It’s back! At long last, the PGA has returned, and with it we have some pretty big contests across the industry. Draftkings and Fanduel are both running the contests they usually save for Majors, with top prizes of $1M and $100k respectively for the big GPPs, so this is sure to be a thrilling weekend. This is going to be an interesting tournament as we haven’t seen these guys play in months, and now they are playing without a crowd for the 1st time in a while for many of them. This is also a tournament that a lot of top guys skip every year, so it should be interesting to see how they handle this course, especially with the high temperatures expected to reach the mid to upper 90s.
For DFS Golf, the most important thing is making the cut. For most tournaments, having everyone in your lineup make the cut almost guarantees you a profit, barring an insane weekend collapse. There are certain golfers that are consistent cut-makers, while others are hit or miss and can miss the cut or win the whole thing. It’s important to know what type of lineup you are building, either cash or GPP, so you know which type of golfer you want to target.
Draftkings Scoring
Per Hole Scoring | |
Double Eagle or Better | +13 Pts |
Eagle | +8 Pts |
Birdie | +3 Pts |
Par | +0.5 Pts |
Bogey | -0.5 Pts |
Double Bogey | -1 Pt |
Worse than Double Bogey | -1 Pt |
Streaks and Bonuses | |
Streak of 3 Birdies or Better {Max 1 Per Round} | +3 Pts |
Bogey Free Round | +3 Pts |
All 4 Rounds Under 70 Strokes | +5 Pts |
Hole In One | +5 Pts |
Tournament Finish Scoring | |
1st | +30 Pts |
2nd | +20 Pts |
3rd | +18 Pts |
4th | +16 Pts |
5th | +14 Pts |
6th | +12 Pts |
7th | +10 Pts |
8th | +9 Pts |
9th | +8 Pts |
10th | +7 Pts |
11th – 15th | +6 Pts |
16th – 20th | +5 Pts |
21st – 25th | +4 Pts |
26th – 30th | +3 Pts |
31st – 40th | +2 Pts |
41st – 50th | +1 Pt |
The largest difference for Fanduel is the bonuses, which are similar, but more rewarding than on Draftkings. Most importantly, instead of needing a streak of 3 birdies, you only need 5+ birdies for the whole round. These bonuses really add up so we want guys that can rack up birdies to take advantage of the 5+ birdies and streak points.
Fanduel Scoring
Eagle (Or Better) | 7 |
Birdie | 3.1 |
Par | 0.5 |
Bogey | -1 |
Double Bogey (Or Worse) | -3 |
Streak Bonus (2 Holes in a Row Under-Par) | 0.6 |
Bounce Back (Hole Under-Par After Hole Over-Par) | 0.3 |
5+ Birdies Or Better (1 Round) | 4 |
Bogey Free Round | 5 |
1st place | 30 |
2nd place | 20 |
3rd place | 18 |
4th place | 16 |
5th place | 14 |
6th place | 12 |
7th place | 10 |
8th place | 8 |
9th place | 7 |
10th place | 6 |
11th-15th place | 5 |
16th-20th place | 4 |
21st-25th place | 3 |
26th-30th place | 2 |
31st-40th place | 1 |
The most important part of DFS golf is finishing position, as a high finish generally means a good number of birdies and low bogeys to go along with the placement points. The top guys are always a threat to win, so it is important to find the cheaper guys who can outplace their salary. There are multiple ways to build a lineup, and you need to decide if you want to balance cheap and expensive guys, or if you want to go safer with all mid-end golfers. The first composition is great for GPPs, while the latter is more cash-oriented, but any lineup for PGA has potential to win any contest.
Each player’s tee times have been included alongside their site salaries and betting odds to win. Tee times are very important this week, especially for Showdown contests, due to the drastic weather changes throughout the day. For Showdown contests, we want to target guys playing early as there is projected to be a large increase in both temperature and wind as the days go on, making the course much more difficult for the afternoon waves.
