jason mezrahi 
In this edition of PGA DFS picks, we’re looking for a big payday at the PGA Championship helping you find some winning teams in GPPs! All pricing is for DraftKings.
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PGA DFS Course Notes:
- Major tournament field of 156 Golfers
- Cut: Top 65 and ties
- Stacked field featuring most of the world’s Top 50, as well as a 20 PGA Tour pros who qualified from the 2019 PGA of America Player of the Year points list
- The course: TPC Harding Park (San Francisco, CA)
- Par 70: 7,234 yards (with tee boxes extending to 7,400 yards) – Willie Watson and Sam Whiting design (1925)
- First time course hosting major tournament
- Bentgrass Greens
- Another sneaky long course with plenty of bunkers, narrow fairways, and thick rough
- Previous to hosting third years PGA Championship, TPC Harding Park was the site for the 2015 WGC Match Play – so course history not a reliable indicator this week
- Focus Stat Categories: Strokes Gained: Approach & SG: Off the Tee Par 4s Gained (450-500), Fairways Gained, Bogey Avoidance, Birdie or Better %, SG: Around the Green
The Picks:
Elite PGA DFS (DK $9,500 and up):
Justin Thomas (DK $11,300) – I profiled him first last week and he came away with victory, and there’s plenty to build on this week after the big win. The tee-to-green game is enough to give him the chance to win again – he’s just got to handle the occasional lumps this golf course will throw at him. He checks all the boxes this week and I can’t advocate a fade even if he’s exceedingly popular.
Jon Rahm (DK $10,500) – When Rahm is being patient and letting the opportunities come, he’s among the super elite – just look at his #1 world ranking before JT stole it from him at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude. His last two round fours have been brilliant, so if he can avoid the blowups and keep his head, he’ll get in on the Sunday drama. The fourth most expensive golfer might just be the best.
Bryson DeChambeau (DK $10,000) – I like the right-to-left ball flight that he can pull off with the big stick or the 3-wood, and my guess is that he’s learned from some of his recent failings and remains committed to avoiding bogeys (a stat where he’s surprisingly second-best on tour). A true GPP wild card, DeChambeau’s first challenge will be making the cut – then anything is possible with his great hands and otherworldly swing speed.
Webb Simpson (DK $9,700) – Webb is a bit of the anti-Bryson, but he’s an excellent ball striker and course manager who often gets hot with the putter and eschews bogeys with the best of ‘em (fifth on tour sandwiched between JT at four and Xander at six). He won a U.S. Open in the Bay Area at Olympic and could notch another major victory this week.
Also consider: Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele (GPP)
Mid-Range PGA DFS (DK $7,600 to $9,400):
Dustin Johnson (DK $9,000) – A GPP play who may not fly under the radar after he performed well last week. The back “injury” may have been an excuse for typical DJ drama and I’d wager he’s around the leaderboard come Sunday – a pretty good bet when you consider the discount and his talent.
Collin Morikawa (DK $8,600) – Morikawa is from the Bay Area and will be in most (if not all) of my single-entry lineups this week for his T2G prowess and ability to knock down flagsticks from 150-200 yards. He makes damn near every cut and has winning upside, so what more do we want?
Jason Day (DK $8,400) – He’s got three straight top 10s and the biggest, most obvious concern is if his back will hold up in the weather – not if he’s up to the task of challenging for another major victory. That’s a good sign for the former world No. 1 – a title he held in 2015, the year he won the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.
Rickie Fowler (DK $8,300) – I wouldn’t touch Rickie in cash games, but he’s a viable GPP play with lots of major experience and tons of upside at a bargain price. The swing changes seem to be bearing fruit and the biggest test will be finishing with a solid round on Sunday.
Matthew Fitzpatrick (DK $8,100) – The putter is making him look good, as my fellow WinDaily golf writers keep saying, but the fact that he’s solid around the greens isn’t a bad thing at TPC Harding Park. Hitting fairways and avoiding bogeys – two areas where he does struggle compared to the field — will be key for him.
Abraham Ancer (DK $7,700) – Elite ball striking, an affordable price tag and solid form since the restart are vaulting him to the top of many DK top plays lists this week. I have my doubts about his ability to step up in the major events, but he doesn’t have to win – just notch a Top 10 or 15 to pay off in GPPs.
Tommy Fleetwood (DK $7,700) – Another complete game player and excellent ball striker with a penchant for the big stage, Fleetwood has turned in some awesome rounds on difficult golf courses and comes at a huge discount this week. Since missing the cut at the 2016 U.S. Open, he’s 11-for-12 with three top five finishes in the majors.
Also consider: Patrick Cantlay, Hideki Matsuyama, Tyrrell Hatton, Gary Woodland, Tony Finau, Justin Rose
Value PGA DFS (DK $6,600 to 7,500):
Shane Lowry (DK $7,500) – I was all over Lowry last week and it worked out, and I’m going right back to the well for the last guy to win a major after he turned in four rounds in the 60s during his stay in Memphis.
Henrik Stenson (DK $7,300) – His win at the Hero World Challenge back in December 2019 somehow seems less recent than his British Open win in 2016, but that’s how screwed up my timeline is these days. Stenson could easily forge a Top 10 finish out of his elite long iron play alone.
Kevin Kisner (DK $7,100) – Kisner feels like a great bet to make the cut despite going just 3-for-6 since the restart. I hope his ownership stays low again this week – and I’m using him in about 2/10 GPPs.
Kevin Na (DK $7,000) – Injury or not, Na is an absolute steal at this price point for his yeoman’s skill set – which is focused on performance around the green and plays well in big events. He’s also notched a pair of Top 10s in his last four tournaments.
Christian Bezuidenhout (DK $7,000) – We’re probably relying on tougher conditions when we roster a Euro-grinder like Bezuidenhout, who I just like to call “CBZ” – but there’s reason to consider this excellent value play for his prowess around the greens and ability to go low despite some rough sledding.
Ryan Palmer (DK $6,900) – I love his T2G stats and this week he should be a little bit better with the putter. He’s definitely a longshot to win, but I love the value in GPPs.
More value golfers to consider: Matt Kuchar, Adam Hadwin, Matt Wallace, Danny Willett, Tom Lewis, Erik Van Rooyen (GPP), Richy Werenski (GPP), Cameron Champ (GPP), Brendan Steele (GPP), Cameron Tringale (GPP)
Longshot Punts PGA DFS (DK $6,500 and under):
Sepp Straka (DK $6,500) – He’s 1-for-1 in majors with a T28 in last year’s U.S. Open, so I’ll be building on some of his newfound success this season and using him as a GPP punt play in about 20 percent of my builds.
Lanto Griffin (DK $6,500) – I’m not using Griffin at the same rate as Straka, but he’s worth a look in 1/10 large-field GPPs. He could make some noise if he makes the cut, which I’ll admit is a big ask in just his second major appearance.
Talor Gooch (DK $6,400) – Gooch hasn’t played in a major since 2017, but he made the field for this event. I love his game T2G and he’s been gearing up for this tourney for a couple weeks, electing to skip the Barracuda to do PGA prep.
Additional GPP punts: Sung Kang, Bud Cauley, Ryo Ishikawa, Carlos Ortiz
