We were spoiled with one of the strongest fields in the history of the PGA Tour last week, and now we have to deal with one of the weakest fields ever. The high/low lineup strategy is definitely in play this week as the field is so weak that practically any cheap golfer can make the cut this week, while the few elite golfers at the top have the best chance to crush here. This isn’t a very appealing week though as the leaderboard will be full of scrubs and a lot of times the top golfers don’t try their hardest for these smaller tournaments. I would advise playing much lighter than usual and waiting until we have a solid field again.
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 |
Much like NASCAR, the most important thing 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 so 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 important for Showdown contests as the wind will pick up throughout the day making the early tee times more favorable. This doesn’t mean that afternoon players are unplayable, but they are at a disadvantage across the board.
Name | Draftkings Salary | Fanduel Salary | Thurs. Tee Time (EST) | Fri. Tee Time (EST) | Odds |
Dustin Johnson | 11500 | 12400 | 7:30 AM | 12:40 PM | 10/1 |
Brooks Koepka | 11200 | 12100 | 7:20 AM | 12:30 PM | 12/1 |
Tony Finau | 10900 | 11600 | 7:30 AM | 12:40 PM | 14/1 |
Tommy Fleetwood | 10500 | 11500 | 7:30 AM | 12:40 PM | 14/1 |
Paul Casey | 10100 | 11200 | 12:40 PM | 7:30 AM | 25/1 |
Bubba Watson | 9900 | 10700 | 12:40 PM | 7:30 AM | 33/1 |
Matthew Wolff | 9700 | 10900 | 12:30 PM | 7:20 AM | 28/1 |
Lucas Glover | 9400 | 10600 | 12:40 PM | 7:30 AM | 35/1 |
Russell Henley | 9200 | 10500 | 8:00 AM | 1:10 PM | 33/1 |
Harris English | 9000 | 10800 | 8:50 AM | 2:00 PM | 35/1 |
Erik Van Rooyen | 8800 | 10200 | 8:10 AM | 1:20 PM | 40/1 |
Doc Redman | 8700 | 9900 | 7:50 AM | 1:00 PM | 50/1 |
Henrik Norlander | 8600 | 9800 | 6:50 AM | 12:00 PM | 55/1 |
Sam Burns | 8500 | 10000 | 1:20 PM | 8:10 AM | 50/1 |
Luke List | 8400 | 10300 | 1:00 PM | 7:50 AM | 50/1 |
Patrick Rodgers | 8200 | 9800 | 8:20 AM | 1:30 PM | 55/1 |
Ryan Moore | 8100 | 9700 | 7:40 AM | 12:50 PM | 60/1 |
Max Homa | 8000 | 9500 | 12:30 PM | 7:20 AM | 80/1 |
Brian Harman | 8000 | 9900 | 7:00 AM | 12:10 PM | 55/1 |
Jhonattan Vegas | 7900 | 9600 | 1:10 PM | 8:00 AM | 70/1 |
Sepp Straka | 7900 | 9700 | 12:20 PM | 7:10 AM | 50/1 |
Si Woo Kim | 7800 | 9400 | 7:30 AM | 12:40 PM | 66/1 |
Chris Kirk | 7800 | 9400 | 1:20 PM | 8:10 AM | 66/1 |
