Daily Fantasy Golf 2015: US Open Tournament Picks
The U.S. Open is nearly always golf's toughest test of the year. This is the tournament that gives the top pros fits, and allows may amateurs to sit back and watch the best in the game suffer as they have to contend with deep rough, testing weather conditions and overall nastiness that seem designed to embarrass the best golfers in the world.
Do we smirk when we see the top-ranked players take an eight on a particularly nasty par-4 hole? Of course we do. We love seeing the best players in the world suffer like we do on the golf course.
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But once that part is done, it's great to see the best players find a way to tame the toughest courses.
Will that happen this week at Chambers Bay in Washington? We really don't know because the best players have never been on this course in a competitive situation. Chambers Bay is a new course that has never hosted a PGA tournament of any kind, and the state of Washington has never hosted a U.S. Open in the past.
That means there are a lot of unknowns going in, but this is the national championship and the most important tournament played on North American soil all year.
DraftKings gives us the opportunity to test our golfing knowledge and put our skills to the test in its many U.S. Open-related contests.
We have $50,000 to spend on six golfers, and that means we can't just concentrate on the big names or the hot golfers because we will quickly find ourselves over budget.
Here are the six golfers that we believe can go a long way in this year's tournament and possibly bring home the lion's share of the cash.
| Golfer | Average Score | FPPG | Salary |
| Rory McIlroy | 69.7 | 83.1 | $13,000 |
| Matt Kuchar | 69.9 | 75.7 | $8,800 |
| Louis Oosthuizen | 70.8 | 54.1 | $7,600 |
| Kevin Na | 70.2 | 70.7 | $7,100 |
| Charley Hoffman | 70.2 | 69.4 | $7,000 |
| Miguel Angel Jimenez | 75.5 | 28.0 | $6,500 |
Elite Level: Rory McIlroy, $13,000
The two favorites in this tournament are Rory McIlroy, the No. 1 golfer in the world, and Jordan Spieth, who ran away with the Masters and is a worthy challenger.
Drafting both of these golfers would leave us with only bargain-basement choices after that, and that would be a mistake. However, drafting one of the two would appear to give us a fighting chance of putting together that winning roster.
McIlroy has just a bit more to offer than Spieth on this challenging track, and one of his best assets is his consistent distance off the tee. This is a very long course, and if McIlroy gets off to a good start with his driver, nobody is better equipped to attack Chambers Bay.
McIlroy has won two of the last three tournaments he entered, capturing the big prize in the Wells Fargo Championship as well as the World Golf Championship-Cadillac Match Play Championship. Both of those tournaments were held in May.
McIlroy ranks eighth on the tour in driving distance at 305.5 yards per tee shot, and this is a course that demands outstanding play off the tee. Additionally, McIlroy gains 2.001 strokes tee to green, and that ranks first among tour players.
McIlroy is averaging 69.438 per round, and that's the second-best scoring average on the tour. If he can stay in command with his putter, McIlroy should have an excellent opportunity to capture his second career U.S. Open.
Solid Performer: Matt Kuchar, $8,800
Matt Kuchar is the 18th-ranked golfer in the world and is one of the best shot makers on the tour. While he has not won a tournament this year, he has made the cut in 15 of 16 tournaments and he has both a second- and third-place finish to his credit.
Kuchar is a resourceful golfer who keeps his cool under pressure. He can be a superb player once he gets around the green, and his ability to scramble makes him a threat even when he is not hitting the ball extremely well for distance. Kuchar ranks fourth in sand saves and he is sixth when it comes to scrambling.
Kuchar is almost always going to get the job done with his putter. Kuchar gains .609 strokes with his putter, and that ranks seventh on the tour.
Kuchar is going to make up ground once he gets inside 100 yards, and that's going to give him a chance to contend in the U.S. Open.
Rising to the Occasion: Louis Oosthuizen, $7,600
Louis Oosthuizen is an experienced veteran who has one of the best swings in the game. The 5'10" South African can play with the best golfers in the world when he gets his game going, and he would appear to have an excellent chance on an unfamiliar course because his approach is so consistent.
Oosthuizen finds 68.06 percent of his greens in regulation, and that's going to give him a chance to compete at Chambers Bay. Oosthuizen is good around the green when he has to come out of the bunker. His average bunker shot is an average of 7'6" inches from the hole, and that ranks 17th among tour golfers.
Oosthuizen has not been overly impressive this season, but he has 12 international victories on his resume, including winning The Open Championship in 2010. Having one major to his credit means he should not be intimidated here.
Oosthuizen will play with Tiger Woods and Rickie Fowler on Thursday and Friday, so that means he will get extra attention during the first two rounds.
On the Rise: Kevin Na, $7,100
Kevin Na ranks 25th in the FedEx Cup standings and he is the 22nd-ranked golfer in the world. Na has made the cut in 15 of 17 tournaments this year, and his consistency has been one of his best assets.
Na is a very accurate golfer who gains 1.005 strokes tee to green, a figure that ranks 15th among those on tour. Na averages 4.08 birdies per round, and that's going to be a huge advantage for him if he can keep that up at Chambers Bay. That figure ranks 18th on the tour.
Na has three second-place finishes on his record during the last two seasons, and he has 10 Top-25 finishes this season. He may not win the tournament, but he has an excellent chance of remaining in contention.
Dark Horse: Charley Hoffman, $7,000
Charley Hoffman has been playing excellent golf this season as he ranks fourth in the FedEx Cup standings and he ranks 42nd in the World Golf Standings while averaging 70.430 strokes per round.
Hoffman has a win and two second-place finishes to his credit this year and he has made the cut in 15-of-19 tournaments.
Hoffman has earned more than $3 million this season, and he ranks sixth on the official money-earned list. Hoffman gets good distance off the tee, as he is averaging 295.1 yards per tee shot, a figure that ranks 37th on the tour.
Wild Card: Miguel Angel Jimenez, $6,500
The world's most interesting golfer is not getting a lot of respect, but he is capable of rising to the occasion in big tournaments.
The 51-year-old Spaniard has 21 international victories to his credit, and he has shown he belongs on the biggest stage. Jimenez ranks 47th in the World Golf Standings, and he finished fourth in the 2014 Masters.
Jimenez is not going to get a lot of backing, but the pressure of big events is not going to bother him. If he can get off to a good start at Chambers Bay, he may be capable of pulling a big surprise.
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