. Watson also played in Ryan Moore’s charity events held at Chambers Bay in years’ past, and he’s been out there early working on putts like this one. His form is off a bit, but the hope is the time off will help him to fix any issues he might have.

Jimmy Walker | $9,100 – Walker comes into the U.S. Open off a T2 at the Byron Nelson. He finished T9 in last year’s U.S. Open (his first appearance since 2002). He also made the cut at last year’s British. He’s 113th in total driving, but he’s 20th in driving distance, 89th in scrambling and perhaps most importantly first in SG: Putting. He could challenge the leaderboard all week.

Martin Kaymer | $9,000 – Kaymer won the U.S. Open last year. Kaymer won at Whistling Straits in 2010. He won at the Dunhill Links in 2010 (on course quite similar to Chambers Bay). He’s made six of seven cuts at the British. He is the horsey-est of horses for the course. He missed the cut his last time out at the Irish Open and has been uneven this year with his last top 10 back in early February.

Hideki Matsuyama | $8,900 – Matsuyama is a premium player on par with the $10,000 and above crew, but he’s priced far below those options with just as much upside. He’s third in total driving, seventh in scrambling though a quite pedestrian 116th in SG: Putting. He’s played the British and the U.S. Opens each of the last two years and made the cut in all four stops. He comes in playing well having not missed a cut since the Famers in early February. Moreover, his worst finish in those eight tourneys is a T21 at the Arnold Palmer and he has four top ten finishes in those eight starts.

Matt Kuchar | $8,800 – Kuchar has made seven of 12 cuts at the U.S. Open including the last five years. He’s four of ten in cuts made at the British, but he’s has good recent course history with three straight made cuts and two top 15 finishes. He’s fifth in scrambling and sixth in putting so he’ll have to do his work on and around the greens this week if he wants to pick up his first win of 2015.

Jim Furyk | $8,700 – Furyk is 17 for 20 in cuts made at the U.S. Open including six top 10 finishes. He’s alternated made and missed cuts over the last five years. He’s had a little less success at the British as he’s 12 for 19, but he also has six top 10 finishes including a solo fourth last year. He was T24 at Whistling Straits in 2010 after bombing out on Sunday with a 77. He’s a great scrambler (23rd) and an accurate driver of the ball (eighth this year) so he’ll have a shot to contend. In his last six tournaments on Tour he’s finished top 5 three times and missed two cuts.

Tiger Woods | $8,600 – Next. Look, he’s got to show he can string four rounds together before I’ll even consider him.

Patrick Reed | $8,500 – Reed played in the U.S. Amateur here in 2010 so he’s got some course history under competitive conditions. He’s made four straight cuts on Tour so his form is solid and put up a T35 in last year’s Open (his first trip to the tourney). He fancies himself as a “big game” player and there isn’t a bigger tournament in the U.S. His solid distance off the tee (72nd in driving distance) will complement his work in scrambling (17th) and putting (24th in SG: Putting).

Brandt Snedeker | $8,100 – Snedeker has made six of eight cuts in U.S. Opens, but his recent work is impressive with five of six cuts made and no finish worse than T17. Sneds is also three of six at British Opens with two top 15s in his last four trips. He’s fourth in scrambling and fifth in SG: Putting so he’s got part of the toolset needed for this week. He also picked up a T39 at Whistling Straits in 2010. His form is great as he rebounded after missing the cut at the PLAYERS to book a T2 and T6 in his next two tourneys.

Billy Horschel | $8,000 – Horschel is getting hot at the right time as he’s put together a string of three straight top 15 finishes and hasn’t missed a cut since the Masters. He’s eighth in total driving, 99th in scrambling and 28th in SG: Putting. He’s missed both cuts at the British, but is two for three in cuts made at the U.S. Open including a T4 two years ago.

