| Fantasy Advice
U.S. Open DFS picks 2025: Bryson DeChambeau’s edge over Scottie Scheffler
For the first time since 2016, U.S. Open returns to Oakmont Country Club, one of the most iconic and historic championship venues in the game. In 2016, Dustin Johnson triumphed over Jim Furyk, Scott Piercy and Shane Lowry at four-under par, and in the nine U.S. Opens that Oakmont has hosted, the winning score has never ventured lower than five under par.
Historically, the Pittsburgh-area club has played on average as the most difficult U.S. Open venue in terms of scoring average, and this should not come as a surprise. Oakmont perfectly categorizes what golf fans have come to expect a U.S. Open to be. It features large, undulating green complexes, compounding hazards, narrow fairways and extremely thick rough. Both par 5s measure over 600 yards and are only reachable by the longest players in the field, and the eighth hole is famously a 288-yard par 3 that some players will be forced to hit driver on.
Bryson DeChambeau will look to defend his title and capture his third U.S. Open, with his previous two victories coming at Winged Foot and Pinehurst #2, but he will have to defeat World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and World No. 2 Rory McIlroy, who won the first two major championships of the year. Jon Rahm, Ludvig Aberg, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay and Joaquin Niemann, amongst others, headline an intriguing crop of challengers.
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Here's are my favorite plays and fades for the 2025 U.S. Open DraftKings slate.
$10,000 range
Play: Bryson DeChambeau, $11,000:
At an extremely elementary level, the modern USGA setup identifies the best driver of the ball in the field. Not only is Bryson DeChambeau the best driver of the ball in the world, he is one of the best drivers of the ball of the modern era. DeChambeau is also one of the most underrated putters in the game, which was a key component to him winning U.S. Opens at both Pinehurst and Winged Foot. His expertise on the greens will once again prove valuable at Oakmont, which is known for having amongst the most beguiling set of greens in America. Those two factors are enough to give him an edge over Scottie Scheffler in what should be a fascinating duel.
Fade: Xander Schauffele, $10,400:
While Xander Schauffele has an incredibly strong U.S. Open record, I have significant concerns about his recent driving form. Schauffele has now lost strokes to the field in driving accuracy in four straight starts, and he was all over the map at Muirfield Village, ranking toward the bottom of the field in fairway percentage. I worry his inaccuracy off the tee could present significant problems at Oakmont.
$9,000 range
Play: Patrick Cantlay, $9,300:
Michael Miller/ISI Photos
Patrick Cantlay quietly boasts an awesome U.S Open record, and he has now finished top 15 in four straight U.S. Opens, including last year at Pinehurst, where he finished third, battling with Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy. Cantlay’s well-rounded skill-set makes him an excellent fit for modern USGA setups, and I expect him to continue his strong play at Oakmont.
Fade: Justin Thomas, $9,000:
Justin Thomas has a spotty record at U.S. Opens, with four missed cuts in 10 appearances. Much of this has to do with his inconsistencies off the tee and on the greens. The current version of Justin Thomas is far better suited for shorter, positional, easier golf courses such as Harbour Town, and I have significant concerns about his chances on a driver-heavy golf course that will force him to find the fairway consistently.
$8,000 range
Play: Tommy Fleetwood, $8,800:
Michael Reaves
Tommy Fleetwood has been quietly one of the most consistent players in golf this season with 12 top-25 finishes in 15 starts and four top-10s. His U.S. Open record is admirable as well, as the Englishman has three top-five finishes in nine U.S. Opens, and his ability to avoid bogeys in extremely difficult conditions is amongst his greatest skills. Fleetwood is far better suited for tournaments that do not put a ton of pressure on him to make a ton of birdies, and Oakmont most certainly fits into this category.
Fade: Brooks Koepka, $8,200:
Brooks Koepka continues to underwhelm on the LIV Tour, as he is coming off a 33rd-place finish at LIV Virginia where he lost strokes on approach. While Koepka’s U.S. Open record is intriguing, he has failed to finish in the top 10 in six straight LIV events, which raises a massive red flag.
$7,000 range
Play: Keegan Bradley, $7,400:
Icon Sportswire
Keegan Bradley quietly remains one of the best ball-strikers in the world, although he is very rarely priced this way. Bradley is coming off back-to-back top-10 finishes at the PGA Championship and Muirfield Village, and this price tag is beyond disrespectful. His high ball-flight and experience on fast, bentgrass greens should be incredibly useful at Oakmont.
Fade: Cam Smith, $7,200:
While Cameron Smith is still one of the better putters in the game, his results on the LIV Tour this year have been seriously underwhelming. Smith is coming off a 23rd-place finish at LIV Virginia, and prior to that, he missed the cut badly at the PGA Championship. The Australian’s poor ball-striking will unfortunately be exposed at Oakmont.
$6,000 range
Play: Max Greyserman, $6,400:
Andrew Redington
Once we get into the $6,000 range, I am purely looking for players with an elite skill. Max Greyserman is quietly one of the best putters in golf, and he is actually a rock solid driver of the ball as well. I believe that Greyserman can top-10 at Oakmont purely on the strength of his lag putting skill and expertise from five to 15 feet, as the challenging greens will provide elite putters an opportunity to separate.
$5,000 range
Play: Emiliano Grillo, $5,700:
Minas Panagiotakis
Emiliano Grillo is hitting the absolute cover off the ball with his irons at the moment, and he has now gained over four strokes on approach in three consecutive starts. Most recently at the Canadian Open, the former Colonial winner gained over six strokes with his irons. Grillo’s elite iron play is certainly not in-line with his price tag, and it provides legitimate top-10 upside, even in an event as big as the U.S. Open.
Andy Lack is a PGA Tour writer and podcaster from New York City who now resides in Los Angeles. Andy is the founder and CEO of Inside Sports Network, a website devoted to the predictive quality of advanced analytics and golf course architecture. He came to Golf Digest’s betting panel after previously writing for Run Pure Sports, RickRunGood.com, the Score and GolfWRX. In his free time, Andy can likely be found on a golf course. Follow him on Twitter: @adplacksports