Will Gordon | 7700 | 9500 | 8:30 AM | 1:40 PM | 66/1 |
Rafa Cabrera Bello | 7700 | 9200 | 8:20 AM | 1:30 PM | 70/1 |
Scott Stallings | 7600 | 9100 | 7:50 AM | 1:00 PM | 66/1 |
Dylan Frittelli | 7600 | 9300 | 8:50 AM | 2:00 PM | 100/1 |
Ryan Armour | 7600 | 9200 | 12:40 PM | 7:30 AM | 66/1 |
Troy Merritt | 7500 | 9100 | 12:40 PM | 7:30 AM | 80/1 |
Branden Grace | 7500 | 7000 | 12:30 PM | 7:20 AM | 80/1 |
Alex Noren | 7500 | 9000 | 8:20 AM | 1:30 PM | 80/1 |
Richy Werenski | 7400 | 8800 | 12:10 PM | 7:00 AM | 80/1 |
Charley Hoffman | 7400 | 9300 | 1:10 PM | 8:00 AM | 80/1 |
Charles Howell III | 7400 | 9000 | 7:20 AM | 12:30 PM | 80/1 |
Sam Ryder | 7300 | 8900 | 8:10 AM | 1:20 PM | 80/1 |
Kyle Stanley | 7300 | 8600 | 6:50 AM | 12:00 PM | 100/1 |
Kristoffer Ventura | 7300 | 8900 | 1:40 PM | 8:30 AM | 66/1 |
Wyndham Clark | 7300 | 8900 | 1:30 PM | 8:20 AM | 80/1 |
Cameron Tringale | 7200 | 8300 | 12:00 PM | 6:50 AM | 125/1 |
Pat Perez | 7200 | 8700 | 12:40 PM | 7:30 AM | 100/1 |
Tom Lewis | 7200 | 9000 | 2:00 PM | 8:50 AM | 70/1 |
Bernd Wiesberger | 7200 | 8800 | 12:10 PM | 7:00 AM | 80/1 |
Talor Gooch | 7100 | 8700 | 8:00 AM | 1:10 PM | 100/1 |
Ben Martin | 7100 | 8600 | 1:20 PM | 8:10 AM | 100/1 |
Tom Hoge | 7100 | 8300 | 12:00 PM | 6:50 AM | 125/1 |
Emiliano Grillo | 7100 | 8700 | 6:50 AM | 12:00 PM | 100/1 |
Aaron Wise | 7100 | 8500 | 7:20 AM | 12:30 PM | 125/1 |
Denny McCarthy | 7100 | 7800 | 8:50 AM | 2:00 PM | 150/1 |
Chase Seiffert | 7000 | 8600 | 7:10 AM | 12:20 PM | 100/1 |
Scott Piercy | 7000 | 8400 | 7:40 AM | 12:50 PM | 125/1 |
Xinjun Zhang | 7000 | 8100 | 8:00 AM | 1:10 PM | 150/1 |
Adam Long | 7000 | 8400 | 7:30 AM | 12:40 PM | 125/1 |
Michael Thompson | 7000 | 8500 | 12:00 PM | 6:50 AM | 100/1 |
Matthias Schwab | 7000 | 8600 | 8:40 AM | 1:50 PM | 100/1 |
Adam Schenk | 6900 | 8500 | 12:20 PM | 7:10 AM | 100/1 |
Matthew NeSmith | 6900 | 8300 | 7:10 AM | 12:20 PM | 125/1 |
Brice Garnett | 6900 | 8200 | 12:50 PM | 7:40 AM | 150/1 |
Jason Dufner | 6900 | 8400 | 7:40 AM | 12:50 PM | 125/1 |
Peter Uihlein | 6900 | 8300 | 8:30 AM | 1:40 PM | 125/1 |
Chesson Hadley | 6900 | 8400 | 8:00 AM | 1:10 PM | 125/1 |
Keith Mitchell | 6900 | 8500 | 7:20 AM | 12:30 PM | 150/1 |
Vaughn Taylor | 6800 | 8100 | 12:20 PM | 7:10 AM | 150/1 |
Joseph Bramlett | 6800 | 8200 | 1:50 PM | 8:40 AM | 150/1 |
Kyoung-Hoon Lee | 6800 | 8200 | 1:10 PM | 8:00 AM | 125/1 |
Wes Roach | 6800 | 8200 | 2:00 PM | 8:50 AM | 100/1 |
Austin Cook | 6800 | 7900 | 12:30 PM | 7:20 AM | 125/1 |