Paul Casey | $7,900 – Casey is English and that can only help this week as he’s seen links course more than most. He hasn’t played since a T43 at the Crowne Plaza a few weeks ago, but he has five top 10 finishes on the season in 13 tournaments worldwide. He’s six for 11 at U.S. Opens with only one top 10 and eight for 12 at the British with two top 10 finishes. He’s 27th in total driving (45th in driving distance) so he should have some advantage off the tee.

Brooks Koepka | $7,800 – At this price, I’d be happy to roster Koepka twice. He’s made six of seven cuts across the European and PGA Tour and turned in a T3 at the St. Jude. He’s 41st in total driving (10th in distance) and 21st in SG: Putting. He finished T4 at the U.S. Open last year though has a limited track record (and success) at the British Open.

Lee Westwood | $7,700 – I would like to recommend Westwood highly this week, but his current form scares me a bit as he’s struggled some since missing the cut at the SHO. He’s made 12 of 15 cuts at the U.S. Open with five top 10s and 14 of 20 with five top 10s at the British so he’s got a game that can work, I’m just not sure that game is currently what’s in his bag.

Keegan Bradley | $7,700 – Bradley checks a lot of the boxes we’d like to see in a contender here this week. He’s second in total driving (and 16th in driving distance) and 73rd in scrambling. He’s made two of three cuts at the U.S. Open including a T4 last year. He’s made three of three cuts at the British including back to back top 20 finishes.

Zach Johnson | $7,600 – Johnson is six of 11 cuts made at U.S. Opens with no top 10s, but eight for 11 at the British with top 10s (achieved in the last three years). He comes in off the best finish of the year with a solo fifth at the Byron Nelson and has made four straight cuts and seven out of eight. He’s got a top 20 finish in each of his last six stroke play events. He’s an accurate, short hitter who can scramble (72 nd) but struggles with the flat stick. If you want to roster Johnson this week, you trust his current form and British history to carry the day.

Hunter Mahan | $7,600 – Mahan profiles favorably as he’s 36th in total driving, 62nd in scrambling and 27th in SG: Putting. He’s five of nine in U.S Open cuts made with two top ten finishes. He’s made seven of 10 cuts at the British including two top 10s. He was T9 at the Masters, but has slowed a bit lately making the last three cuts, but not finishing better than T39. Ironically, he was T39 at Whistling Straits.

Graeme McDowell | $7,600 – You might see McDowell down the list and say, I know that name, he seems cheap, let me add him to my lineup. Well, he should be even cheaper as he’s six spots higher in salary than the Vegas odds say he should be. Beyond that, he’s been playing quite poorly as he missed the cut this week at the St. Jude and hasn’t had a finish in the top 30 since the RBC (his only top 30 since early February).

Jason Dufner | $7,600 – Dufner is my super-secret weapon this week…follow me for a moment. He’s 67th in total driving, but that’s all accuracy driven (28th in accuracy) and he doesn’t have any other stat that makes you want to put him in a lineup. He’s missed the cut two out of the last four years at the U.S. Open. How’d those other two years go, you ask? Oh, just back to back T4s. He also finished T5 at Whistling Straits. He’s made three straight cuts on tour including a season-best T8 at the Byron Nelson.

Louis Oosthuizen | $7,600 – Oosty is playing with Rickie Fowler and Tiger Woods so he’s going to get a ton of air time in the first two rounds. He withdrew from the Colonial with a neck injury his last time out at the end of May and was trending poorly before that with a T69 and missed cut prior to the Colonial. There is too much talent in this field to risk it on Oosthuizen’s healthy return.

Ryan Moore | $7,500 – Moore is three spots lower in salary than odds to win, which isn’t a ton, but offers the best value on the board out of the top 35 players based on the odds. He checks out on the stat profile as he’s 54th in Total Driving, 42nd in scrambling and 58th in SG: Putting. He’s made two cuts in a row, put up a T12 at the Masters earlier this year, has made four of eight cuts at the U.S. Open, is four of five at the British Open (though he missed at St. Andrews). Oh, he’s also a local (from Tacoma, Washington, has a house 10 minutes away and used to hold a charity tourney there) and has played this course more than most in the field.

