Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick Among Top Fantasy Golf Picks (FanDuel) at the U.S Open

The U.S. Open (Golf) is at Shinnecock Hills Country Club, with tough course conditions that favor five select golfers.

Jun 5, 2026; Dublin, Ohio, USA; Rory McIlroy walks to the 18th tee during the second round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The U.S. Open of Golf is ahead of us this weekend, returning to one of its flagship courses at Shinnecock Hills on Long Island, New York. It will be the 6th time in history that Shinnecock Hills Golf Club hosted the U.S Open. It has been 8 years since Brooks Koepka last won the tournament in 2018.

In 2018, Zach Johnson made the headlines, quoting, "They've lost the golf course." Johnson stated that the course was difficult to play. Koepka's win was at 1-over-par.

The course is hailed as one of the most difficult tracks in the world, especially in a USGA setup. The U.S Open commonly will find its winner in single-digits under par, if not over par. Below is a brief event preview, followed by the best fantasy golf picks for the 4-round test.

Key Course Metrics

Carnage is coming at Shinnecock 👀

“And… she’s gone!” pic.twitter.com/FFnNfiEk45

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) June 16, 2026

The USGA will have this course playing very firm. That will make for difficult approach shots, no matter how much green there is to work with upon the approach angle. The average score-to-par in Shinnecock Hills U.S Open's since 1977 is 1-under-par.

In it's setups over the years, the U.S Open has only once netted a winner at double-digits under par, which was at a widely criticized 2023 U.S Open at Los Angeles Country Club. Wyndham Clark won at 10-under-par.

Shinnecock Hills is lined with zero tree's, but a lot of fescue. While many fairways are wide open, they still demand accuracy as any misses will be very penalizing. Wind will also play a huge factor, as further noted down in our weather report.

DataGolf highlights the following as their macro-metrics in relative importance.

Datagolf.com

Tournament History and Weather Report

Here are the last 5 U.S Open Winners:

Year	Winner	Score	Course
2025	JJ Spaun	-1	Oakmont
2024	Bryson DeChambeau	-6	Pinehurst No. 2
2023	Wyndham Clark	-10	Los Angeles Country Club
2022	Matt Fitzpatrick	-6	The Country Club
2021	Jon Rahm	-6	Torrey Pines South

The last four winners are listed below at Shinnecock Hills' listed U.S Opens. It is worth noting that the course has made drastic changes from event to event, with 2018 being the closest setup to what will be seen over this weekend.

Year	Winner	Score
2018	Brooks Koepka	+1
2004	Retief Goosen	-4
1995	Corey Pavin	E
1986	Raymond Floyd	-1

The weather is leading into Thursday is sunny, pleasant, in the 70's, and with zero rain. Expect the course to be very firm, especially on the greens.

Thursday will see the event begin under rather difficult conditions. There is a 30% chance of rain showers, which should have minimal effect on the golf course. The biggest issue will be a south wind blowing 10-20 miles per hour, with gusts up to 30+ miles per hour. Birdie's will be very difficult with a scoring average almost certainly over par.

The remainder of the weekend will be picture-perfect. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will all be mostly sunny, with temperatures in the mid-70s. Rain is a near-zero chance, and the wind will be a standard moderate coastal breeze.

Top Fantasy Golf Picks (FanDuel)

Rory McIlroy ($11,900)

The course will favor McIlroy for his length, giving him a huge advantage off the tee. While many golfers may have longer irons into some of these firm greens, McIlroy will have short irons. The Masters Champion leads in with only 3 events played since that April win, but McIlroy did finish top-20 in each event.

Shinnecock Hills will be a golf course that will favor the best golfers. With approach angles of paramount importance and a firm setup, the toughest shots will be the winning shots. Much like the Masters, one of golf's flagship courses favors the best and most experienced, such as McIlroy.

Matt Fitzpatrick ($11,200)

The coastal, windy nature of this course favors a player such as Fitzpatrick. The Brit knows how to angle his shots into the wind and win tee-to-green. He has a U.S Open win in his resume (Brookline) and 3 wins this season. Though 8 years ago, Fitzpatrick finished 8th at the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, a result far below his current skill level.

Russell Henley ($10,600)

At the Masters Tournament, Henley surged late to a T-3 finish. At the Charles Schwab Challenge two weeks ago, Henley won. In coastal, windy setups at the British Open, Henley has back-to-back top-10 finishes. The 5th-ranked golfer in the world expects to be on his game, which should be plenty good enough to win if he finds the bottom of the cup enough. The 5th-best golfer in the world is priced as the 11th-best, per FanDuel.

Harris English ($9,200)

He is actually a long shot to win this U.S. Open, but English offers a very high floor. He has missed just one cut in all of 2026. Excluding that single instance, English is averaging a 24th-place finish across all of 2026. The closest that we will get to an Open Championship on American soil is this one at Shinnecock Hills. In 2025, English finishes 2nd in the Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

Jake Knapp ($9,000)

Knapp's 2026 season has featured 7 top-11 finishes. He has not played since the RBC Heritage about two months ago, due to a sprained thumb. Such an injury will have now healed. Knapp's return can yield volatile results, but his ceiling is too high not to take notice of. Knapp has tremendous length, among the PGA Tour's longest hitters. That alone gives him a leg up at this golf course that favors the bold.