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U.S. Open 2025: 5 players who will help you win your pool
Editor's Note: This article is published in partnership with Betsperts Golf, a Golf Digest content partner.
Michael Reaves
The 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club promises to be a brutal test of golf. Narrow fairways, thick rough and lightning-fast greens await the field. To win your U.S. Open pool, you need players who thrive under pressure and fit Oakmont’s demanding setup. This article highlights five golfers who I believe can boost your chances: Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Russell Henley, Harris English and Emiliano Grillo. Each brings unique strengths to tackle this major.
Let’s dive into why these players stand out and how to leverage their skills for your U.S. Open pool.
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Conquering Oakmont
Oakmont is a beast. Known for its punishing layout, it rewards precision and mental toughness. Every piece of content we’ve seen about this place has been adding to the level of fear these golfers should have coming in. The rough will be unwieldy and the greens fast and firm. Nothing will come easily.
Your pool strategy should prioritize players with strong tee-to-green games and U.S. Open experience. Why? Oakmont punishes mistakes. A single wayward drive can lead to bogeys or worse. These five players have the tools to navigate the challenge.
Jon Rahm
Alex Goodlett
Rahm’s a proven winner who ranks second in the field in Total Driving (a metric that combines driving distance with accuracy) in 2025. With the nasty rough, accuracy will be a must for anyone looking to score and keep themselves within striking distance of the top. So far this year, Rahm’s short game seems to be in order, too, gaining on the field at both Augusta and Quail Hollow with his putter.
It’s tough to bite the bullet and grab some of the LIV golfers who we don’t get to see as much, but Rahm has been able to handle tough courses in the past. While he hasn’t been able to add another major since his win at Augusta in 2023, he has four top-10 major finishes since—plus three consecutive top-15s at golf’s biggest events.
Tommy Fleetwood
Harry How
Fleetwood might not win golf tournaments, but he excels on tough tracks, and in contest play, you’ll need some golfers who simply have a high floor. Fleetwood’s accuracy off the tee suits Oakmont’s narrow fairways. His iron play is equally sharp, with a decent enough Greens in Regulation percentage to consider him a threat just based on his ball-striking.
What makes him a U.S. Open pool gem? Fleetwood’s consistency. In just major championships over the past five years, he has more top-five finishes (4) than missed cuts (3). With a T-4 at Colonial and a T-16 at The Memorial, Fleetwood’s coming in with some nice form, making him a nice grab in the secondary tier.
Russell Henley
Michael Reaves
Russell Henley is built for Oakmont and will always be a model darling when looking at approach play. His iron play is elite. No matter how you sort it, he’s going to be around the top 10 in most metrics that measure second shots. He’s got a win this year and has a few nice finishes in majors so far in his career.
It’s been an inconsistent past few months with missed cuts at the Masters and PGA Championship, but I’m fine buying low on his skill set. Oakmont rewards players who hit greens, and Henley’s GIR% ranks sixth in the field over the past six months. Maybe not a threat to get his second win of the year here, but Henley is certainly a nice dark horse to compete and bolster your U.S. Open picks.
Harris English
Icon Sportswire
Harris English is back in form and playing much better than he’s maybe getting credit for. After injuries, he went out and posted a T-2 at the 2025 PGA Championship. It’s hard to say that his game will continue to translate on such a tough track, but he’s not only been very accurate off the tee, he’s been putting incredibly well this season. Short game is always important, but especially at an event where grinding for par is so vital.
Over his past 12 rounds, he’s gained 1.47 strokes over the field per round, not losing in any of the major categories. English might be another nice name down the board that can sneak into the top 10 here.
Emiliano Grillo
Minas Panagiotakis
Grillo is a sleeper pick just based on his recent form. While his putting is a bit suspect, he’s near-elite in ball-striking and has been on a bit of a tear of late (for someone this far down the board). While some of his finishes were at “lesser” events, it’s hard to say that his approach play won’t translate here.
Again, his short game leaves something to be desired, but when you’re making your final selections for a pool contest, you’re usually looking through a big list of flawed players. Grillo might not have all the skills needed to win this, but he certainly has enough to play all four days and make a run up the board on Sunday.
How to Build Your U.S. Open Pool Strategy
The No. 1 rule of pool strategy is always to tailor your approach to the size of the contest. If you’re playing with eight guys from work, you may want to throw out most of what you just read and just pick one of the three biggest names in each tier.
A larger contest field requires a bit more nuance, with the winners finding value picks down the board and avoiding the extremely popular names in each tier. Payouts should also be part of the calculus as a contest where the winner takes all should lend an even riskier strategy, as playing it safe and placing high pays the same as flaming out.
Final Thoughts
Best of luck in all your contests, and enjoy Oakmont! This might be a week where even par takes home a trophy on Sunday afternoon. Don’t be afraid to adjust and change your strategy based on the weather or course conditions as we get closer to Thursday morning.