J.B. Holmes | $7,500 – Holmes is the kind of player who could bomb his way into contention much like his friendly doppelganger (in length) Gary Woodland. Holmes is seventh in driving distance so he can murder the ball. He finished T17 at the U.S. Open last year, but he’s never had much success at the British. You’re counting on him regaining his form from earlier in the season when he picked up a win and two second place finishes in a six tournament stretch.

Webb Simpson | $7,500 – Simpson’s record at the U.S. Open is impeccable with four made cuts in his four trips and a win in 2012 at Olympic Club in San Francisco. So, he can play U.S. Open setups. He’s made two of three cuts at the British Open with one top 20 (though he missed the cut last year). He’s11th in total driving, 15th in scrambling though a very poor 170th in SG: Putting. He missed the cut at the St. Jude, but that doesn’t concern as it probably gave him more time to check out Chambers Bay.

Byeong-Hun An | $7,500 – An played this course in 2010 at the U.S Amateur and made the semifinals. He missed his only cut at the U.S Open back in 2010, but did make the cut at the British last year (finishing T26). However, his form is top notch as he’s made four straight cuts on the European Tour with these results: T8, T15, Win (BMW PGA Championship) and T21. He’s got the skills to succeed as he’s 13th in driving distance and 30th in scrambling on the European Tour this year.

Luke Donald | $7,400 – Donald has alternated made and missed cuts at the U.S. Open over the last four years and is six for 11 overall with one top 10. He’s 7 of 14 with two top 10s at the British. Interestingly, he’s four for four at the Dunhill Links with three top 10s (though he hasn’t played there since 2011). His game doesn’t fit the profile of someone who will succeed this week, but he comes in solid form with a T38, T18 and T29 in his last three starts.

Ian Poulter | $7,400 – Poulter is 8 of 11 at the U.S. Open with no top 10s, though he’s been in the top 25 the last two years. He’s 10 of 13 with three top 10s at the British. He’s had two top 10s and two missed cuts in the last four years. He comes in playing well with five top 25 finishes in his last six stroke play events including a T6 at the Masters. He profiles well with his 19th spot in scrambling and 18th in SG: Putting. He could be a sneaky play as I’m not sure he’s at the top of many players’ minds.

Bill Haas | $7,400 – Haas has never had much success at the U.S. Open with three of six cuts made and no top 10s. He’s three for five at the British with one top 20. He’s 41st in scrambling but there isn’t anything else to write home about. His form is solid as he’s made six cuts in a row with a T12 at the Masters and a T4 at the PLAYERS. If you want players in form, Haas is your man, but his history doesn’t show me he’ll do much.

Steven Bowditch | $7,400 – He is in the DraftKings system but is not in the field.

Chris Kirk | $7,400 – Kirk’s best finish at the U.S. Open was last year (T28) as it was for the British Open (T19). He won a couple of weeks ago at the Crowne Plaza and has been playing good golf lately with six straight cuts made and three top 20s.

Charl Schwartzel | $7,300 – Charl is one of my boys, but I can’t recommend him in this spot. His best finish at a stroke play event on the PGA Tour this year is a T38. He’s missed two of his last three cuts on tour and the made cut ended with a T78.

Gary Woodland | $7,300 – Woodland is another bomber (12th in driving distance) who drive his way out of a lot of issues this week. He’s never shown an ability to succeed at the U.S. Open as he’s three for five in cuts made, but none in the top 20. He’s had more success at the British where he’s three for three with all three finishes in the 30s.

Francesco Molinari | $7,200 – I missed out on the Italian last week, but not this week. He’s put up three top five finishes in his last four tournaments. He’s made three of six cuts at the U.S. Open with all finishes between 23rd and 29th. He’s four of seven at the British with back to back top 15s. He’s first in driving accuracy on the Tour and 60th in scrambling so he could use his current form to make a run this year. I like him at this price.