Patton Kizzire | 6800 | 7800 | 12:30 PM | 7:20 AM | 150/1 |
Scott Harrington | 6800 | 7800 | 1:20 PM | 8:10 AM | 200/1 |
Hudson Swafford | 6700 | 8000 | 7:40 AM | 12:50 PM | 150/1 |
Danny Lee | 6700 | 8100 | 1:30 PM | 8:20 AM | 125/1 |
Brandon Hagy | 6700 | 7900 | 8:40 AM | 1:50 PM | 125/1 |
Russell Knox | 6700 | 8000 | 12:50 PM | 7:40 AM | 150/1 |
Charl Schwartzel | 6700 | 7900 | 1:10 PM | 8:00 AM | 125/1 |
Bo Hoag | 6700 | 7400 | 1:40 PM | 8:30 AM | 250/1 |
Brian Gay | 6700 | 7600 | 7:00 AM | 12:10 PM | 250/1 |
Stewart Cink | 6600 | 8000 | 12:50 PM | 7:40 AM | 150/1 |
Harry Higgs | 6600 | 8100 | 7:00 AM | 12:10 PM | 125/1 |
Seung-Yul Noh | 6600 | 8000 | 7:00 AM | 12:10 PM | 125/1 |
Bronson Burgoon | 6600 | 7700 | 12:20 PM | 7:10 AM | 200/1 |
Johnson Wagner | 6600 | 7400 | 1:30 PM | 8:20 AM | 200/1 |
Beau Hossler | 6600 | 7700 | 12:50 PM | 7:40 AM | 200/1 |
Luke Donald | 6600 | 7400 | 7:20 AM | 12:30 PM | 250/1 |
Cameron Davis | 6500 | 7900 | 7:10 AM | 12:20 PM | 200/1 |
Seamus Power | 6500 | 7600 | 6:50 AM | 12:00 PM | 200/1 |
Chris Stroud | 6500 | 7800 | 7:10 AM | 12:20 PM | 125/1 |
Roger Sloan | 6500 | 7700 | 6:50 AM | 12:00 PM | 200/1 |
Sahith Theegala | 6500 | 7500 | 8:50 AM | 2:00 PM | 200/1 |
J.J. Spaun | 6500 | 7500 | 1:30 PM | 8:20 AM | 200/1 |
Cameron Percy | 6500 | 7300 | 7:50 AM | 1:00 PM | 300/1 |
George McNeill | 6400 | 7000 | 7:00 AM | 12:10 PM | 250/1 |
Tim Wilkinson | 6400 | 7200 | 1:30 PM | 8:20 AM | 200/1 |
Josh Teater | 6400 | 7500 | 8:00 AM | 1:10 PM | 250/1 |
Chris Baker | 6400 | 7200 | 8:50 AM | 2:00 PM | 300/1 |
Bill Haas | 6400 | 7300 | 7:00 AM | 12:10 PM | 250/1 |
Andrew Putnam | 6400 | 7700 | 7:20 AM | 12:30 PM | 200/1 |
Nick Watney | 6400 | 7400 | 8:20 AM | 1:30 PM | 200/1 |
Rhein Gibson | 6400 | 7000 | 8:30 AM | 1:40 PM | 200/1 |
Robert Streb | 6400 | 7000 | 12:10 PM | 7:00 AM | 300/1 |
Shawn Stefani | 6300 | 7100 | 7:50 AM | 1:00 PM | 250/1 |
Fabian Gomez | 6300 | 7600 | 7:50 AM | 1:00 PM | 200/1 |
Derek Ernst | 6300 | 7600 | 12:10 PM | 7:00 AM | 500/1 |
Scott Brown | 6300 | 7500 | 6:50 AM | 12:00 PM | 200/1 |
Mark Anderson | 6300 | 7000 | 1:40 PM | 8:30 AM | 300/1 |
Roberto Castro | 6300 | 7000 | 1:00 PM | 7:50 AM | 300/1 |
Sang-Moon Bae | 6300 | 7200 | 8:10 AM | 1:20 PM | 200/1 |
Alex Cejka | 6300 | 7000 | 7:10 AM | 12:20 PM | 250/1 |
Aaron Baddeley | 6300 | 7300 | 1:20 PM | 8:10 AM | 300/1 |
Kramer Hickok | 6300 | 7100 | 8:40 AM | 1:50 PM | 250/1 |
Zack Sucher | 6200 | 7000 | 1:40 PM | 8:30 AM | 300/1 |
Peter Malnati | 6200 | 7200 | 12:00 PM | 6:50 AM | 300/1 |
