For the season’s third major, we head to Shinnecock Hills (par 70, 7,440 yards, Bentgrass/POA mixed greens) in Southampton, New York, for the U.S. Open. This will be the sixth time that Shinnecock has hosted the U.S. Open. In the new millennium, this par 70 has hosted the U.S. Open in 2004 and 2018. Brooks Koepka (+1) won by one shot in 2018. There will be 156 players competing for a $20 million purse and there will be a top-60 and ties cut after the first two rounds this week.

Shinnecock Hills is a challenging and long links styled par 70. The course is home to wide fairways, thick rough, large greens and a whopping 160 bunkers. With Shinnecock located near the coast, wind is always a factor at this venue and one of the course’s main defenses. Like most U.S. Open designs, being a long hitter is an advantage at Shinnecock. Koepka ranked second in driving distance when he won at this par 70 in 2018 and six of the top-eight finishers that week finished the major top-15 in driving distance.

The greens at Shinnecock are large, but extremely complex putting surfaces, putting a heavy emphasis on both approach play and putting. Koepka led his field in SG APP when he won at Shinnecock in 2018 and he also ranked third in SGP. As a par 70, Shinnecock presents 12 par fours and just two par fives. Per usual with this type of layout, scoring on the par fours is most important. Koepka ranked seventh in par four performance when he won at Shinnecock in 2018 and eight of the top-11 finishers that week ranked top-10 in par four performance.

Let’s dive into three of my favorite DraftKings bargain plays for the U.S. Open, which all cost less than $7.5K.

Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA $2.75M Millionaire [$1M to 1st]

Top DraftKings PGA TOUR DFS Bargain Plays for the U.S. Open

Patrick Cantlay ($7,300) – Cantlay finished a respectable T45th at Shinnecock in 2018 and him besting this performance with a higher finish this week is very possible. Cantlay has only missed one cut in 10 starts at the U.S. Open. Four of his last five finishes at this major have been top-15 results and he is having another strong season on the PGA TOUR. Cantlay has made 10-of-12 cuts and he has finished inside the top-20 in five of his last six starts.

Cantlay most recently finished T17th at the Memorial Tournament two weeks ago and at Muirfield Village, he ranked ninth in SG APP and he closed the event with a 5-under 67. He ranks top-30 in SG OTT, SG APP and par four performance this season, and he ranks sixth in this field in strokes gained per round at courses in the Northeast. Cantlay presents +4600 odds to win the U.S. Open on DraftKings Sportsbook, which are terrific relative to his $7,300 salary. For perspective, Justin Thomas also carries +4600 odds to win this major, but he costs $1,000 more for DFS.

Alex Smalley ($6,800) – Most should avoid Smalley this week, as he is coming off a missed cut at the Memorial and he missed the cut in his lone start at a U.S. Open. However, that missed cut came all the way back in 2017 and Smalley’s mishap at the Memorial wasn’t the biggest surprise, as he missed the cut in his first two attempts at Muirfield Village. In six rounds at this venue, Smalley has never shot under par.

The 29-year-old clearly just isn’t fond of Jack’s Place and Smalley getting back to playing excellent golf at Shinnecock is definitely possible. Before the Memorial, Smalley was on a sensational run, making 12 consecutive cuts and finishing runner-up at the PGA Championship and T3rd at the Charles Schwab Challenge in his previous two starts. At both these events, Smalley gained strokes in every major category and he ranks seventh in par four performance for the season, which is great news with a par 70 like Shinnecock up next.

David Puig ($6,500) – Puig made some noise at the PGA Championship at Aronimink GC last month, finishing T18th and he has had a great season competing on the LIV Golf league. The Spaniard has finished inside the top-10 in 9-of-13 starts, and he ranks eighth on the circuit in points. Additionally, Puig ranks second in driving distance and fifth in birdies.

Puig’s elite driving bodes well for the daunting Shinnecock and the underrated 24-year-old should have his best U.S. Open performance to date. In his two starts at this major, Puig has finished T39th and 55th.