Name | Draftkings Salary | Fanduel Salary | Thurs. Tee Time (CST) | Fri. Tee Time (CST) | Odds |
Rory McIlroy | 11800 | 12200 | 1:06 PM | 6:56 AM | 8/1 |
Jon Rahm | 11000 | 11900 | 1:06 PM | 6:56 AM | 12/1 |
Justin Thomas | 10600 | 11800 | 12:55 PM | 6:45 AM | 12/1 |
Bryson DeChambeau | 10100 | 11500 | 7:45 AM | 11:55 AM | 20/1 |
Webb Simpson | 9800 | 11400 | 1:17 PM | 7:07 AM | 20/1 |
Brooks Koepka | 9700 | 11600 | 1:06 PM | 6:56 AM | 22/1 |
Xander Schauffele | 9600 | 11300 | 12:55 PM | 6:45 AM | 28/1 |
Dustin Johnson | 9500 | 11700 | 7:45 AM | 11:55 AM | 22/1 |
Rickie Fowler | 9400 | 10900 | 12:55 PM | 6:45 AM | 30/1 |
Sungjae Im | 9300 | 11200 | 7:23 AM | 11:33 AM | 33/1 |
Patrick Reed | 9200 | 11100 | 7:34 AM | 11:44 AM | 28/1 |
Collin Morikawa | 9100 | 10400 | 12:44 PM | 6:34 AM | 40/1 |
Justin Rose | 9000 | 11000 | 7:45 AM | 11:55 AM | 33/1 |
Marc Leishman | 8900 | 10700 | 7:34 AM | 11:44 AM | 45/1 |
Gary Woodland | 8800 | 10300 | 7:56 AM | 12:06 PM | 50/1 |
Tony Finau | 8700 | 10600 | 1:17 PM | 7:07 AM | 30/1 |
Shane Lowry | 8600 | 10100 | 8:18 AM | 12:28 PM | 66/1 |
Matt Kuchar | 8500 | 10800 | 1:17 PM | 7:07 AM | 45/1 |
Scottie Scheffler | 8400 | 10200 | 12:22 PM | 6:12 AM | 40/1 |
Jason Day | 8300 | 9900 | 1:17 PM | 7:07 AM | 50/1 |
Matthew Fitzpatrick | 8200 | 9900 | 12:11 PM | 6:01 AM | 60/1 |
Louis Oosthuizen | 8100 | 9700 | 7:56 AM | 12:06 PM | 70/1 |
Jordan Spieth | 8000 | 10000 | 12:55 PM | 6:45 AM | 30/1 |
Sergio Garcia | 8000 | 10500 | 1:28 PM | 1:28 PM | 50/1 |
Viktor Hovland | 7900 | 9800 | 7:45 AM | 7:45 AM | 60/1 |
Daniel Berger | 7700 | 9700 | 8:18 AM | 12:28 PM | 66/1 |
Kevin Na | 7600 | 9800 | 7:56 AM | 12:06 PM | 50/1 |
Kevin Kisner | 7600 | 9500 | 12:55 PM | 6:45 AM | 80/1 |
Harris English | 7500 | 9400 | 8:40 AM | 12:50 PM | 50/1 |
Joel Dahmen | 7500 | 9300 | 7:12 AM | 11:22 AM | 90/1 |
Max Homa | 7500 | 9300 | 8:07 AM | 12:17 PM | 80/1 |
Billy Horschel | 7400 | 9600 | 12:33 PM | 6:23 AM | 70/1 |
Ryan Palmer | 7400 | 9400 | 6:50 AM | 11:00 AM | 60/1 |
Joaquin Niemann | 7400 | 9500 | 12:33 PM | 6:23 AM | 100/1 |
Byeong Hun An | 7400 | 9600 | 1:28 PM | 7:18 AM | 70/1 |
Matthew Wolff | 7400 | 9000 | 7:56 AM | 12:06 PM | 150/1 |
Abraham Ancer | 7300 | 9200 | 8:29 AM | 12:39 AM | 66/1 |
Maverick McNealy | 7300 | 9200 | 2:01 PM | 7:51 AM | 150/1 |
Adam Hadwin | 7300 | 9000 | 8:40 AM | 12:50 PM | 125/1 |
Christiaan Bezuidenhout | 7300 | 9100 | 8:40 AM | 8:40 AM | 100/1 |
Ian Poulter | 7300 | 9000 | 8:18 AM | 12:28 PM | 125/1 |
Cameron Smith | 7300 | 9100 | 12:33 PM | 6:23 AM | 125/1 |
Phil Mickelson | 7300 | 9100 | 7:56 AM | 12:06 PM | 100/1 |
Brian Harman | 7200 | 8300 | 6:50 AM | 11:00 AM | 80/1 |
Russell Knox | 7200 | 8800 | 7:23 AM | 7:23 AM | 125/1 |
Danny Lee | 7200 | 8700 | 8:51 AM | 1:01 PM | 100/1 |
Rory Sabbatini | 7200 | 9000 | 8:29 AM | 6:50 AM | 125/1 |
Tom Hoge | 7200 | 8300 | 6:50 AM | 11:00 AM | 150/1 |
Ryan Moore | 7200 | 8800 | 8:40 AM | 12:50 PM | 125/1 |
Bubba Watson | 7200 | 8900 | 12:44 PM | 6:34 AM | 125/1 |
Jason Kokrak | 7200 | 8900 | 8:29 AM | 12:39 PM | 150/1 |
Corey Conners | 7100 | 8700 | 7:56 AM | 7:56 AM | 90/1 |
Emiliano Grillo | 7100 | 8400 | 1:39 PM | 7:29 AM | 150/1 |
Jim Furyk | 7100 | 7000 | 12:55 PM | 6:45 AM | 150/1 |
Keegan Bradley | 7100 | 8800 | 1:17 PM | 7:07 AM | 150/1 |
