Finally, we get our first major of the year in the PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. The course will play at 7,234 yards and a par of 70. Brooks Koepka won the PGA Championship last year with a score of eight-under, and finally started clicking last week at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational by finishing in a four-way tie for second. But is he a good pick this week in DFS? Let’s examine five golfers for your rosters.
Adam Scott ($7,800 on DK, $10,000 on FD)
Scott may be a forgotten man, given that he hasn’t played since the PGA Tour resumed its tournaments in June. That may explain his low salary this week. But, given that he notched two wins in eight starts this season (missing just one cut) and has played well in the PGA Championship in the past, Scott seems to be a steal at this price on DraftKings.
Justin Thomas ($11,300 on DraftKings, $11,600 on FanDuel)
If I’m going to spend $11K+ on a player this week, I’d rather spend it on Thomas than Koepka, even if the latter is the two-time defending PGA Championship champion. Koepka finished tied for second last week, but he’s been inconsistent this year. Plus, Harding Park features tight fairways and four-inch-tall rough that will penalize more inaccurate bombers off the tee. In his past three starts, Thomas notched a win and a playoff loss, and finished third or better in five of his past 15 starts. He also leads this field in strokes gained tee to green over his past 50 rounds. In all, there is plenty to like about Thomas.
Daniel Berger ($8,800 on DK, $9,700 on FD)
After a rare missed cut at The Memorial, Berger followed up with a tie for second at last week’s St. Jude Invitational. That represented an incredible top-5 finish in five of his past six tournaments. His salary appears to be a bargain this week, and I will continue to ride this train into the majors.
Colin Morikawa ($8,600 on DK, $10,700 on FD)
Like Berger, Morikawa looks to be a player with win potential at a bargain salary. Mr. Consistent has missed just one cut in 17 events, and won the Workday Charity Open four weeks ago in that playoff over Thomas. Morikawa also grew up in the area and is familiar with Harding Park, which could prove advantageous.
Jason Day ($8,400 on DK, $9,900 on FD)
After suffering through a rough stretch in which he missed five of six cuts, Day has played great golf over the past three weeks, notching finishes of seventh, fourth, and sixth. DFS players are finally wising up to his hot streak, as Day is projected to be about 12% – 15% owned this week for the PGA Championship. That’s still several percentage points off of the top drafted players, so go ahead and roster Day for the salary savings and hope for another top-10 finish.