PGA DFS Picks Valspar Championship: Gary Woodland Gels With Copperhead

The PGA Tour concludes the Florida swing this week with the Valspar Championship, which will be played at the Copperhead Course (par 71, 7,340 yards, poa trivialis greens) of the Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor. This venue has been the lone home of the Valspar since its inception in 2000, and Sam Burns is the two-time defending champion, winning each of his Valspar titles at -17. This is a field of 142 golfers, and there will be a standard top-65 and ties cut following the first two rounds. Below are some of the top PGA DFS picks for the Valspar Championship, utilizing Stokastic’s Top Golfers Tool to find the best leverage plays for GPPs.

Bet $100 and Get $100 in Bet Credits from WynnBET!

Legal gambling age is 21+ and in most states. Gambling Problem? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER

PGA DFS Picks & Leverage: Valspar Championship

Copperhead is a tricky venue that features narrow fairways, thick rough, small greens, 74 bunkers and water in play on half of the holes. Like most of the venues used for the Florida swing, Copperhead is a less-than-driver track that requires elite work with your irons for success. Of the last five Valspar champions, four finished the event top 7 in strokes gained on approach. Targeting strong par-5 players is also a must this week, with the four par 5’s at Copperhead presenting the best scoring opportunities. Burns ranked second in par-5 efficiency during his Valspar victory last season, making him the fourth consecutive Valspar champion to rank top 4 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.

Latest PGA DFS Content

Gary Woodland

Stokastic PGA Optimizer Leverage Scores Ranks: DraftKings: 43rd, FanDuel: 14th

Woodland has flashed great upside at Copperhead throughout his career, producing four top-30 finishes and winning in 2011. He returns to Palm Harbor this week as the maker of four of his last five cuts, with the highlight being a ninth at the Genesis. Woodland’s ball striking has been immaculate, ranking first in strokes gained on approach over his last 24 rounds, and if he can find some luck with his flat stick on these familiar poa greens at the Copperhead Course, he should add another high finish to his Valspar resume.

With Stokastic slating Woodland for single-digit ownership on both DraftKings and FanDuel, he is without a doubt one of the best contrarian options on the board this week.

Davis Riley

Stokastic PGA Optimizer Leverage Scores Ranks: DraftKings: 5th, FanDuel: 40th

Riley is a tremendous GPP target this week, with Stokastic projecting him for single-digit ownership on both DraftKings and FanDuel. His low expected ownership is due to missing the cut at THE PLAYERS last week, and while his showing at TPC Sawgrass was disappointing, there is plenty of reason to expect a bounce back. Riley was exceptional in his debut at the Valspar last season, losing in a playoff to Burns while leading the field in birdies converted and ranking fourth in strokes gained putting.

Plus, Riley was in encouraging form before last week, finishing 29th at the Honda Classic and eighth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in his previous two starts. He ranks 11th in strokes gained on approach in his last 24 rounds and should get back on track with a top-25 finish.

Your first PGA bet is on Caesars up to $1,250

Legal gambling age is 21+ and in most states. Gambling Problem? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER

Tyler Duncan

Stokastic PGA Optimizer Leverage Scores Ranks: DraftKings: 26th, FanDuel: 11th

Duncan finished 39th and 25th at the last two Valspar Championships and returns to the Florida track as the maker of three straight cuts. During this run, he shot even par or better in 10 of 12 rounds and most impressively finished third at the Honda Classic.

At very affordable price tags on both DraftKings and FanDuel, and with Stokastic forecasting him for less than 5% ownership, Duncan needs to be included in player pools this week.

Lucas Glover

Stokastic PGA Optimizer Leverage Scores Ranks: DraftKings: 13th, FanDuel: 33rd

Glover is far too cheap for his chances of making the cut week and is expected to come with essentially no ownership on either DraftKings or FanDuel, according to Stokastic’s projections. After finishing 51st at THE PLAYERS Championship last week, he has made 6 of 11 cuts this season.

Glover will now look to build off his showing at TPC Sawgrass at Copperhead, where he has made 12 of 17 cuts for his career. Notably, Glover has made four consecutive cuts at the par 71, with two of these finishes being top-25s.