U.S. Open props: Which players are built to conquer Shinnecock Hills?

The third major championship of the season, the 126th U.S. Open, returns to Shinnecock Hills for the fifth time since 1986 and the sixth time in history. DraftKings Sportsbook offers multiple ways to join the action outside of picking the outright winner. Let’s dive in!

(Editor’s Note: For more expert betting picks, fantasy advice and event previews, visit DraftKings Network.)

Winner without Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele

You would hate to finish second to one of these four favorites and go home with nothing. Shinnecock Hills is one of the most difficult tests of golf. The wind off the Atlantic Ocean, the never-ending putting surfaces, and plenty of ground hazards will identify the best players.

Matt Fitzpatrick (+1600) is quietly the hottest player on the PGA TOUR in 2026. Not only has he won three times, but he was also the runner-up at THE PLAYERS Championship after holding the lead on the 72nd tee box and finished solo second last week in Canada. A renowned grinder, the Englishman already won this event at The Country Club in 2022 and has all the tools to handle the most difficult of conditions at Shinnecock Hills. He cashed T12 in the 2018 tournament on this same layout.

New Jersey native Chris Gotterup (+2900) is searching for his first major championship, but he has provided clues that he is close to kicking in that door. He finished alone in third place at the 2025 Open Championship and shared 10th place last month at Aronimink in the PGA Championship. In his previous four starts in major championships, he cashed four times at T24 or better. A four-time winner on TOUR, he has won three times on coastal tracks, including the 2025 Genesis Scottish Open.

My longshot is another proper grinder and 2023 Open champion, Brian Harman (+13000). Currently on a run of eight consecutive cuts made at the U.S. Open and nine straight in major championships, he has demonstrated the toughness, both mentally and physically, to handle the biggest demands. Now 39, he has a clear understanding of how to navigate tough conditions and deep fields.

Same Game Parlay: Top 40 (including ties)

• Harris English, Hideki Matsuyama, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy (+412)

Without a “To Make the Cut” market, this is my next-best angle. English, who has never missed the weekend in 10 U.S. Open starts, has also made the cut in his last 10 major championships. He owns three top-10 paydays since 2020, if you need another angle to use him. After missing the cut in 2016 at Oakmont, Matsuyama’s streak of paydays at the U.S. Open reached nine in 2025. He cashed T16 here in 2018. Schauffele is a perfect 9-for-9 in his career, and T14 is his worst result. He finished T6 in 2018. McIlroy, who missed the cut in 2018 (80-70), has not missed the cut in a U.S. Open since and hit the top 10 in six of his last seven before T19 last year at Oakmont.

Same Game Parlay: Top 20 (including ties)

• Patrick Reed and Tyrrell Hatton (+540)

If experience is our greatest teacher, I will rely on a pair of veterans who both crashed the top 10 in 2018. In an event where the champion, Brooks Koepka, posted 1-over 281 to win, Reed played the weekend 71-68 (1 under) to finish alone in fourth place. His exquisite touch on and around the greens is his magic. He rolls into town with momentum from the first two major championships of the season, T10 at the PGA Championship, preceded by T12 at the Masters. Hatton also improved as the 2018 event went on. After opening with 75, he closed 70-72-69 for T6. Last year at Oakmont, another rugged test, he cashed T4, his fourth consecutive payday at the U.S. Open. He missed the cut at Aronimink, but was T3 at the Masters, and knows how to get it around in breezy, demanding conditions.

Wire-to-Wire or Bogey-Free Round Markets

If you are interested in action, DraftKings has markets on whether this week’s winner will go wire-to-wire and how many players can complete a bogey-free round. But as you might expect, both options face some challenges.

The last man to lead from start to finish at the U.S. Open was Martin Kaymer at Pinehurst No. 2 back in 2014. When Shinnecock hosted the 2018 U.S. Open, there were exactly zero bogey-free rounds – although there were nine such rounds in 2004, including two from eventual winner Retief Goosen. The line for there to be at least two bogey-free rounds this week is -390, while the price on Over 4.5 bogey-free rounds is +104.

Top Asian – Hideki Matsuyama (+300)

He is the favorite in the Top Japanese market at (-110), but I think he can handle the entire continent. The Top Asian favorite, Si Woo Kim (+156), owns just one top-25 result in his previous 13 majors, but enters the week off of T10 at the Memorial and T2 at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson. Matsuyama, as noted above, is a weekend regular at the U.S. Open and owns eight top-25 paydays from 12 cuts made, including a pair of top-10 results in the last four years. He has only missed six cuts in 53 career major championship starts. He’s built for this.

Top Oceania – Adam Scott (+275)

Making his 100th consecutive start in a major championship, the Australian makes his 25th start at the U.S. Open. The 2025 edition saw him sit one shot off the 54-hole lead at Oakmont before a tough round of 79 on Sunday knocked him to T12, his sixth payday in his last seven U.S. Open appearances. He enters the week after earning T12 money at the Memorial in his final tune-up.

Top South American – Joaquin Niemann (+116)

After missing the cut in the final two major championships of 2025, he earned T18 at the PGA Championship to kick off his 2026 campaign. In a field of six players, his pedigree shines the brightest. With 21 professional victories, including running over The Riviera Country Club in 2022, he sticks out in an otherwise thin group with his tee-to-green class.

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