PGA DFS: Top Cash Game Picks for the U.S. Open

The demanding Shinnecock Hills (par 70, 7,440 yards, Bentgrass/POA mixed greens) in Southampton, New York, will host the U.S. Open. Most recently, Shinnecock hosted the U.S. Open in 2004 and 2018, with Brooks Koepka (+1) winning by one stroke in 2018. The U.S. Open is hosting 156 players, and there will be a limited cut of the top 60 and ties advancing after the second round.

The PGA DFS Breakdown offers data-driven analysis for each week’s slate, using the FantasyLabs Tools and metrics to highlight notable golfers.

I’ll be highlighting the best cash game/single-entry plays on the DraftKings main slate, but these players are often great options in any contest.

My analysis will frequently reference Strokes Gained, a set of proprietary metrics generated by the PGA TOUR using millions of data points to calculate how many shots, on average, it takes a player to get the ball in the hole from every distance and situation.

Strokes Gained is now available in the FantasyLabs PGA Models.

There are a variety of Strokes Gained-related metrics, but the six main categories you need to know include:

• Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (SG: Off-the-Tee)
• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: Approach)
• Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green (SG: Around-the-Green)
• Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: Putting)
• Strokes Gained: Ball-Striking (SG: Ball-Striking), which is SG: Off-the-Tee + SG: Approach
• Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (SG: Tee-to-Green), which is SG: Ball-Striking + SG: Around-the-Green

Don’t forget to check out two key metrics in our models — Perfect% and SimLeverage. You can find an explainer on those metrics here.

The Cliffs Notes version is that you can use SimLeverage to quickly find leverage plays in tournaments, while Perfect% is great for finding the best price-considered plays for cash games.

And don’t forget to utilize our various PGA DFS tools like our Lineup Optimizer, Lineup Builder, PGA Correlation Dashboard, and our Trends tool.

The following players listed are based on DraftKings scoring and pricing.

PGA DFS Cash Game Thoughts

DraftKings $10,000 Range

Xander Schauffele ($10,100)

It’s a difficult call, but I believe fading Scottie Scheffler is the right move for cash games this week. The top-ranked player in the world has finished outside the top 10 in two of his last three starts and was visibly upset with his caddie at the Memorial two weeks ago. Also, Scheffler hasn’t fared that well at the U.S. Open, with just two top-five finishes in eight starts, and he has never competed at Shinnecock before. This isn’t to say Scheffler won’t thrive this week, but the timing doesn’t feel right for him to win, and building more balanced lineups is my preferred route for cash games. At $10,500, Xander Schauffele is a great starting piece. The 32-year-old’s resume at the U.S. Open is stellar, never finishing worse than T14 in nine starts. Schauffele finished T6 at Shinnecock in 2018, and he has finished inside the top 12 in five of his last seven starts entering this week. Schauffele ranks top 20 in both total driving and par 4 performance this season, both of which are great signs for a long par 70 like Shinnecock, and Schauffele should find himself in the mix for a win come Sunday afternoon.

Now available: our PGA DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.

DraftKings $9,000 Range

Tommy Fleetwood ($9,700)

Fleetwood has been excellent, finishing T5, MC, T4, and T11 in his last four starts. The Englishman ranks fifth in SG:T2G this season, and Fleetwood now heads to Shinnecock, where he finished runner-up to Koepka by one shot in 2018. Despite the challenging conditions at the par 70, Fleetwood put on a show in the final round, carding a 7-under 63. This set the course record at Shinnecock and was the lowest score of that U.S. Open by two strokes. Fleetwood was the No. 12 ranked player in the world at the time, but he now sits at No. 6. Fleetwood is ready to contend at Shinnecock again and is a great investment at $9,700.

DraftKings $8,000 Range

Matt Fitzpatrick ($8,900)

Fitzpatrick finished T12 at Shinnecock in 2018, and he won the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club. The Englishman has finished inside the top 12 in four of his last eight starts at this major, and Fitzpatrick is in the midst of a career-best season, leading the PGA TOUR with three victories. He also finished runner-up at THE PLAYERS Championship in March and runner-up at the RBC Canadian Open just last week. Fitzpatrick improved in each of his three final rounds at TPC Toronto, finishing with a 6-under 64 on Sunday. Fitzpatrick ranks top 10 in both total driving and par 4 performance, and he is way underpriced at only $8,900. For the PGA Championship last month, Fitzpatrick was $10,000 on DraftKings.

