Guide to Winning the DraftKings Milly Maker: US Open

In celebration of the 116^th US Open and the DraftKings Millionaire Maker, Ryan Chase and I decided that in this case, one article is better than two, so we are tag-teaming it this week in order to give you every piece of information you need to take down the Milly Maker. We came up with what we felt were the most important questions to tackle, but if you have any of your own, feel free to hit us up on Twitter. You can tweet Ryan @RyChase or myself @SundayTzu.

Here we go…

Course: Oakmont Country Club

Grass Type: Bentgrass and Poa Annua Fairways, Poa Annua Greens (Oakmont's greens are cut to less than one tenth of an inch, and regularly read 14's on the Stimpmeter during club play.)

US Opens Hosted: 8; 1927, 1935, 1953, 1962, 1973, 1983, 1994, 2007

Course History: Oakmont was designed by Henry Fownes and opened for play in 1903. Since then, Oakmont has hosted the most USGA Championships of any course, including eight US Opens, five US Amateurs, three PGA Championships and two woman's US Opens. It was the first course to be recognized as a National Historic Landmark, and has been labeled “The Toughest Course in America". The last time Oakmont hosted the US Open (2007), Angel Cabrera won with a total score of 285 (+5). That should immediately tell you the type of test that players face this week. Cabrera was the only player to shoot under par in more than one round, and out of 504 rounds played that week, only eight players managed to break par in a round. The cut line in 2007 was +10. To provide even more context, George McNeill was the last ranked player to make the cut, and he finished the tournament at +26.

Notable Course Features: Much like Augusta National, Oakmont's green speeds have become something of folklore. Ryan and I will be covering this quite a bit, but just to give you an idea of the glass like surfaces, check out Rickie Fowler's Instagram video.

http://www.golfdigest.com/story/this-rickie-fowler-video-proves-oakmonts-greens-are-rolling-at-ridiculous-speeds

I think it is important to note that Angel Cabrera has won at both Augusta and Oakmont. The skillset needed to win this week is not one of traditional PGA tournaments. Oakmont is a battle of wills, and players who are not mentally tough will get left in the dust. Each week players have two oppositions, the course and their colleagues. This week more than any other though, the course is their opponent because it will be next to impossible to make up ground with birdies. Plenty of pars will do just fine.

Course Statistics: Oakmont is a par 70, and can be stretched out to reach 7,250 yards during championship play.. It features only (two) par 5's, and their total yardage is 1,276 yards (#4: 609 yards and #12: 667 yards). Of the two, #4, will be the easier birdie opportunity as it plays downhill and may be reached in two by the longest of hitters, although holding the green with a downhill approach on a firm and fast course like Oakmont will not be easy. In 2007, it averaged over par (5.04), and can be recognized by the famous (or infamous) church pew bunkers that guard the left side of the fairway. The (four) par 3's are not much fun either averaging 224 yards as a group. This includes the ridiculous par 3 8^th hole, which measures in at a hefty 288 yards. Just in case the length of the holes wasn't enough, Fownes created some nasty green complexes that force players to play the ball away from the hole and allow the sloping of the green to funnel the ball towards the hole. In 2007, the par 3's averaged (1.09) strokes over par. Generally speaking, on par 70 courses there are usually much easier scoring chances on the par 5's, but not at Oakmont. Instead, the scoring opportunities come at #2 (par 4, 340 yards) and #17 (par 4, 313 yards). Despite its lack of length, #2 is not a drivable hole for the players. It is set up with some sort of hybrid/iron that will allow players to attack pin placements. With that said, the green severely tilts from back to front and is well protected by deep bunkers on all sides. Players will need to leave their approach shots below the hole to have a chance at making birdie, much like players did in 2007 when this hole yielded the most birdies of any par 4 on the front nine. The uphill 17^th hole will provide the most drama on a course that eats bogeys for breakfast and doubles for dinner. It is a driveable hole for most of the field, but anything less than a perfect tee shot brings bogey into play. Considering the lack of birdie opportunities elsewhere, the 17^th hole will be the rare chance for players to make up ground and I think we'll see scores that range from eagle to double or triple bogey.

Now that you are up to speed on what to expect from Oakmont, let's get into DFS strategy.

Question: The Big Three (Jason Day: $12,100, Rory McIlroy: $12,000 and Jordan Spieth $11,900) are all similarly priced in the top tier on DraftKings. Who will you have the most exposure to and why? Is there one you would consider fading or having very low exposure to?

