PGA DFS Playbook for the U.S. Open: Top DraftKings & FanDuel PGA DFS Picks

What more can I say about Scottie Scheffler? He’s the #1 player in the world for a reason. Scheffler hasn’t finished outside 5th place in his last 4 starts and no finish lower than 12th in 2023. The ONLY downside to his game is his putting, ranks 1st in Tee to Green, Off the Tee, and Approach but 148th in Putting. It will all come down to greens this week for him, he’s just too good to shy away from.

The man is a killer when it comes to major championship golf. The leader after 3 rounds at the Masters but couldn’t close the deal. Won the PGA Championship and looks to win his 3rd U.S. Open in Los Angeles. While he has only played once since his PGA victory, I still believe he’ll be ready to go when the lights come on this weekend.

Viktor is having an amazing season and I feel like it’s only a matter of time before he breaks through at a major championship. He finished runner up at the PGA Championship and won the Memorial which has a major level field. The guy is just too talented not to compete every week. While the putter has improved this season and has resulted in this career year, it still isn’t where you’d want it to be. The rest of his numbers are phenomenal, ranking Top 15 in Strokes Gained: Approach, Tee to Green and Off the Tee. He will be in most of my lineups this weekend. 

Once again, the only thing missing from this guy’s career is a major victory but has Top 10 finishes in all four of them over the course of his career. He has 5 Top 10s at the U.S. Open at various venues. Xander has 5 Top 10 finishes in his last 7 starts which includes the Masters. The 7 time PGA Tour winner is one of the best ball strikers in the world ranking Top 10 in Approach and Tee to Green. He’s also Top 15 in Putting as well. Can this be the week for Xander? It could be!   

It looks like he’s over the injury after his Top 5 finish at the Memorial. My one drawback to Spieth is that after his 2015 U.S. Open win, he has two missed cut and only one Top 20 finish. The 3 time major champion and 13 time winner on the PGA Tour ranks Top 30 in Tee to Green and Approach and Top 50 in Off the Tee. We also know about his magic around the greens which will prove invaluable this weekend in that thick rough. I think the ownership levels of him will be lower because of his recent history in the U.S. Open and the course length. 

Oh man, it’s been so long since I was able and confident in putting Cameron Smith back into my playbook. You all know how upset I was when I saw the Aussie leave for the LIV Tour. The reigning Open Champion looks to put his name back into the mix with the Scotties, Brooks and Rahms as one of the better players in the world. Last season on the PGA Tour, he ranked Top 10 in both Approach and Putting, as well as Top 30 in Tee to Green. The ownership levels should be subdued a bit because of his play on the LIV Tour being so sporadic but I love the price tag.    

It is almost like rinse and repeat from what I just said about Xander. The only thing missing from his career is a major victory but the guy has 4 wins over his last 21 starts on the PGA Tour. The 6 time PGA Tour winner is also an elite ball striker but with more power than Xander ranking Top 5 in both Approach and Tee to Green and Top 40 in Off the Tee and Around the Green. He’s Top 20 in Total Driving which will serve him well this weekend in LA.  

Mr. Matsuyama has got his game tuned up right in time for this U.S. Open run. He has made seven straight cuts with no finish below 31st (4 Top 20s) over that stretch. He’s also made the cut at the U.S. Open six straight years with 2 Top 5 finishes including last year. The 8-time PGA Tour winner ranks 6th in Scrambling, 8th in Around the Green, 21st in Tee to Green, and 30th in Approach. The former Masters champ should be in contention this weekend.

The 5 time PGA Tour winner has been very boom or bust this season. He has a win at the Match Play, another 3 Top 10s, another 4 Top 20s but 5 missed cuts. He is a fantastic golfer but needs to show up at the majors if he wants to take that next step in his career. This is the course where he could do some damage, especially his ability off the tee and on the greens. He ranks Top 10 in Putting, Top 25 in Total Driving, and Top 50 Off the Tee. If he can be more consistent with his iron game, we will see him on the leaderboard come Sunday afternoon.  

