Geoff Ulrich runs through the U.S. Open course info, player history, and noteworthy betting trends to help DraftKings Fantasy Golf roster selections.
The Cheat Sheet provides DraftKings fantasy golf players with course info, player history, and the most noteworthy trends of the week to help them with their roster selections.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA $2.75M Millionaire [$1M to 1st]
The field for the U.S. Open is 156 players and includes several players (pros and non-pros alike) who have gained entry through local and international qualifying. With the start list stretched to the max, and the cut this week featuring just the top 60 and ties, we’re about to start the toughest four-day event of golf on the planet. For daily fantasy golf purposes, that means getting all six of your players through the cut this week will be even harder than usual, as (potentially) over 60% of the field will be dusted by Friday night.
The 2026 U.S. Open will be held at Shinnecock Hills in the Town of Southampton on Long Island, New York.
Scottie Scheffler enters as the world’s No. 1 player but is slumping by his standards, having finished outside the top 10 at the PGA and Memorial. Numerous LIV Golf players will appear this week, including past U.S. Open champions Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau.
Other notable non-PGA entries include Peter Uihlein (LIV) (alternate), Lucas Herbert (LIV), and David Puig (LIV).
7,440 yards, par 70; Greens: Poa (bentgrass overseed)
Shinnecock Hills is one of the purest U.S. Open tests in golf. The course plays as a Par 70 at roughly 7,440 yards, featuring 12 par 4s, four par 3s, and just two par 5s. While it’s not a links course per se, it is one of the closest championship venues America has to a true Scottish links course, as the property itself is open and exposed almost everywhere.
Fairways are wide, but players still must traverse sandy, rolling terrain with significant elevation changes, and the fairways are firm and guarded by thick rough and native fescue. There is also constant exposure to the wind coming off the Atlantic Ocean and Peconic Bay, along with severe runoffs around the greens, which are among the toughest in major championship golf.
The par 4s include several that stretch beyond 490 yards, including the brutal 520-yard 14th and the 490-yard finishing hole. The longest hole on the course is the 614-yard 16th, one of only two par 5s available for scoring.
Shinnecock’s fairways are relatively wide by championship standards, averaging nearly 50 yards across. While ball-striking remains vitally important, especially if the wind is up, you’ll likely hear and see the green complexes this week as the primary challenge.
Shinnecock has already hosted some of the toughest U.S. Opens to date. In 2004, Retief Goosen won at -4, but that’s the best winning score ever posted here. Brooks Koepka won the most recent U.S. Open at Shinnecock in 2018 at +1, and short-hitting Corey Pavin won at even par in 1995.
The greens are generally classified as Poa annua/Bentgrass mixes, though they’ll likely play more like traditional Northeast Poa surfaces during U.S. Open week, thanks to how short they’ll be cut. Fast, firm, and heavily contoured greens have historically been a defining feature of Shinnecock, including the infamous 2004 setup, in which final-round scoring averaged nearly 79 strokes.
For DFS purposes, despite the need for steely nerves on the greens, I’d still emphasize approach stats here above all else. Players who can hit their targets and the correct tier of green can take away much of the trouble that will leave other players looking directly at bogey or worse if they’re not accurate with their irons.
Additionally, long-iron proximity stats (175 yards+) and bogey avoidance are features that often perform well among U.S. Open winners. For recent form, I prefer a player with strong approach play who has also demonstrated improvement or flashes of skill in around-the-green shots, enabling him to manage some of the challenging spots when off target.
When in doubt, lean toward complete tee-to-green players rather than volatile birdie-makers. Shinnecock has historically rewarded golfers who can survive four difficult rounds rather than those who rely on hot putting weeks.
2026 Weather Outlook: The early forecast is shaping up with warm temperatures, firm conditions, and plenty of wind. Current forecasts call for temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70s for most of the tournament, with winds ranging from roughly 10-20 mph throughout. Thursday and Saturday are currently projected as the windiest rounds. Thursday could be a bloodbath, with gusts expected to reach 20+ mph. It dies down a bit on Friday, and early risers may be able to beat the rising wind. As of now, I’d likely rather have a Thursday PM/Friday AM start time, but a lot depends on the wind dying down a little Thursday afternoon. If it doesn’t, we could see the early starters on Thursday get off to a better start.
2025–JJ Spaun (-1 over Robert MacIntyre +1)
2024–Bryson DeChambeau (-6 over Rory McIlroy -5)
2023-Wyndham Clark -10 (over Rory McIlroy -9)
2022-Matthew Fitzpatrick -6 (over Will Zalatoris/Scottie Scheffler -5)
2021-Jon Rahm -6 (over Louis Oosthuizen -5)
– Eight of the past 18 U.S. Open winners had a win on the season before claiming their U.S. Open title.
– 12 of the past 14 winners of the U.S. Open had recorded at least four top 10s on the season before their U.S. Open victory.
– Five of the last seven winners of the U.S. Open all placed inside the top 10 at the PGA Championship (the month prior) and gained over 7.0 strokes tee to green at that event.