BJ: This is a tough one because I think all three are capable of winning at Oakmont. You have to consider that the winning score will either be at or above par, which only strengthens the case for Day and Spieth because of their superiority on the greens. Day sits 1st in SG: Putting, Spieth is 7th and McIlroy is 65th. You have to be mentally tough to win a US Open, and there is something to be said for the fact that Day (1st), Spieth (19th) and McIlroy (22nd) all rank very high in Bounceback percentage, a statistic that will play a big part in this week's tournament. With that in mind, I will have the most exposure to Day, followed by Spieth and then Rory, but they will all be very close to one another. I don't think you can afford to fade any one of the three. Rory has won two US Opens (albiet on very different setups), Spieth won the US Open last year and finished 21st and 17th in his two other appearances as an amatuer, and Day is the hottest player on the planet right now with a skillset that sets up perfectly for Oakmont.

Ryan: With the Draftkings Milly Maker in mind, I think I will have more exposure to Spieth than Rory or Day. Day is the highest priced player in the field, but I expect his ownership to be north of 20%. If I'm doing 100 lineups, I certainly won't fade Day, but will try and keep my exposure around 10-15%. He's the highest priced player for a reason, and a lot of people smarter than you or I think he's going to win, so if that's the case, you'll need him on your roster, obviously. To combat the expected high ownership, there are ways to roster Day and have a unique lineup. One of those is to leave a solid chunk of salary on the table, which is very easy to do with the soft pricing. Leaving $300-$1,000 on the table in a lineup with Day is a great strategy if you think he is going to win. Oakmont features some very unique poa-annua greens, that also happen to be the fastest greens anyone has ever seen, expected to measure over 13 on the stimpmeter. Since 2103, Day has gained 2.56 strokes total on the field at any poa-annua event, the highest mark on the Tour (via future of fantasy). Spieth has also done very well on poa-annua greens, and has a top 2 finish in his last five major starts. I expect Rory to have the lowest ownership of the bunch, but he's in great form and will be looking to regain his alpha-dog status among the elite.

Question: Much has been made of the expected green speeds at Oakmont this week. Name a player (or two) below 9k who will outperform their salary by successfully navigating these fast and tricky greens.

Ryan: Agree 100% on Kuchar, who I think will challenge Day for the highest ownership percentage in the Milly Maker. One of my sleepers this week is Retief Goosen at $6,300. He's in great form right now, has the pedigree at US Opens as a previous winner, and his stats around the greens are very impressive. I'll get to the putting in a second, but scrambling from the treacherous Oakmont rough will be very key this week as well, and Goosen is 7th in strokes gained: around the green and 9th in scrambling from inside 10 feet. That bodes well for him, because once he's on the green he's been lights out. He's 16th in strokes gained putting, and most important of all, leads the entire tour in 3 putt avoidance. He's on record as well that he actually prefers when the greens are rolling faster than usual. For $6,300, you can't go wrong here.

Question: With the soft pricing this week, a very popular range will be within $7,000 and $9,000 when building lineups, who are your favorite players in that group?

In addition to Reed and Grace, Brandt Snedeker is a player I will have heavy exposure to. As we've seen earlier this year at Torrey Pines, when conditions are at their worst, Snedeker is at his best. Granted, this time the course will be the test and not the weather, but when you add up all the factors, Snedeker is a perfect fit for Oakmont. His US Open resume is impressive, finishing 20th, 8th, 9th, 17th, 11th, 8th, 80th and 9th going back to 2008. Think about that, in his last eight US Opens, Snedeker has 7 top 20s which include four top 10s and an 11th place finish, with only one missed cut. And he's priced at $8,000? Sign me up. His current form is nothing to get excited about but he's coming off a T17th in his last outing. He also finished 10th at the Masters. Snedeker is 15th in bogey avoidance, 25th in SG: Around the Green, and he's 8th in proximity to the hole from the rough. That last stat is important because the rough is incredibly dense at Oakmont, so players will have a difficult time hitting greens when they venture into the long grass. Snedeker is also 1st in scrambling from inside 30 yards, which may play a big part when you consider the fact that players will have to punch out/lay up when they do find a bad lie in the rough. Oh, and he has a pop stroke, which I believe to be an advantage when distance control is paramount. Aside from the big 3, Snedeker, Reed, Grace, Goosen and Mickelson will be where I am most heavily exposed.