This Englishman has played terrific golf over the last 8-10 weeks. He just lost in a playoff last weekend in Canada to Nick Taylor and his 72-foot eagle putt. That was his 3rd Top 10 in his last 8 starts. He also has two Top 5 finishes at the U.S. Open in his career.  Could this be the Matthew Fitzpatrick year for Tommy? Fitz hadn’t won an event on the PGA Tour before his U.S. Open victory at Brookline last year, same goes for Tommy heading into this weekend. He ranks Top 10 in Tee to Green and Around the Green, Top 20 in Putting and Top 40 in Approach. The recent play is getting noticed by even the regular DFS Golf players, so you aren’t getting as good of a price as I would have liked.    

Oh Joaquin, you disappointed me at the PGA Championship but I will not give up on you and your extreme talent. We did see him finish Top 20 at the Masters. He needs to get out and play more. I guess with the merger of PGA/LIV Tour he has a chance to play more and make more of his career. In his last year with the PGA Tour, he ranked Top 20 in Tee to Green, Scoring Average, Off the Tee, Birdie Average, Putting Average and Approach. This 2-time PGA Tour winner has all the game to win a major but will this be the week? It could be!

While Niemann disappointed us, DeChambeau did not. He paid off for us in a big way at a really cheap price. This week we will get a similar price but the ownership will be higher this weekend. The body reshaping seems to have helped his game from what we saw at Oak Hill. Bryson went from popeye to olive oil in the last six months, go look at the photos. The price tag is still too good to ignore despite the ownership numbers being higher than at the PGA Championship. I can’t expect another Top 5 but I think he’ll be competitive once again.

I know that Wyndham has not made the cut in two trips to the U.S. Open but that does not worry me. He’s had a career season which includes his breakthrough victory on the PGA Tour at the Wells Fargo Championship. Clark has missed one cut since the Shriners in October of 2022. I believe he fits this course well with his big driver and terrific putter. He ranks Top 30 in both Tee to Green and Approach and Top 60 in both Off the Tee and Putting. This is such a nice value for a player of his caliber. 

It’s about time we jumped back on the Si Woo rollercoaster. He has been more consistent over his last six starts scoring 3 Top 10 finishes including a runner up at the Byron Nelson. He does not have a great history at the U.S. Open but does that matter when it comes to Si Woo? No! The guy has the skill set to win a major championship, it all comes down to whether he can put together 4 rounds in a row. He has already won this season and ranks Top 30 in Tee to Green, Off the Tee and Approach. He’s always a tournament player for me because he’s just too volatile to risk in cash lineups.  

I recommended him at the Masters in the low 7K range and paid off for us in a big way finishing 4th overall at Augusta. Since that run in Georgia, he has 3 Top 20 finishes in his last 4 starts. The only missed cut was at the PGA Championship. He has 3 Top 30 finishes in his last 4 starts at the U.S. Open. Henley leads the PGA Tour in Driving Accuracy which will serve him very well with this nasty rough in Los Angeles. He’s Top 60 in Tee to Green, Approach and Around the Green. I feel safe using him in cash or tournament lineups.

After finishing 26th at the PGA Championship, Buckley has missed back to back cuts coming into the U.S. Open this weekend. The strength of his game comes from the Tee Box, he ranks 6th in Off the Tee, 10th in Total Driving, and 41st in Driving Accuracy. He actually finished Top 15 at the U.S. Open last year at Brookline. Driving is at a premium this weekend in LA which puts him at an advantage over a lot of golfers in this price range. This 27-year-old has made major strides in his game this season, so why not take a shot on him at this price tag.  

He’s a recent Korn Ferry Tour graduate that has looked good thus far during his rookie season on tour.  He actually had back to back Top 3 finishes earlier this year at Corales Puntacana and the Valero. While he doesn’t have any recent high finishes, he has made the cut in 5 straight starts. You have to love his ability off the tee this week ranking Top 35 in Off the Tee, Total Driving, and Driving Distance. He is also Top 50 in Approach, Greens in Regulation, and Proximity on the season. He will make for a sneaky good tournament option who will likely be low owned this weekend.