Daily Fantasy Golf FanDuel Picks (PGA DFS): 2020 PGA Championship

Joe Nicely breaks down the FanDuel slate, providing information of not only who will come into the week under-owned but also who should be avoided for your lineups.

Hello RotoBaller PGA family! We had a great week with our selections last week, as Justin Thomas walked to a victory in Memphis at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.

If you are a PGA DFS player or just a fan of golf in general, we have a huge week on tap, as we head to San Francisco for the year's first major...the 2020 PGA Championship! In this article, we'll discuss some of the standout PGA DFS plays available on FanDuel for the PGA Championship. While it's impossible to hit on every player, we'll touch on some different plays across all price ranges.

Like always, the purpose of this piece is to help you put together your optimal daily fantasy golf lineups for FanDuel, whether that be from a GPP perspective or a cash-game mentality. Be sure to also read all of our other top-notch weekly PGA DFS and betting articles to help you win big!

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2020 PGA Championship - PGA DFS Overview

TPC Harding Park

7,234 Yards - Par 70 - Greens: Bent

At one time a municipal gem that had fallen into disrepair, TPC Harding Park was revitalized thanks to massive renovations just after 2000. The course hosted the 2005 WGC Championship (won by Tiger Woods) and the 2015 WGC Match Play (won by Rory McIlory). Other than that, we don't have a lot to work with outside of some Champions Tour and college events. One notable change to Harding Park came in 2014, when the course decision makers ripped up the Poa Annua greens that are fairly standard on California courses and replaced them with Bentgrass.

While we're not uber familiar with this layout, we have a fairly good idea of how it will play. The quick answer is...long. At 7,234 with just two Par-5s, players will face multiple Par-4s that stretch over 450 yards. Throw in fairways that are lined by Cypress trees, multiple doglegs, rough that is reportedly 4-inches-plus, and cool, damp San Francisco mornings...and this field should have its work cut out for it.

All that said, I don't think this week will be "U.S. Open tough" and players that hit great shots should be able to score. We'll also have a couple of fun, short, Par-4s that will probably be driveable on at least a couple of days by several players. It's probably silly to say that we want to target players that are long and straight off the tee - because that's what we're always looking for - but that will be what's needed on this layout, in addition to sharp iron play, and competency both on and around the greens. It all adds up to me targeting players that are efficient tee-to-green rather than guys that fit into a "type" like "bombers" or "accuracy".

Let's Look At The Stats

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Tee to Green
• Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
• Greens In Regulation Gained
• Strokes Gained: Approach
• Good Drives Gained
• Par 4 Efficiency: 450-500 yards

Fantasy Golf Lineup Picks for FanDuel (PGA DFS)

We have tons of great weekly PGA articles, DFS analysis, tools and DFS advice. Be sure to read our other fantastic articles regarding this week's event including DFS lineup picks for DraftKings/FanDuel, betting advice and DFS prop picks.

High-Priced FanDuel DFS Players 

Rory McIlroy ($12,000)

It feels weird as I type this, but is Rory something of an underdog this week? With all the pre-tournament hype surrounding Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka, it feels as though McIlroy heads into the PGA Championship in the very unfamiliar position of being out of the spotlight.

Maybe that's just my impression, as FanDuel certainly respects Rors this week and has him atop their PGA Championship salary scale. Things haven't been fully clicking for McIlroy since the COVID-19 layoff, though he's gained strokes both T2G and OTT in every one of his outings since the restart. He won the 2015 WGC-Match Play at TPC Harding Park and his elite ability with the driver (not to mention his right-to-left ball flight) should once again give him an excellent chance to succeed on this layout.

Obviously, I'd like to see Rory heading into this week in sharper form, but I'll keep a close eye on ownership projections as we inch closer to Thursday. I won't hesitate to go overweight on McIlroy in GPPs if it looks as though he's going to be underowned this week.

Justin Thomas ($11,600)

Last week in this article I ended my Justin Thomas writeup by saying "give me all the JT this week (and next)". Well, here we are and I'm still smiling!

JT came through for us with a win at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude and - as promised - I'm riding the Kentucky native once again this week. Thomas is the exact type of player that I want to target on this TPC Harding Park layout...a player that is excellent in every facet of the game from tee to green. He leads this field in SG: T2G in both long (50 rounds) and short (12 rounds) term measurements and has no real weaknesses in his game at the moment.

Some might be reluctant to roster him the week following a win, but Thomas has been known to play well in bunches, including going for back-to-back wins in 2017 (TOC & Sony Open). I wouldn't be surprised to see him replicate that feat this week.

