Xander Schauffele, Louis Oosthuizen use eagles to shoot 66 at U.S. Open

This week, the PGA TOUR makes its way to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the 104th PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club. The course will play as a par 70, measuring 7,556 yards and the greens will be Pure Distinction bentgrass. The top 70 and ties will make the cut, five more spots than the usual top 65 and ties that make it in a regular TOUR event. The 2007 PGA Championship also took place at this course, with Tiger Woods ($8,200) winning the 13th major of his career. Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: $3M Fantasy Golf Millionaire [$1M to 1st + ToC Semifinal Entry] Unlike the Masters, the PGA Championship is transient. One year we could be on a modern links course, another on a coastal Carolina or Northern California track. This year, the venue is no stranger to hosting major golf tournaments. Southern Hills CC has hosted seven major championships, which include three U.S. Opens (1958, 1977, 2001) and four PGA Championships (1970, 1982, 1994, 2007). The second major of the season can provide us with exciting finishes where anything can happen. Since 2019, the PGA Championship has taken place in May, instead of its former spot as the fourth and final major played in August. One unique characteristic of the PGA Championship is the inclusion of 20 club professionals getting a chance to play in a major on the PGA TOUR. STRATEGY In 2019, the famous architect Gil Hanse redesigned this course by looking at old drawings, pictures and anything he could get his hands on to restore it to the original design. He removed trees, renovated the bunkers and shaved runoff areas around the green. Hanse also moved fairway bunkers to landing areas that fit today’s game and players’ distance off the tee. The fairways are more forgiving than in 2007, but it’ll be challenging to get a flat lie. The natural contours of the land can make lies in the fairways uneven, which will prove to be a difficult test trying to hit into these smaller greens. Three water hazards come into play on 15 of the 18 holes, with some coming into play on the drive and approach shots. These green complexes may be the most challenging feat to conquer this week. Smaller than the TOUR average (~5,000 sq. ft), these raised putting surfaces feature shaved-off edges that will cause shots to roll off into collection areas and bunkers that’ll be difficult to get up and down from this week. The scorecard features both par 5s over 600 yards, and seven par 4s are between 450 and 500 yards. There’s also a par 3 measuring 250 yards, so golfers will need to have distance in spades this week. Other than Oak Hill (2013), every winner since 2010 has averaged 295-plus yards off the tee, with nine of the previous 10 averaging over 300 yards. While this should be manageable by most TOUR professionals, golfers like Kevin Kisner ($6,800) may have an uphill battle. Last season, none of the top six in DraftKings scoring were above $10,000 and only one golfer was double-digits in roster percentage at Kiawah Island, Louis Oosthuizen ($8,000) at 10.4%. Last month, the top six in DraftKings scoring at the Masters were all priced above $8,800, and five of the top six at The Open Championship were priced above $9,200 last season. Picking the right set of golfers in a major can prove difficult, so don’t be married to one type of roster construction. Roster percentage should play a factor this week, with a major attracting more casual players; be sure to check on their “sentiment curve” throughout the week. GOLFERS TO CONSIDER Cameron Smith ($9,700) His accuracy issues off-the-tee shouldn’t be as much of a liability this week, and his magic around the greens will definitely help here, ranking 29th in scrambling over the previous 12 rounds. A win at THE PLAYERS and a third-place finish in the Masters this season is evidence enough the 28-year-old is set up for success at Southern Hills CC. Smith’s only lost strokes with his irons once all season and averages just south of 297 yards off the tee. His long-iron proximity will make up for what he potentially loses in distance, ranking top 10 in both proximities from 150 to 175 yards and 175-200 yards. He’s already conquered weather-dominated tournaments this season, and he should be composed if or when the weather gets hot and windy. With two wins already this season, Smith knows what it’ll take to win, especially when the course gets difficult. Patrick Cantlay ($9,100) also has to be considered in this range. Even though his only win was in the team event with Xander Schauffele ($9,300), he has two runner-up finishes after losing in playoffs at the WM Phoenix Open and RBC Heritage. A third-place finish (2019) when the PGA Championship was at Bethpage Black, another par 70 over 7,400 yards, is a good sign he can tackle the setup at Southern Hills. No one was better at Harbour Town with their irons than Cantlay, gaining 8.7 just a few weeks ago. Cameron Young ($7,600) Winning a major as your first win on the PGA TOUR may be a stretch, but there’s an outside chance he can get it done with how well he’s hitting it, ranking first in tee-to-green over his last dozen rounds. Young is top 25 in greens in regulation gained over the previous 12 rounds, and no one is better than him in gaining strokes around the greens, ranking first over the same timeframe. His runner-up finish at Wells Fargo came from elite ball-striking, ranking in the top five in approach and first in tee to green. He should fare well if he can make half of the putts inside six feet that he missed at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. Other golfers who could be in contention from this range are Shane Lowry ($8,700) and Matthew Fitzpatrick ($7,900). Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: $3M Fantasy Golf Millionaire [$1M to 1st + ToC Semifinal Entry] Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game. Place your golf bets at DraftKings Sportsbook or by downloading the DraftKings Sportsbook app. All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests. The contents contained in this article do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. 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Lingmerth shoots 65 again, keeps Quicken lead