JJ Spaun — 2025 U.S. Open (5-under; **Oakmont)
Lead-in form: (MC-T6-T37-T17-T42)
SG: OTT—+0.58 (per round)
SG: APP—+0.28
SG: Total—+4.0
SG: ATG—+0.61
SG: PUTT—+2.59
In terms of style and how his stats may fit with Shinnecock, it’s possible that we see the winners’ strokes gained numbers from Off the Tee and Approach flip this season, with Shinnecock likely being a more approach-driven venue.
Spaun had an elite putting week to take the title last year, and coupled that with some clutch shotmaking in Round 4.
He did gain off the tee and on approach, but his best areas were around the greens and putting.
Odds to win are one factor to think about when picking players (but not the only thing, so be careful putting too much weight on them). This section is going to detail a few of the players who have the best fantasy value comparative to their DraftKings Sportsbook odds of winning this week.
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook are subject to change.
Comparables:
Comparables:
Michael Brennan ($6,000): Might be a little early, but certainly he’s got the type of game that should thrive at this type of major in the future. He handled a tough Colonial very well a couple of weeks ago with a T6.
Emiliano Grillo ($5,800): You’re going to need elite iron play to survive this week, and Grillo can still light up his approaches when he has it going. His recent form has much improved after a poor stretch to start the year, and he was T19 at Oakmont last year.
Maverick McNealy ($6,800): Coming in off a T10 at the Memorial and a T18 at the PGA. McNealy has the sort of putter that can hold him up for long stretches and has been top 20 at the year’s first two majors.
Sam Burns ($7,700): Burns went off in the final group at this event last season and also posted a top-10 at Augusta. The 29-year-old is putting himself in some great spots and should eventually find that extra gear to finish off an event. This price just seems far too cheap.
Si Woo Kim ($7,200): I’m not sure people will love Si Woo this week, but at $7,200, he looks entirely too cheap to me. Like some of my other favorites this week, he’s thrived at coastal venues and is playing great tee to green at the moment. His best finish in this event was T13 at Erin Hills in 2017.
1. Wyndham Clark ($7,800, Recent finishes: T11-T3-win): It’s almost jarring to see Clark’s DFS salary so low. He won, beating Scottie Scheffler with a brilliant final round in Texas last month, and followed that up with two more strong efforts, including a T3 at Muirfield. May have the best blend of momentum and course fit in the field.
2. Sam Burns ($7,700, Recent finishes: T20-T4): Tons of momentum after another solid week in Canada, where he was in contention until Sunday and fell to T20. He’s made 9 cuts in a row now and was T4 at Muirfield just two starts ago.
3. Matthew Fitzpatrick ($8,900, Recent finishes: T2-T36-T14): Two wins already on the season and two runner-ups now after his 2nd place in Canada last week. The Englishman was also T14 at the last major and comes in rolling.
4. Tommy Fleetwood ($9,700, Recent finishes: T11-T4): We all want him to win more, but he’s been remarkably consistent in racking up top finishes. T11 or better in three of his last four starts.
5. Si Woo Kim ($7,200, Recent finishes: T10-T2): After a lackluster PGA, the South Korean has picked up his game yet again, posting a T2 at the Byron and a T10 at Muirfield. He’s always struggled on the tough U.S. Open greens, but his tee to green game is in the best shape it’s ever been.
Gotterup is a great young player who should thrive on this tougher East Coast setup this week. A New Jersey native who grew up playing golf for Rutgers, he’s not only familiar with the types of setups in this region but has shown an inclination already for coastal-type setups. Wins at the Sony Open and the Scottish Open certainly demonstrate that his low and powerful ball-flight plays best when the wind is up (and creating some havoc for the field), and his form this year has been brilliant, almost from start to finish.
Two wins on the season are a great year already, but Gotterup showed up at both majors as well, posting a T24 in his first Masters and a T10 finish at the recent PGA. Winners of this major typically don’t come out of nowhere, and even JJ Spaun last year showed up with a made cut at the PGA and a T2 at THE PLAYERS before his win. Gotterup also won’t be at an experience disadvantage this week as he was at Augusta and made the cut nicely last season at this major, finishing T23.
I see him taking a big step up this year at 26 and potentially winning his first major.
With such an open course where around-the-green play and solid putting will be needed just to survive, the resurgent Aussie Cameron Smith cannot be counted out this week. Smith had a bad stretch of it last year but rebounded nicely at this year’s second major with a T7 finish at Aronimink. He’s followed that up with a couple more decent finishes on LIV, including a T5 at LIV Golf Andalucía, which is hosted by one of the toughest courses on the planet in Real Club Valderrama.
Much like Gotterup, Smith has shown a knack for thriving in windy conditions where scrambling, elite iron play, and putting all must come together. He’s a winner at TPC Sawgrass, Waialae Country Club, and the Old Course and was T4 at the 2023 U.S. Open just three years ago. Overall, I love this open style of course for Smith, who would love nothing more than to bag another major and potentially make his way into the good graces of the PGA TOUR soon.
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