Last week’s core plays delivered in a big way, including with the AT&T Byron Nelson winner Jason Day. Also highlighted were Tyrell Hatton and Stephen Jager, who finished 5th and 11th, respectively. That should give us some valuable momentum heading into the year’s second major championship. The long and challenging course layout at Oak Hill will surely deliver some excellent golf at this weekend’s PGA Championship. Reports of thick and unpredictable rough have been coming out of the practice rounds early in the week, so hitting fairways will be critical to avoid big numbers. Let’s get to the picks!
The PGA Championship core plays will get you started on building a great DFS lineup. You can perfect the process using Stokastic’s fantasy point and Ownership projections, and find high-leverage plays using the Top Golfer’s tool. And if you’re looking to get started entering multiple lineups, give PGA Lineup Generator a try. The tool builds up to twenty high-ROI lineups in a matter of seconds, all vetted by Stokastic’s top DFS pros.
Berryman’s PGA Championship DFS Core Plays
Scottie Scheffler – $11,200, DraftKings
Scottie Scheffler stands out as my favorite play at the top of the board this week. Scheffler has yet to finish outside of the top twelve in his last eleven starts, notching two victories and five top-5 finishes in that span. What sets Scheffler apart even more than his recent play is his consistency both off the tee and on approach, where he has gained strokes on the field in every even he’s played in since August of last year. This skillset will be particularly advantageous this week. Oak Hill’s penalizing rough awaits any wayward tee shot, while greenside bunkers and runoff areas will impact poorly struck irons. while notching two victories and five top 5 finishes. What further sets him apart is his consistent ability both off the tee and on approach, where he has gained strokes on the field in every event he’s played in since August of last year.
The only knock on Scheffler is his abysmal putting from inside 5 feet, where he ranks 134th in this field over the last 100 tracked rounds. Even with that, Scheffler’s overall talent still places him among the world’s finest players, and I expect him to be near the top of the leaderboard again come Sunday afternoon.
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Patrick Cantlay – $9,700, DraftKings
Patrick Cantlay is one of the most consistent players from tee to green in the world. Considering the challenges golfers will face this week, he sets up very nicely for success at Oak Hill. Cantlay ranks first in strokes gained off the tee over the last 24 tracked rounds. That’s a key metric I’m considering this week, since it allows golfers to navigate this course length without encountering significant trouble.
In addition to a strong tee game, Cantlay ranks fifth in strokes gained putting over the last 100 rounds on bentgrass greens. He’s also secured three top-4 finishes over his last six starts, which certainly checks the box off in terms of “recent form.” There’s a lot of data pointing to Cantlay this week. His overall skillset makes him a perfect fit for the demands of the course, which should give him a great chance to capture the first major championship of his career.
Rickie Fowler – $7,600, DraftKings
Fowler’s mid $7k price point makes him one of the best values on the entire PGA DFS slate. Fowler has exhibited a renewed dedication to his game following a lackluster 2022. With five top-15 finishes in just nine starts in 2023, Rickie is carrying some nice momentum heading into the year’s second major. He ranks inside the top 25 in both bogey avoidance and birdie or better percentage, while ranking 8th in strokes gained on approach over the last 24 rounds. His slight inaccuracy off the tee is a bit of a concern, as he has hit less than 60% of his fairways on the year. That’s especially concerning given the course setup. However, Fowler’s recent consistency across the entire bag outweighs that concern and makes him a solid bet for optimal lineups in PGA DFS.
GPP Flier – Si-Woo Kim – $7,100, DraftKings
Si-Woo Kim presents a compelling GPP flier for the PGA Championship this week. One of his key strengths lies in his accuracy off the tee, hitting over 67% of fairways so far this season. He ranks 27th in strokes gained tee to green and is inside the top-18 in both birdie or better percentage and bogey avoidance over the last 24 rounds. Coming off a second place finish at the AT&T Byron Nelson last week, Kim is carrying some nice momentum heading into Oak Hill. He has demonstrated his ability to rise to the occasion on the big stage, with four top-15 finishes in major championships throughout his career, and two top 10 finishes at the PLAYERS. He is currently projecting for single digit ownership in PGA DFS GPPs this week, which is too low for his blend of upside and value. Kim is a great pick to round out GPP lineups in the low $7k price range.