Erik Van Rooyen | 7100 | 8600 | 1:50 PM | 7:40 AM | 150/1 |
Chez Reavie | 7100 | 8700 | 7:34 AM | 7:34 AM | 100/1 |
Branden Grace | 7100 | 8400 | 7:12 AM | 11:22 AM | 150/1 |
Brendan Steele | 7100 | 8900 | 8:07 AM | 8:07 AM8 | 150/1 |
Charley Hoffman | 7000 | 8500 | 12:00 PM | 5:50 AM | 150/1 |
Talor Gooch | 7000 | 8100 | 12:11 PM | 6:01 AM | 175/1 |
Harry Higgs | 7000 | 8400 | 12:00 PM | 5:50 AM | 200/1 |
Sebastian Munoz | 7000 | 8800 | 1:28 PM | 7:18 AM | 150/1 |
J.T. Poston | 7000 | 8600 | 8:18 AM | 12:28 PM | 150/1 |
Jason Dufner | 7000 | 8500 | 7:45 AM | 11:55 AM | 175/1 |
Alex Noren | 7000 | 8500 | 7:12 AM | 11:22 AM | 150/1 |
Graeme McDowell | 7000 | 8400 | 7:34 AM | 11:44 AM | 150/1 |
Matthew NeSmith | 6900 | 8000 | 2:01 PM | 7:51 AM | 160/1 |
Lanto Griffin | 6900 | 8200 | 1:28 PM | 7:18 AM | 150/1 |
Harold Varner III | 6900 | 8000 | 12:22 PM | 6:12 AM | 150/1 |
Charles Howell III | 6900 | 8200 | 7:34 AM | 11:44 AM | 150/1 |
Victor Perez | 6900 | 8600 | 8:40 AM | 12:50 PM | 200/1 |
Kevin Streelman | 6900 | 8200 | 8:29 AM | 12:39 PM | 200/1 |
Rafa Cabrera Bello | 6900 | 9000 | 1:50 PM | 7:40 AM | 150/1 |
Danny Willett | 6900 | 8000 | 12:33 PM | 6:23 AM | 150/1 |
Scott Piercy | 6800 | 8200 | 1:06 PM | 6:56 AM | 200/1 |
Andrew Putnam | 6800 | 8300 | 12:33 PM | 6:23 AM | 150/1 |
Bud Cauley | 6800 | 8100 | 12:00 PM | 5:50 AM | 175/1 |
Brendon Todd | 6800 | 8100 | 12:44 PM | 6:34 AM | 150/1 |
Adam Long | 6800 | 7700 | 12:33 PM | 6:23 AM | 200/1 |
C.T. Pan | 6800 | 7700 | 1:06 PM | 6:56 AM | 200/1 |
Zach Johnson | 6800 | 8000 | 12:44 PM | 6:34 AM | 175/1 |
Sung Kang | 6800 | 7800 | 12:44 PM | 6:34 AM | 160/1 |
Jimmy Walker | 6700 | 8500 | 8:07 AM | 12:17 PM | 175/1 |
Kevin Tway | 6700 | 7600 | 7:23 AM | 11:33 AM | 225/1 |
Chris Kirk | 6700 | 7600 | 1:39 PM | 7:29 AM | 200/1 |
Jhonattan Vegas | 6700 | 7900 | 7:12 AM | 11:22 AM | 200/1 |
Patrick Rodgers | 6700 | 8100 | 12:00 PM | 5:50 AM | 175/1 |
Nick Watney | 6700 | 7800 | 1:50 PM | 7:40 AM | 200/1 |
Lucas Glover | 6700 | 7700 | 7:01 AM | 11:11 AM | 200/1 |
Wyndham Clark | 6700 | 7700 | 7:01 AM | 11:11 AM | 200/1 |
Vaughn Taylor | 6600 | 7500 | 8:40 AM | 12:50 PM | 175/1 |
Carlos Ortiz | 6600 | 7600 | 12:00 PM | 5:50 AM | 150/1 |
Beau Hossler | 6600 | 7800 | 7:01 AM | 11:11 AM | 200/1 |
Cameron Champ | 6600 | 7900 | 8:18 AM | 12:28 PM | 200/1 |
Keith Mitchell | 6600 | 7900 | 7:23 AM | 11:33 AM | 200/1 |
Matt Wallace | 6600 | 7900 | 12:22 PM | 6:12 AM | 200/1 |
Mackenzie Hughes | 6600 | 7500 | 8:51 AM | 1:01 PM | 175/1 |
Sam Ryder | 6600 | 7000 | 12:11 PM | 6:01 AM | 250/1 |
Dylan Frittelli | 6500 | 7500 | 7:23 AM | 11:33 AM | 200/1 |
Cameron Davis | 6500 | 7700 | 2:12 PM | 8:02 AM | N/A |
Matt Jones | 6500 | 7400 | 1:28 PM | 7:18 AM | 250/1 |
Nate Lashley | 6500 | 7400 | 1:06 PM | 6:56 AM | 250/1 |
Pat Perez | 6500 | 7300 | 7:34 AM | 11:44 AM | 300/1 |
Tom Lewis | 6500 | 7800 | 8:51 AM | 1:01 PM | 225/1 |
Jazz Janewattananond | 6500 | 7300 | 12:11 PM | 6:01 AM | 250/1 |
Si Woo Kim | 6500 | 7500 | 1:17 PM | 7:07 AM | 200/1 |
Denny McCarthy | 6400 | 7000 | 12:11 PM | 6:01 AM | 300/1 |
Xinjun Zhang | 6400 | 7200 | 12:22 PM | 6:12 AM | 350/1 |
Robby Shelton | 6400 | 7600 | 7:01 AM | 11:11 AM | 250/1 |
Chesson Hadley | 6400 | 7100 | 8:29 AM | 12:39 PM | 250/1 |