Russell Henley ($8,000)

Henley is another value play that sticks out like a sore thumb. This $8,000 price tag is a massive drop from the $9,300 salary Henley saw for the Memorial in his last start. The veteran just picked up his sixth PGA TOUR win at the Charles Schwab Challenge three weeks ago, and this season, Henley has made 9-of-13 cuts and finished inside the top 25 nine times. At the U.S. Open, Henley has made 9-of-12 cuts, and he has finished inside the top 15 in four of his last five starts at this major, including a T10 at Oakmont last season, which, like Shinnecock, is a long par 70 in the Northeast.

DraftKings $7,000 Range

Patrick Reed ($7,900)

After winning on the DP World Tour in January and February, Reed has been great at the season’s first two majors, finishing T12 at the Masters and T10 at the PGA Championship in his last start. Reed finished fourth in SG:APP at Aronimink GC, and he now heads to Shinnecock, where he finished T4 in 2018, which is the best U.S. Open finish of Reed’s career. The 35-year-old has only failed to make the cut once in 11 starts at the U.S. Open, and five of these finishes have been top-20 results. Reed’s great 2026 should continue at Shinnecock, and he is an elite value at only $7,900, which is a big drop from his $9,000 salary for the PGA Championship.

Sam Burns ($7,700)

Burns has been on a roll, making nine straight cuts with seven finishes of T26 or better. The former LSU Tiger just finished T4 at the Memorial two weeks ago, and he has shot under par in all but one of his last eight rounds. Burns ranks sixth in SG:P this season, and his elite work on the greens should pay dividends at Shinnecock. This venue presents large and complex greens, and when Koepka won here in 2018, he finished the major third in SG:P. Burns finished a solid T41 that week as just the No. 171-ranked player in the world. He is now the No. 33-ranked player, and it’s safe to expect a much higher finish from Burns this time around. The five-time PGA TOUR winner has made 5-of-7 cuts at the U.S. Open and finished T9 and T7 at this major the last two years.

Si Woo Kim ($7,200)

Kim missed the cut at Shinnecock in 2018, but we can’t hold this against him at this season-low salary. This season, Kim has yet to miss a cut in 16 starts, and he has produced eight top-10 finishes. His last two times out, Kim finished runner-up at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson and T10 at the Memorial while gaining strokes across the board at both events. At THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, Kim tied his career low with an 11-under 60 in the second round, which also tied for the lowest score on the PGA TOUR this season. Kim ranks sixth in SG:APP, and he leads the PGA TOUR in proximity to the hole on approach shots from 150–175 yards. Koepka led his field in SG:APP when he won at Shinnecock in 2018, and 25.9% of the approach shots that week came from 150–175 yards, so Kim is in a great position to succeed this week.

DraftKings $6,000 Range

Min Woo Lee ($6,900)

Lee is coming off a missed cut at the Memorial, but he has never played well at Muirfield Village, shooting under par just once in eight rounds at the venue. Prior to this, Lee had finished T18 or better at three straight events. This season, the Aussie has carded seven top-25 finishes in 13 starts, and Lee ranks top 25 in SG:TOT, Total Driving, and par-4 performance. Lee has been steady at the U.S. Open, making 3-of-4 cuts with three finishes of T27 or better, and he is an outstanding bargain at this season-low price tag.

Harris English ($6,700)

English didn’t compete at Shinnecock in 2018, but he has never missed a cut in 10 starts at the U.S. Open, including three top-10 finishes since 2020. The 36-year-old also has been very reliable this season, missing only one cut in 14 starts and generating nine top-25 finishes, including three in a row entering this week. Ranking top 30 in SG:P, Total Driving, and par-4 performance, English checks many boxes for Shinnecock, and like numerous players in this piece, this is the cheapest English has been on DraftKings this season.

Ryan Fox ($6,300)

At this low price point, it’s hard to argue against Fox. The 39-year-old finished T41 at Shinnecock in 2018, and he has made the cut at the last three U.S. Opens, including a T19 at Oakmont a year ago. Fox is coming off a T8 finish at the RBC Canadian Open last week, in which he gained strokes on approach and with his putter at TPC Toronto. Fox has made 10 of 12 cuts with eight top-30 finishes this season, and he ranks 15th on the PGA TOUR in par-4 performance.

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Pictured: Xander Schauffele
Photo credit: Imagn