Kevin Na | $7,100 – Na has made the cut at the U.S. Open in his last two trips including a T12 last year and also made two cuts at the British with no finish better than T27. He doesn’t fit the profile of a player who should do well here even if he’s playing the best golf of his career with nine straight made cuts and eight top 10s in those nine. I worry that Na’s mental game isn’t up to handle a course such as Chambers Bay.

Charley Hoffman | $7,000 – Hoffman comes in playing in solid form with back to back top 10 finishes. He’s three for three in U.S. Open finishes, but nothing better than T45. He drives the ball well (63rd in total driving and sits 37 in distance) so he could be a deeper pool option if he can continue his outstanding form.

Ryan Palmer | $7,000 – Palmer blasted the course, the setup and Mike Davis. If the course is in his head before he even tees off I don’t want anything to do with him.

Jamie Donaldson | $7,000 – Donaldson missed the cut at the St. Jude, but had three straight top 20s worldwide prior to that stumble. He finished T32 in his only made cut in two attempts at the U.S. Open. He’s also two for four at the British. He’s 34th in scrambling and 25th in SG: Putting so he could make some noise here, but his record at majors tells me he won’t see the leaderboard.

Victor Dubuisson | $7,000 – He’s French. He’s missed three of his last four cuts. No thanks.

Marc Leishman | $7,000 – Leishman is six spots lower in DraftKings salary than the oddsmakers say he should be. He’s in good form having made three of his last four cuts with his best finish of the season his last time out at the Byron Nelson. He’s had some success at the British Open (T5 last year and made two of four cuts), he was T27 at Whistling Straits, but has made only one of three U.S. Open cuts. His statistical profile doesn’t fit so the hope is his form and success at the British carries him this week.

Kevin Kisner | $7,000 – Kisner is nine spots lower in DraftKings salary than the oddsmakers say he should be. Since missing the cut at the SHO the first week of April, he’s played some of the best golf of his career as he’s made six cuts in a row and picked up for top ten finishes. He missed the cut in his only trip to the U.S. Open last year, but his form is choice. He’s 35th in total driving, 25th in scrambling and 52nd in SG: Putting.

Russell Henley | $6,900 – Henley’s most successful U.S. Open was his first in 2010 where he finished T16. He’s made three of four cuts overall at the Open. He hasn’t had any success at the British with his best finish a T73. But, I was drawn to Henley based on his total driving rank (10th and he’s 37th in driving distance) as well as his standing in SG: Putting at 10th. His form is solid if unspectacular (made four of his last six cuts with all four weekends putting him in the top 25) and for this price you can sneak a lot of studs into your lineup.

Ernie Els | $6,900 – Els is the old man value play of the week. His form is poor as his best finish in his last five tournaments was a T43 at the Irish Open at the end of May. However, he did pick up a T22 at the Masters. He’s 18 for 22 in cuts made at the U.S. Open and has 10 top 10 finishes including three of them in the last five years. He’s 20 of 24 at the British with 13 top 10s including a win in 2012. He finished T18 at Whistling Straits. He’s succeed at courses like Chambers Bay all over the world so he should be able to continue that trend.

Danny Willett | $6,800 – Willett is six spots lower in DraftKings salary than the oddsmakers say he should be. He’s also English which could be quite useful this week. He made the cut in his only trip to the U.S. Open last year and he’s one for three at the British (with a T15). He’s made two straight cuts in Europe including a T6 at the Irish Open his last time out on a course.

Branden Grace | $6,800 – The South African is player who can bomb the ball (though hasn’t shown it on the PGA Tour this year (77th place) though he’s 19th in driving distance on the European Tour). He’s one for two in U.S. Open cuts made and four for four at the British (no finish better than T36). However, he won the Dunhill Links in 2012 and won two tournaments early this season on the European Tour.