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Here are nine tidbits from the first round of the 147th Open Championship gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Carnoustie Golf Links in Angus, Scotland, plays to Par-71 (36-35) and is hosting for the eighth time. KNOW THY ENEMY These were the top-10 selected golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf game presented by SERVPRO. The third major championship of the season is underway on a very firm and fast Carnoustie. The fairways were Stimped at 9.5 feet while the greens were running 10.1 feet, so the pros had to adapt and adjust. As they day wore on the wind never picked up as severely as expected, but the best scores of the day were posted from the earlier tee times. World No. 2 Justin Thomas rewarded his investors with 69 (-2) late in the afternoon and will move them up the standings. PEOPLE’S CHOICE Dustin Johnson decided that he was going to bomb away in Round 1 and it resulted in only one birdie in a round of 76 (+5). His final four holes included a bogey and a dreaded triple at the last. It could have been worse but he made par on the first Par-5 hole after hitting his driver OB. Gamers will be pleased to see he leads the TOUR in second round scoring and he’ll need to find more than one birdie to find the weekend. LEAD ‘DAWG Kevin Kisner picked the right time to post his lowest round on TOUR (in relation to par) since April as his 66 (-5) is the best of the bunch after Round 1. Playing in his fourth Open, the former Georgia Bulldog had his best round of 11 as he circled four birdies and an eagle against only one bogey. The one club in the bag cooperating this season has been the putter as he checked in No. 17 in SG: putting before the week started. Kisner only needed 22 putts in Round 1, easily leading the field, with three fewer than Marc Leishman’s 25. MAJOR FACTOR AGAIN Tony Finau defied all odds in April after collecting T10 at the Masters after dislocating his ankle during the Par-3 Contest. With two properly working lower limbs, he returned to the forefront at Shinnecock Hills as his 66 on Saturday saw him land in the final group. His he finished fifth alone for his sixth top 10 of the year. The big hitter signed for 67 with four bogeys and currently shares second just one back. PROWLING Gamers will be happy to read Tiger Woods didn’t lose The Open in Round 1. His conservative game plan kept the big numbers off of his card and his hopes for a fourth title intact for at least one more round. His even-par 71 included a bogey-free 34 in the outward nine before three bogeys on the back nine as he came home in 37. He played both Par-5 holes even and that didn’t please him much. Neither did his rough night’s sleep as he played his round with MAGIC TAPE on his upper back and neck. He’s out in the rain tomorrow morning, so we’ll see what that brings! FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING Rickie Fowler is looking to claim his first major championship at Carnoustie and keep the tradition alive. The last three times the northern-most course in the Rota has hosted, Tom Watson (1975), Paul Lawrie (1999) and Padraig Harrington (2007) all picked up their first major. Fowler had a very solid day as he circled three and squared a pair and sits four shots off Kisner’s lead. BEWARE THE “INJUREDâ€� GOLFER It has been said that TOUR players don’t necessarily prefer when they have multiple options in playing a shot or attacking a certain hole. I believe fantasy gamers are in exactly the same boat. Henrik Stenson bailed on the Scottish Open last week to rest an ailing elbow, forcing gamers to make a decision this week. Those who stuck with him were rewarded with 70 (-1) and no signs of any problems Thursday. CAR-NASTY Johnson wasn’t the only big name bitten in the opening round. Sergio Garcia needed a birdie on the last to sign for 75 (+4). His three opening rounds at Carnoustie are 83, 67 and 75. Jordan Spieth was three-under through 14 holes and signed for 72 (+1) after a double on No. 15 and bogeys on Nos. 16 and 18. Marc Leishman was four-under through eight holes before playing his final 10 holes in five-over. He also signed for 72 and is T51 with those 25 putts. STUDY HALL Unsurprisingly, there were zero bogey-free rounds. Tony Finau led the field with eight birdies. Carnoustie member Englishman Matthew Southgate is looking to improve on his T12 (’16) and T6 (’17) finish from the last two Open Championships. His 69 (-2) rests him inside the top 10. There are three South Africans in the top five and none of them are named Oosthuizen, Schwartzel or Grace. The other Englishman in the top 10 is 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett (T8), not Poulter, Rose, Westwood, Fitzpatrick or Casey. The Barbasol Championship is being held for the first time at Keene Trace outside Lexington, Kentucky. Andres Romero is in front at the time of filing, as he opened with a 65 (-7). Newly un-retired John Peterson is two shots back and in the clubhouse with 67.

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