PGA DFS Picks Valero Texas Open: Adam Schenk Best Run of His Career

The PGA Tour will make the short trip from Austin to San Antonio for the Valero Texas Open this week. Since 2010, TPC San Antonio (par 72, 7,438 yards, poa trivialis greens) has been the lone home of this event, excluding 2020, when the Valero was cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. J.J. Spaun is the defending champion of this tournament, winning last year at -13. After the rare format of the WGC Match Play last week, the Valero presents a field of 142 golfers and a normal top-65 and ties cut after 36 holes.

Below are some of the top PGA DFS picks for the Valero Texas Open, utilizing Stokastic’s Top Golfers Tool to find the best leverage plays for GPPs.

PGA DFS Picks & Leverage: Valero Texas Open

Strong ball strikers and efficient par-5 players should be the focus at TPC San Antonio. Of the last five Valero champions, four ranked top 5 in strokes gained on approach during their wins. Furthermore, Spaun ranked fourth in par-5 efficiency when he won here last season, making him the third straight Valero winner to rank top 10 in the stat.

Leverage scores are a product of comparing a player’s ownership versus their salary-weighted odds to finish in the top 6 of the tournament.

Adam Schenk

Stokastic PGA Optimizer Leverage Scores Ranks: DraftKings: 23rd, FanDuel: 90th

Schenk is getting way overlooked this week – Stokastic is projecting him for single-digit ownership on both DraftKings and FanDuel – and he needs to be a core GPP play. He is having the best season of his career, making 12 of 17 cuts and finishing top 25 five times.

Schenk’s best finish of the year came in his last start, when he finished runner-up to Taylor Moore at the Valspar. That week, Schenk gained strokes in every major category and finished second in strokes gained putting on the poa trivialis greens of the Copperhead Course, which is the same type of putting surface he will face at TPC San Antonio this week. Schenk placed seventh here in 2019 and brings top-10 upside again due to his outstanding form.

Ryan Palmer

Stokastic PGA Optimizer Leverage Scores Ranks: DraftKings: 13th, FanDuel: 17th

Palmer is a true course horse at TPC San Antonio. Ever since this venue became the host of the Valero Texas Open, Palmer has competed in every edition of this tournament, making 9 of 12 cuts and placing top 20 six times. He also ranks seventh in this field in career strokes gained at TPC San Antonio.

Palmer has been up and down as of late, making four of his last seven cuts on the PGA Tour, but he has gained strokes on approach at all seven tournaments during this timeframe. If he can continue this impressive work with his irons, Palmer should add another quality finish to his Valero resume. Stokastic is projecting him to be less than 3% owned on both DraftKings and FanDuel.

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Joseph Bramlett

Stokastic PGA Optimizer Leverage Scores Ranks: DraftKings: 19th, FanDuel: 55th

Bramlett has been consistent this season, making 11 of 15 cuts, including four top-15 finishes. He ranks 18th in par-5 efficiency over his last 50 rounds, and he has also gained strokes on approach in seven of his past 10 starts. Combine these two attributes and Bramlett is a terrific match for TPC San Antonio. He has top-20 upside in this weak field and is a tremendous sleeper pick for GPPs this week, with Stokastic slating Bramlett for minimal ownership on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Lucas Glover

Stokastic PGA Optimizer Leverage Scores Ranks: DraftKings: 15th, FanDuel: 70th

Glover has been awesome at TPC San Antonio, producing three straight top-20 finishes. Most notably, he was in the mix for a win at the 2021 Valero, finishing fourth and ranking fifth in both strokes gained on approach and par-5 efficiency. Having made his last two cuts, and returning to a course he likes, Glover should extend his streak to three in a row this week and is projected for essentially no ownership on either site.