Robert Streb | $6,800 – Streb is 43rd in driving distance (77th in total driving) and a solid 70th in scrambling and 34th in SG: Putting). After stumbling a bit in March and April, he’s been hot with four straight cuts made and three top 20 finishes. This is his first trip to a U.S. or British Open, but he’s got the profile and the form to be dangerous this week. And at this price, you won’t find much more upside.

John Senden | $6,700 – Senden has teed it up at the U.S. Open in each of the last five years, made the cut three times and finished T30, T10 and T15 in those three weekend visits. He comes in having made three of his last four cuts while also picking up a T5 at the Match Play. He’s also made five of eight cuts at the British Open though he’s never seen the top 10.

Tommy Fleetwood | $6,600 – Fleetwood is another Englishman who could be in for quite a successful weekend. He’s missed his only cut at the British Open and he’s making his U.S. Open debut. However, he’s 26th in driving distance on the European Tour (just behind Henrik Stenson and Rory McIlroy) so he has some tools to use. But, perhaps most interestingly he’s four of four at cuts made at the Dunhill Links with three top five finishes. As you’ll see below, another European thinks that Chambers Bay is a lot like the Dunhill courses.

Ben Martin | $6,400 – Martin is 11 spots lower in salary than Vegas thinks he should be so we’ll start there. Digging further, he’s 44th in total driving (though that’s driven by accuracy as he’s a shorter hitter) and 74th in SG: Putting. He’s missed the cut in his only two trips to the U.S. Open (in 2009 and 2010), but did make the cut at the British last year (T26).

Tony Finau | $6,400 – There may not be a hotter golfer on Tour than Finau. It is his first trip to a U.S. Open. In fact, it’s his first trip to any major. His spot on my list is about his current form (four straight top 20 finishes with back to back top 10s) and driving distance (second on tour).

Michael Putnam | $6,300 – Putnam lives around the corner from the course and knows it well. He’s terrible at putting (187th in SG: Putting), but is a reasonable driver of the ball (98th in total driving) and scrambling (90th). Perhaps local knowledge will help him make his third cut at a U.S. Open.

Stephen Gallacher | $6,300 – Gallacher is Scottish so he’s quite like courses that Gallacher has played his entire life. He had to withdraw from the BMW PGA with a wrist injury last month, but says he’s now full healthy. Gallacher has compared the course to Kingsbarns, the Scottish course that is part of the rotation for the Dunhill Links championship since 2001. Gallacher won the Dunhill in 2004. He’s also four of seven at the British Open with those four cuts made in his last four trips to the Open. And, oh yeah, he also picked up a T18 at Whistling Straits in 2010.

Retief Goosen | $6,300 – It’s a major, so Goosen has to be considered. He’s won the U.S. Open twice, finished in the top 10 at a British eight different times and always seems to hang around at majors. He’s been uneven this year, but that’s too be expected as he heads toward the sunset of his career.

Andy Sullivan | $6,200 – Sullivan is English and as I’ve noted previously that could be useful this week for the players’ experience with fine fescue. Sullivan has also been playing very well as he’s been in the top 20 for his last three tournaments including a T13 at the Memorial his last time. He’s also 17 spots lower (the biggest value on the board) in salary than he should be based on the oddsmakers’ thoughts. He’s also won twice this year on the European Tour.

Erik Compton $6,100 – Compton was T2 at the U.S. Open last year so he has to be considered. He’s made three straight cuts on Tour so he’s playing well. He’ll need to replicate last year’s magic to earn a spot

Cameron Smith | $5,900 – If you know me, you know I think that big things are in the future for Mr. Smith. It may be a bit early to put Smith on the map, but he’s made three of four cuts in the States this year. He currently sits fifth in the PGA Tour of Australasia and was fifth in the Order of Merit on the Asian Tour in 2014.

