This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
U.S. Open
Oakmont, Pennsylvania
Oakmont Country Club - Par 70 - 7,372 yards
Field - 156 entrants
Purse - $21.5M
The Preview
The third major of the 2025 PGA Tour season is here, which means a visit to the famed Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania for the playing of the 125th U.S. Open. This year there are 156 participants, 14 of whom are amateurs, all looking to be crowned the United State Open champion. To do so players will first need to make the cut, which will be a grueling test on what is known to be one of the hardest golf courses in the United States. The cut is expected to trim the field down to the top 60 players and ties following the first two rounds of play. The players who can make the cut will be those who are in total control of their game, as is demanded in U.S. Open.
Diving into a quick course preview, following a Gil Hanse redesign, the difficult Oakmont Country Club, known for its fast greens, thick rough and famous church pew bunkers, got even harder and will be played at 7,372 yards this week with par set at 70. With the USGA wanting the U.S. Open to get back to being the hardest test in golf, tournament directors will look to highlight Oakmont's roots by featuring rough five inches tall or more in some spots, with green speeds estimated to be close to 15 feet on the Stimpmeter. The course will also feature four par-3s, three of which will be playing over 200 yards, including one par 3 which could play as long as 305 yards.
This type of course setup will favor players who are long off the tee and are accurate ball strikers. It will be crucial for players to find Oakmont's fairways due to the uncertain risk that lies in the rough, but with the course playing extremely long, players must also be able to hit their tee shots far enough for them to have short irons or wedges for their approach shots so they are able to attack these difficult greens. Not being able to do so, will put a tremendous amount of pressure on players short game, which due to the difficulty of these greens, is anything but a gimmie. There is a possibility of scattered thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday, but the weather conditions should be fairly mild for the first two days.
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Recent Champions
2024 - Bryson DeChambeau
2023 - Wyndham Clark
2022 - Matt Fitzpatrick
2021 - Jon Rahm
2020 - Bryson DeChambeau
2019 - Gary Woodland
2018 - Brooks Koepka
2017 - Brooks Koepka
2016 - Dustin Johnson
2015 - Jordan Spieth
Key Stats to Victory
SG: Off-the-Tee
SG: Approach
SG: Putting
3-Putt Avoidance
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Scottie Scheffler - $45
The No. 1 player in the world seems untouchable as he now has three wins and T4 in his last four starts following his repeat win at The Memorial Tournament last week. He ranks first in SG: Total on the PGA Tour by more than a shot. Not only does he rank first in SG: Total on the PGA Tour, but he also ranks first in SG: Off-the-Tee and SG: Approach. Given his success and dominance in all facets of the game at this point in time, Yahoo's $45 maximum salary remains a worthy investment for your betting and DFS portfolio.
Rory McIlroy - $45
The McIlroy we've seen in the last month doesn't seem like the same Rory who entered the month of May with THE PLAYERS Championship and Masters wins. Needless to say, he remains the most talented player in the field behind Scheffler. McIlroy still ranks third for the season in SG: Total and second behind Scheffler in SG: Off-the-Tee, which is paramount this week at Oakmont. If McIlroy can find his confidence off the tee, the rest of his game should fall into place.
Sepp Straka - $42
If you are looking for someone outside of Scheffler or McIlroy this week, a great value pick is Straka. The Austrian is coming off a solo third finish at The Memorial, and the last time he was in the state of Pennsylvania, Straka captured his first title of the year in May at The Truist Championship. Both of those courses provide similar characteristics to Oakmont, so Straka who currently ranks first in greens hit, fifth in proximity to the hole and 17th in SG: Putting for the year, seems to have the momentum and game to win.
Bryson DeChambeau - $41
He is the defending U.S. Open champion and is one of the longest and best drivers in the game, ranking first in the field this week in SG: Off the Tee. Yet Yahoo's salary for Dechambeau is set at $41, which seems low, so he seems like a great investment this week based on his value. In addition, DeChambeau has been one of the most reliable players in majors in the last couple years, as he's collected a five top-six finishes in his last six majors, including the U.S. Open last year.
Glue Guys
Tommy Fleetwood - $39
While he isn't the longest player in the field most weeks, Fleetwood always seems to find his way into contention. In his last five starts, Fleetwood has three top-10s and one other top-20. Perhaps its due to his consistent all-around game that allows him to gain shots on the field in every category. Besides a poor putting performance in the PGA Championship, he has gained strokes every week in all strokes gained categories since the Masters. At a place like Oakmont, where your entire game needs to be on, watch for Fleetwood to find some success.
Keegan Bradley - $37
Bradley is coming off two straight top-10s and comes in with great value given his salary this week. Bradley seems to always bring his game to the next level when it comes to long, fast golf courses that require you to hit fairways and greens, while not sacrificing distance. Bradley in fact is one of 13 players in the top-50 of SG: Total who in the last six months have above average distance and accuracy. This year Bradley's top-10s were at Muirfield Village, Quail Hollow, and Bay Hill where Bradley gained over eight shots combined in True Strokes Gained against the field. In addition, Bradley has five other top-20s this year. With another big, bad golf course this week, Bradley should be prime for another good showing.
Harris English - $37
In the last month, English is one of the top handful of players in the field this week in SG: Total, gaining 1.92 strokes, so it comes to no surprise that his value of $37 this week is one to take. Harris has performed well this year, especially at difficult courses such as Muirfield Village, Quail Hollow, August National and Torrey Pines where he has an average finish of 6.75. This is thanks to distance and accuracy from tee to green. English should perform well again this week if he can continue gaining strokes off-the-tee and on the green like he has been able to do in the last month.
Corey Conners - $35
When you think of consistency, Conners is a name that certainly comes to mind. In the last three months, only two other players on the PGA Tour in the field this week have gained more total strokes on the field than Conners, Straka and Scheffler. In addition, Conners hasn't missed a cut since the Sony Open back in January. There is some hesitation with Conners and his putting, which can sometimes be his Achilles heel, but if he can avoid losing strokes to the field in putting this week and avoid the three-putts, Conners could a solid pick for your betting and DFS.
Bargain Bin
Sam Burns - $28
With a price under $30 this week, Burns would be a great play as he is one of the hotter players coming into the U.S. Open following his solo second finish in the RBC Canadian Open. In fact, since the Masters, Burns has five top-20s in six starts. Burns' best strength is his putting where he ranks first on the PGA Tour in SG: Putting. However, in the recent weeks, it's been his iron play that has improved to get him into contention. If his iron play continues to stay hot, with Burns' putting, that could give him a huge advantage on tough greens this week.
Ryan Fox - $22
After winning for the second time on the PGA Tour last week, Fox is a name to watch this week at Oakmont. In the last month, Fox has been one of the better players in SG: Tee-to-Green, gaining 1.90 strokes on the field. On a course this week where distance and accuracy are crucial, Fox will be able to showcase both, which makes him a trendy pick in DFS this week.
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