Five sleepers for the U.S. Open

This week’s U.S. Open at Oakmont is sure to separate the world’s elite from the pack due to the difficult course setup and conditions. But, in order to win your U.S. Open pool or succeed in DraftKings, it’s all about picking the right sleepers. Here are a few flying under the radar that could win you a little dough.

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Beef aka Andrew Johnston

No, it’s not because we have almost the same name. Beef has been red hot on the European Tour, climbing from 220 in the world rankings to 105 this season. Beef has a win and 3 other top 15s in his past 4 starts. His win came at the Spanish Open, held at Valderama (a U.S. Open caliber course) under tough conditions, shooting +1 to best world-class players such as Joost Luiten, Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer and Søren Kjeldsen. Beef isn’t a sexy pick because of his appearance, and he’s lesser-known among the common American golf fan.

Webb Simpson

The 2013 U.S. Open Champion has been pitiful on the greens after he dropped his belly putter at the start of the 2014 season due to the anchor ban. However, that’s changed since Simpson switched to the arm-lock method of putting at the Dean & Deluca Invitational 3 weeks ago. Since the switch, Simpson has recorded a t3 & t11 finish in his two starts. We think his good putting will continue and Simpson will play well at Oakmont.

Kevin Chappell

The 29-year-old is amidst a career year that has seen him register 4 top 10s in his past 8 starts. We love Chappell at Oakmont because of his tee-to-green prowess, and few are better in the game as the UCLA product ranks 10th in strokes gained: tee-to-green.

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Martin Kaymer

Another past U.S. Open Champion, Kaymer is one of the more perplexing players of this generation. Kaymer’s game is either really good or really bad, and it seems like it is headed in the right direction. He has made the cut in his past six stroke play events with top 10s in his last two.

Charley Hoffman

Hoffman is having a banner season that includes his win in San Antonio and four other top 15s. What I like about Hoffman is his game doesn’t have a glaring weakness. He drives it well, hits a lot of greens, and he’s a steady putter.