Marcel Siem | $5,900 – Siem is three for three in cuts made at the U.S. Open including a T12 last year. That’s about all I’ve got on him.

Richard Lee | $5,800 – Lee went to school at the University of Washington and currently lives in Bellevue so he’s got a bit of local knowledge. He’s also 15 spots lower in salary than his DraftKings’ salary says he should be. He hasn’t teed it up on the PGA Tour this year.

Ollie Schniederjans | $5,400 – Young amateur who bombs the ball. Missed his only two cuts on Tour this year, but did pick up a T41 at the Aberdeen Asset Scottish Open at Royal Aberdeen (a links course) in 2013.

Troy Kelly | $5,200 – From Tacoma, Washington. Lost in a playoff at the Greenbrier in 2012. Hasn’t made a cut on Tour since Feb 2013. Not much else to recommend him, but hey stranger things have happened.

These players were added to the player pool after the initial release of the salaries:

Kevin Chappell – $6,100 – Probably the only player on this list I might consider using as he’s done well in his only three U.S. Open trips with two top 10s. He also comes in with four straight cuts made and three top 25 finishes on Tour.

Kyle Jones – $5,900
Alex Kim – $5,800
Beau Hossler – $5,700
Denny McCarthy – $5,700
Lee McCoy – $5,600
Sam Horsfield – $5,600
Davis Riley – $5,500
Shunsuke Shonoda – $5,500
Jack Maguire – $5,400
Rich Berberian Jr. – $5,400
Jared Becher – $5,300
Matt Mabrey – $5,300
Nick Hardy – $5,300
Pat Wilson – $5,300
Tjaart van der Walt – $5,300
Brian Campbell – $5,300
Jimmy Gunn – $5,300
Josh Persons – $5,300
Steve Marino – $5,300
Cole Hammer – $5,200 – He’s 15 years old.

DraftKings Scoring

Roster size: 6 Golfers

POINT SCORING

Golfers on each team will accumulate points as follows:

• Per Hole Scoring
  • Double Eagle (DBL EAG): +20 PTs
  • Eagle (EAG): +8 PTs
  • Birdie (BIR): +3 PTs
  • Par (PAR): +0.5 PTs
  • Bogey (BOG): -0.5 PTs
  • Double Bogey (DBL BOG): -1 PT
  • Worse than Double Bogey (WORSE DBL BOG): -1 PT
• Tournament Finish Scoring
  • 1st: 30 PTs
  • 2nd: 20 PTs
  • 3rd: 18 PTs
  • 4th: 16 PTs
  • 5th: 14 PTs
  • 6th: 12 PTs
  • 7th: 10 PTs
  • 8th: 9 PTs
  • 9th: 8 PTs
  • 10th: 7 PTs
  • 11th–15th: 6 PTs
  • 16th–20th: 5 PTs
  • 21st–25th: 4 PTs
  • 26th–30th: 3 PTs
  • 31st–40th: 2 PTs
  • 41st-50th: 1 PTs
• Streaks and Bonuses
  • Streak of 3 Birdies of Better (MAX 1 Per Round) (3+ BIR STRK): +3 PTs
  • Bogey Free Round (BOG FREE RD): +3 PTs
  • All 4 Rounds Under 70 Strokes (ALL 4 RDS UND 70): +5 PTs
  • Hole in One (HOLE IN ONE): +10 PTs

Scoring Notes: Ties for a finishing position will not reduce or average down points. For example, if 2 golfers tie for 3rd place, each will receive the 18 fantasy points for the 3rd place finish result. Playoff Holes will not count towards final scoring, with the exception of the “finishing position” scoring. For example, the golfer who wins the tournament will receive the sole award of 1st place points, but will not accrue points for their scoring result in the individual playoff holes.

Player Lock Notes: All golfers lock at the time the first golfer tees off on day 1 of an event.

Full rules are located here for DraftKings golf.