Jamie Lovemark | 6200 | 7100 | 8:10 AM | 1:20 PM | 300/1 |
Jonathan Byrd | 6200 | 7000 | 12:20 PM | 7:10 AM | 300/1 |
Hank Lebioda | 6200 | 7000 | 8:40 AM | 1:50 PM | 300/1 |
Vincent Whaley | 6200 | 7000 | 8:40 AM | 1:50 PM | 300/1 |
Robby Shelton | 6200 | 7000 | 1:30 PM | 8:20 AM | 400/1 |
Ted Potter Jr. | 6200 | 7100 | 7:40 AM | 12:50 PM | 300/1 |
Sebastian Cappelen | 6200 | 7000 | 8:30 AM | 1:40 PM | 300/1 |
David Lingmerth | 6200 | 7000 | 1:00 PM | 7:50 AM | 300/1 |
David Hearn | 6100 | 7000 | 12:50 PM | 7:40 AM | 300/1 |
Ryan Blaum | 6100 | 7000 | 12:00 PM | 6:50 AM | 300/1 |
Tommy Gainey | 6100 | 7000 | 12:50 PM | 7:40 AM | – |
Tyler McCumber | 6100 | 7000 | 1:50 PM | 8:40 AM | 300/1 |
Ryan Brehm | 6100 | 7000 | 8:30 AM | 1:40 PM | 400/1 |
Doug Ghim | 6100 | 7000 | 1:40 PM | 8:30 AM | 400/1 |
D.J. Trahan | 6100 | 7000 | 1:00 PM | 7:50 AM | 400/1 |
Rob Oppenheim | 6100 | 7000 | 8:40 AM | 1:50 PM | 500/1 |
Chad Campbell | 6100 | 7000 | 8:00 AM | 1:10 PM | 400/1 |
Chase Koepka | 6100 | 7000 | 1:50 PM | 8:40 AM | 500/1 |
K.J. Choi | 6100 | 7000 | 12:10 PM | 7:00 AM | 400/1 |
Matt Every | 6100 | 8000 | 12:10 PM | 7:00 AM | 500/1 |
Nelson Ledesma | 6100 | 7000 | 2:00 PM | 8:50 AM | 400/1 |
Arjun Atwal | 6000 | 7000 | 8:20 AM | 1:30 PM | 400/1 |
Michael Gellerman | 6000 | 7000 | 2:00 PM | 8:50 AM | 500/1 |
Ben Taylor | 6000 | 7000 | 1:50 PM | 8:40 AM | 500/1 |
Ricky Barnes | 6000 | 7000 | 12:00 PM | 6:50 AM | 400/1 |
Angus Flanagan | 6000 | 7000 | 2:00 PM | 8:50 AM | 750/1 |
John Merrick | 6000 | 7000 | 1:10 PM | 8:00 AM | 500/1 |
Greg Chalmers | 6000 | 7000 | 12:30 PM | 7:20 AM | 500/1 |
Peter Kuest | 6000 | 7000 | 8:30 AM | 1:40 PM | 500/1 |
Tom Lehman | 6000 | 7000 | 8:10 AM | 1:20 PM | 500/1 |
Dominic Bozzelli | 6000 | 7000 | 1:50 PM | 8:40 AM | 500/1 |
Michael Gligic | 6000 | 7000 | 1:40 PM | 8:30 AM | 500/1 |
John Senden | 6000 | 7000 | 8:20 AM | 1:30 PM | 750/1 |
Bo Van Pelt | 6000 | 7000 | 12:20 PM | 7:10 AM | 750/1 |
Tim Herron | 6000 | 7000 | 8:10 AM | 1:20 PM | 750/1 |
Michael Kim | 6000 | 7000 | 7:40 AM | 12:50 PM | 750/1 |
Martin Trainer | 6000 | 7000 | 7:30 AM | 12:40 PM | 750/1 |
I will not be separating players by site this week as pretty much everyone is in play in this pathetic field. The high/low lineups will most likely be the most popular because there are only a handful of elite players this week, so you could make balanced mid-range lineups to be different if you want. Once again though, this is an ugly week for DFS.