Andrew Landry | 6400 | 7400 | 8:07 AM | 12:17 PM | 250/1 |
Tyler Duncan | 6400 | 7300 | 12:44 PM | 6:34 AM | 250/1 |
Zac Blair | 6400 | 7100 | 12:22 PM | 6:12 AM | 350/1 |
J.J. Henry | 6400 | 7000 | 6:50 AM | 11:00 AM | 750/1 |
Brice Garnett | 6300 | 7200 | 7:45 AM | 11:55 AM | 300/1 |
Mark Hubbard | 6300 | 7400 | 1:39 PM | 7:29 AM | 250/1 |
Doc Redman | 6300 | 7000 | 7:01 AM | 11:11 AM | 350/1 |
Troy Merritt | 6300 | 7200 | 8:07 AM | 12:17 PM | 300/1 |
Peter Uihlein | 6300 | 7300 | 2:01 PM | 7:51 AM | 300/1 |
Tyler McCumber | 6300 | 7100 | 9:02 AM | 1:12 PM | 500/1 |
Kramer Hickok | 6300 | 7000 | 2:01 PM | 7:51 AM | 400/1 |
Patton Kizzire | 6300 | 7000 | 7:23 AM | 11:33 AM | 500/1 |
John Senden | 6300 | 7000 | 1:50 PM | 7:40 AM | 750/1 |
Steve Stricker | 6200 | 7200 | 8:07 AM | 12:17 PM | 250/1 |
Kyoung-Hoon Lee | 6200 | 7200 | 7:01 AM | 11:11 AM | 250/1 |
Andy Ogletree | 6200 | 7100 | 2:01 PM | 7:51 Am | 300/1 |
Sepp Straka | 6200 | 7000 | 12:11 PM | 6:01 AM | 400/1 |
Brian Stuard | 6200 | 7000 | 7:12 AM | 11:22 AM | 400/1 |
Scott Brown | 6200 | 7400 | 1:39 PM | 7:29 AM | 500/1 |
Jim Herman | 6200 | 7000 | 8:18 AM | 12:28 PM | 500/1 |
Keith Clearwater | 6200 | 7000 | 2:01 PM | 7:51 AM | 750/1 |
Bill Haas | 6100 | 7100 | 6:50 AM | 11:00 AM | 350/1 |
Richy Werenski | 6100 | 7000 | 1:50 PM | 7:40 AM | N/A |
Brian Gay | 6100 | 7400 | 8:51 AM | 1:01 PM | 400/1 |
Henrik Norlander | 6100 | 7000 | 9:02 AM | 1:12 PM | 400/1 |
Bronson Burgoon | 6100 | 7800 | 1:39 PM | 7:29 AM | 300/1 |
Scott Harrington | 6100 | 7000 | 7:12 AM | 11:22 AM | 400/1 |
David Frost | 6100 | 7000 | 2:12 PM | 8:02 AM | 750/1 |
Olin Browne | 6100 | 7000 | 8:51 AM | 1:01 PM | 750/1 |
Josh Teater | 6000 | 7000 | 1:39 PM | 7:29 AM | 400/1 |
Adam Schenk | 6000 | 7000 | 1:50 PM | 7:40 AM | 400/1 |
Bernhard Langer | 6000 | 7000 | 8:29 AM | 12:39 PM | 500/1 |
Chad Campbell | 6000 | 7000 | 12:22 PM | 6:12 am | 600/1 |
Doug Ghim | 6000 | 7000 | 8:51 AM | 1:01 PM | 500/1 |
Scott McCarron | 6000 | 7000 | 1:28 PM | 7:18 AM | 750/1 |
Tom Lehman | 6000 | 7000 | 9:02 AM | 1:12 PM | 750/1 |
Franklin Corpening | 6000 | 7000 | 2:12 PM | 8:02 AM | 750/1 |
Top Tier:
It’s hard to look past Rory McIlroy’s recent form, as he started the season with 6 straight top-5s before the break, which is absolutely unheard of. It’s hard to fit him in here and he needs another top 5 to pay off his salary, but if anyone can be counted on to do it, it’s Rory. Jon Rahm is another great play here at the top, and he makes for a nice pivot off the likely highly owned McIlroy. He had back to back top-5 finishes here in his first 2 appearances, but ended up missing the cut last year, so look for him to right the ship this week. Another player with almost the exact same course history as Rahm, Webb Simpson is in a great spot to contend for his 2nd win in 3 events, and he comes in at a pretty big discount compared to the previous 2, despite still being the 5th most expensive golfer on Draftkings.
Upper-Mid Tier:
Much like Webb Simpson, both Patrick Reed and Sungjae Im are looking for their 2nd win in 3 appearances, and it is much easier to fit them into your lineups. They have the right combination of recent form and winning experience that puts them among the top guys to target this week. Just under them is Marc Leishman who is coming off a 2nd place finish at the API, just a few weeks after his win at the American Express. There is supposed to be a good amount of wind this week which is Leishman’s bread and butter, so don’t be surprised if he is in contention entering the weekend. Another guy with good recent form here is Scottie Scheffler, who is a solid play here, but he should be highly owned and is a bit too expensive to fit into lineups when there are more appealing options just above him. Still, he has looked great this season and has 3 straight top-30s, so you can’t completely ignore him this week. If you are playing cash, Matt Kuchar is Mr. Consistent and is generally as safe a play as you can get as all he does is make cuts.
Lower-Mid Tier:
This is probably the toughest tier to choose from, and there is merit to playing a lot of these guys. Daniel Berger was red hot entering the break with 3 straight top-10s, and another one here would make him a great value for this low price. Harris English and Joel Dahmen each have 3 straight Top-20s, and both are expected to carry high ownership due to their strong play this season. English also has 5 Top-30 finishes here in his last 6 appearances, setting him up to continue his streak of great play. Max Homa has 5 straight Top-25s including 3 Top-10s and makes for a nice pivot off the chalkier options around him. A little below these guys, Abraham Ancer and Christiaan Bezuidenhout provide some nice salary relief with upside. Ancer has made 10 cuts in a row, while Bez has 4 straight Top-30s and was tied for 2nd after round 1 of the PLAYERS before it was cancelled. Since that doesn’t show up on the game logs, he could fly under the radar here and makes for a great GPP play. This is a really tough range to narrow down, so you may want to start with the expensive guys and fill in from here with who you can afford.
High Risk Plays:
If you want to play multiple top guys, you’re going to need some extreme salary relief. Usually at a tournament like this that’s fine, but this is a stacked field and I’m not overly confident in anyone down here to make a push for the top-20. Regardless, if you have multiple Top-5 golfers, you don’t need all that much from your salary relief, so getting someone down here could work out. Cameron Davis is coming in off 7 straight made cuts, including 3 Top-10s, making him the top target at the bottom. Like Marc Leishman (and many other Aussies), Davis plays well in the wind and can put up a decent score while helping you get some of the top guys who can challenge for the win. Kyoung-Hoon Lee has 4 straight made cuts including 2 Top-15s, and he is probably the cheapest player I’d feel comfortable rostering, except maybe Jim Furyk on Fanduel, but I’m not really sold on him even with the huge pricing difference. Brendon Todd has made 10 cuts in a row now and, while he doesn’t look like the same guy that went 1st, 1st, 4th at the beginning of the season, he has still been putting up some respectable finishes recently. I’m not sure this range of players is too necessary with all the lower-mid tier options, so tread carefully. These guys are down here for a reason.
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