For the sixth time, the U.S. Open will be played at Shinnecock Hills (par 70, 7,440 yards, Bentgrass/POA mixed greens) in Southampton, New York. In the new millennium, Shinnecock has hosted the U.S. Open in 2004 and 2018. Brooks Koepka (+1) took home the top prize in 2018, edging out Tommy Fleetwood by one shot. For this week, there will be 156 players competing for a $20 million purse and a top-60 and ties cut after the first two rounds.

Per usual with majors, DraftKings is hosting a $2.75 Millionaire contest that pays out $1 million to first place and for this week, the buy-in is only $25! You will need to find some low-owned plays that perform well to contend in this GPP and below, I have featured some of my favorite contrarian DFS options to consider for the $2.75 Millionaire.

Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA $2.5M Fantasy Golf Millionaire [$1M to 1st]

Brooks Koepka ($9,400)

After finishing T14th at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson and gaining strokes across the board in the process with a new putter in his bag, Koepka got off to a great start at last week’s RBC Canadian Open, shooting a 6-under 64 and a 2-under 68 in the first two rounds at TPC Toronto. Koepka sat seventh on the leaderboard heading into the weekend, but then, he shot a 2-over 72 on Saturday and withdrew with a hand injury Sunday.

This was obviously disappointing and poor timing, as Koepka could have contended at TPC Toronto and he now heads to Shinnecock for the U.S. Open, where he won in 2018. However, Koepka told the media Tuesday that “It’s getting better day by day” when asked about his hand injury. The five-time major also was positive about his game, saying “I think ball striking is even better than what it’s been. Putting, I had a great week putting last week. I’m excited for the challenge.”

Despite the injury, Koepka sounds like he’s ready for Shinnecock and the injury concern should keep his ownership low, making him one of the top GPP plays for this major. Even though he withdrew, Koepka still gained strokes on approach and with his putter TPC Toronto, marking his second straight start of doing so. Koepka ranks fifth in SG APP this season, so mixing an efficient putter with his elite ball striking is a deadly combination and his U.S. Open resume is outstanding. On top of the win at Shinnecock, Koepka won at Erin Hills in 2017. The 36-year-old has finished T12th or better in 7-of-12 starts at the U.S. Open and he ranks third in this field in strokes gained per round at this major.

Justin Rose ($8,400)

With plenty of big names in the $8,000 range, Rose should get lost in the shuffle and is worthy gamble for GPPs. Rose is coming off a missed cut at the RBC Canadian Open, but before this, he had made six straight cuts with four finishes of T13th or better. Included in this run is a T3 at the Masters and a T10 at the PGA Championship.

Rose hasn’t been a reliable cut maker at the U.S. Open, making 12-of-20 cuts, but he has thrived when the course suits his game, finishing inside the top-12 six times. Rose won at Merion GC in 2013 and more importantly, he finished T10th at Shinnecock in 2018.

With Rose striking the ball well this season, ranking 18th in SG APP, another high finish at Shinnecock is a possibility. When Koepka won here in 2018, he led the field in SG APP.

Dustin Johnson ($6,300)

Imagine seeing Johnson’s salary this low for a U.S. Open say three years ago? Your jaw would have hit the floor. Since making the move to LIV Golf in 2022, the former top ranked player in the world has become an after thought for golf fans and for good reason, as his play has been mostly uninspiring. However, Johnson’s game is quietly trending up right now.

Johnson had respectable showings at the first two majors of the season, finishing T33rd at the Masters and T44th at the PGA Championship. At Aronimnik GC, the 24-time PGA TOUR winner gained strokes on approach and with his putter. Since that performance at the PGA Championship, Johnson has been contending on the LIV Golf tour, finishing fourth and T5th in his last two starts on the circuit.

That T5 came at LIV Anadulcia two weeks ago and in the final round, Johnson shot a 7-under 64, marking the lowest score of the event and his lowest score on LIV this season. Looking to build off this, Johnson now heads to Shinnecock, where he finished solo third in 2018. Johnson’s game is built for the U.S. Open and he has thrived at this major throughout his career, making 14-of-18 cuts and producing seven top-10 finishes, most notably with a three-shot win at Oakmont in 2016. Among this field, Johnson impressively ranks sixth in strokes gained per round at the U.S. Open.

While he is a long shot to contend, Johnson could finish inside the top-25 at Shinnecock this week, which would be an awesome return for a player who is so cheap and who should come with basically no ownership.

Tom Kim ($6,200)

Kim shouldn’t crack 5% ownership in the Millionaire Maker and he is an excellent punt play at only $6,200. Kim has been steady this season, missing only one cut in 13 solo starts and at the RBC Canadian Open this past week, he finished T15th. Kim shot under par in all four of his rounds at TPC Toronto, including a 4-under 66 on Sunday.

Kim’s irons have been strong this season, ranking 20th in SG APP and his putting is also trending in the right direction, as he has gained strokes on the greens in three of his last four starts.

In addition to his game coming together, Kim is an underrated player at the U.S. Open, making 4-of-4 cuts and carding no finishes worse than T33rd at this major. Kim finished T8th at Los Angeles Golf Club in 2023 and he ranks 12th in this field in strokes gained per round at the U.S. Open. Kim has never competed at Shinnecock before, but him cracking the top-30 this week definitely could happen.