Top Tier:
With a field like this, all of the elite options at the top are in play, but Tony Finau, Tommy Fleetwood, and Paul Casey are definitely the safest plays. All 3 of these players should have no trouble finding the top-25, but I am a little worried about their winning potential. Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka both have a very good chance to win, but they are a lot more volatile, which is especially discouraging at their prices. DJ is coming off a horrific performance last week after winning the Travelers in his previous appearance, while Koepka continues to struggle at non-majors and this seems like the type of event where he would just phone it in and not try. If you want to be different, avoiding these top guys could work out, but they are head and shoulders above the rest of the field.
Upper-Mid Tier:
Just after the top group, we have a couple of solid golfers that have decent floor/ceiling combos. Harris English has 5 top-20s in his last 6 starts, making him a great play this week as another one should be very attainable here. Lucas Glover had 4 straight top-25s before finishing 38th last week and he should be able to get back in the top-25 once again. Glover has made all 5 cuts since the break, making him one of the more consistent players on Tour right now. Sam Burns has 3 straight top-30s coming into this week and comes in at a decent discount to the other guys here. He isn’t as safe as the other options, but has good upside in a weak field. Another player that isn’t too safe but has great upside in this range is Russell Henley. Henley has made 4 of his last 5 cuts with 2 top-10s in that span, but he had missed 5 straight Sundays beforehand. He has great upside but isn’t very consistent this season making him more of a GPP pivot in this range. Henrik Norlander is coming off a 6th place finish last week for his 4th straight made cut, and another top-10 could be in play here.
Lower-Mid Tier:
Jhonattan Vegas has quietly been playing some solid golf this season. Before missing the cut 2 weeks ago, Vegas had made 5 in a row with 4 top-30s and a top-10, and another solid result is definitely in play this week. While he hasn’t played all that much this year, Will Gordon has played well when given the opportunity. Gordon also missed the cut in his last time out, but he made the previous 3 with finishes of 3rd, 20th, and 21st. He isn’t a safe play by any means, but Gordon seems to take advantage of his sponsor’s exemptions and he will need to continue to do so again this week. Charley Hoffman has struggled this season but he finished 7th in his last appearance and this weak field is perfect for him to get back in a groove. Hoffman is known to start hot on Thursdays and falter after, so if he can go low in the first round and play it safe, he could be looking at another good finish. Kristoffer Ventura is very interesting as he followed up a streak of 6 missed cuts (including 2 MDF’s) by finishing 21st and 20th in his last 2 events, with the 21st place in his only post-break appearance. He has been playing steady golf too as he hasn’t been relying on one huge round like many other lower-tier players usually do, so it looks like he may be figuring out his game.
Value Plays:
On a week like this, a ton of value plays are viable as there isn’t all that much of a difference between most of the $6500-8000 range. Chase Seiffert is coming off a 4th place finish in his last event after missing the previous 2 cuts, so he could be finding a rhythm now. He hasn’t been all that great this season, but he has as much upside as anyone in this range. Adam Schenk has made 3 of his 5 cuts since the return, but hasn’t finished better than 30th in any of those. He doesn’t have a ton of upside, but a made cut is really all you need at this price and that is definitely possible for Schenk. Chesson Hadley has also looked solid since the return with 3 of 4 made cuts and a best finish of 23rd. He is another player that hasn’t shown a ton of upside, but he should be able to make the cut to round out your lineup when you need salary relief.
Risky Plays:
Risky plays are more viable this week as there isn’t a ton of talent so anyone can really win here. Erik Van Rooyen is a perfect GPP play as he has only made 3 of his past 8 cuts, but those finishes were 22nd, 21st, and 3rd. He is extremely inconsistent but when he does make the cut, he seems to finish well. Matthew Wolff won this event last year, but his runner-up finish at the Rocket Mortgage Classic a few weeks ago was his only top-10 since that win. He is very inconsistent and it is hard to trust him at that price, but he did win here last year if you believe in a repeat from him. I am going to keep going back to the well with Matthew NeSmith until he rediscovers his game. NeSmith was playing very well before the break but has now missed 3 cuts in a row so it’s hard to put too much faith in him. Still, he has shown potential this season and should be very low owned after a couple of rough performances.
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