Brooks Koepka ($11,400) 

The switch has been flipped! Brooks Koepka is another player that we were on in this article last week and Koepka provided just the type of performance that we were looking for as we head into the year's first major championship.

Brooks will be in search of his third-straight PGA Championship win at TPC Harding Park and every indication is that he'll be right in the thick of things. His opening-round 62 in Memphis last week was a thing of beauty and perhaps a statement round to the rest of the PGA Tour. He drove the ball well and his length will be a big advantage on this layout. Koepka's irons were also sterling at TPC Southwind and his mark of 8.4 SG: Approach was his best statistical week since he won last year's PGA Championship at Bethpage.

Intimidation isn't often a word we use in golf, but I believe Koepka is the first player since Tiger Woods that can actually intimidate other players in the field. I expect the Big Game Hunter to be firmly in the mix come Sunday.

Xander Schauffele ($11,100)

We've routinely seen Xander Schauffele in major-championship contention over the last couple of years. The 26-year-old has recorded an impressive five top-five finishes in majors since 2017 and I expect the X-Man to once again give himself a great opportunity to win this week's PGA Championship.

Schauffele lost strokes with his irons at the WGC last week, but made up for it by gaining over six strokes around the greens. This is a common theme with the young star, as his proficiency in every facet of the game can often overcome a bad week in another. He ranks sixth in this elite field in SG: T2G both over long and short-term measurements. One of my favorite plays this week.

Collin Morikawa ($10,700) 

I suppose a lack of major-championship experience is a knock on Collin Morikawa this week, but the young man is so talented that I don't really care about that. He's perhaps the best iron player I've seen since Tiger Woods and his ability to find fairways (second in field in Fairways Gained) and greens (first in field in GIRs Gained) feels like a recipe for success on this Harding Park track.

Morikawa is a native Californian that attended Cal-Berkeley. He logged a T5 in 2018 during a college event at TPC Harding Park and is on the record discussing his familiarity with the layout. As if the two-time PGA Tour winner needed an edge, his previous experience on this course might give him a legit leg-up on the majority of the field this week.

Tony Finau ($10,000)

Tony Finau's inability to close out tournaments over the last few weeks is both well-documented and frustrating. However, we shouldn't let that recency bias take us off Big Tony this week.

Yes...Finau hasn't been able to win, but he's still played excellent golf over the past month, as he produced SG: T2G marks of +4.4 at Memorial and +9.5 at the 3M Open. His career track record in majors is pristine and he's missed just 3 cuts in 15 career major-championship starts with three top-five finishes.

His length helps him to navigate tough layouts well and I expect that to once again be the case on this TPC Harding Park track that will require both distance and accuracy off the tee. Don't count on a win, but look for Finau to be an excellent source of fantasy production this week.

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Mid-Priced FanDuel DFS Players

Tyrrell Hatton ($9,900)

It feels like there might be a little recency bias at play here with Tyrrell Hatton, as basically his worst performance of the year came last week in Memphis. The result is a little less buzz for the Englishman around the PGA DFS industry and an utterly reasonable price tag on FanDuel.

Hatton lost strokes in every area at TPC Southwind last week, but it was really his first stumble of 2020, as he's been a top-five machine every time he's teed it up this season. He captured the API earlier this year - on the heels of a strong performance at the WGC-Mexico - and scored top-fives in both of his post-layoff starts at the RBC Heritage and the Rocket Mortgage. Sure, we'd feel a bit better about things this week if he'd looked better in Memphis, but it gives us a chance to "buy low" on a player that's been consistently great throughout this season.

Jason Day ($9,900)

Man...it really feels like we're getting into the sweet spot of the salary scale as we dip below $10k. We're really hard-pressed to find a bad option at the top of the $9k price range this week.

We'll keep things rolling with Jason Day, a player that I've basically quit cold turkey over the last couple years. Day committed to playing more in the aftermath of the COVID-19 layoff, and after a sluggish start, is playing his best golf in years. The Aussie has ran off three straight top-seven finishes against elite fields on the strength of impressive tee-to-green play. Day has went +7/+6.2/+6.2 in SG: T2G over his last three starts.

He's been a beast in majors throughout his career with just six missed cuts in 37 career starts in major championships. Day won the 2015 PGA Championship and also has an unreal FOUR runner-up finishes in majors over his career. He's long off the tee, has gained strokes with his irons in four straight tournaments, and his one of the best scramblers in the world. Day is always a player I like on tough layouts and I'm more interested in him this week than I have been in years.

Viktor Hovland ($9,800)

One of the most exciting young players in golf, Hovland was impressive even before he turned pro and it's been more of the same since he earned his Tour Card. He picked up his first win earlier this year at the Puerto Rico Open and has been in straight beast mode since the restart. Hovland ran off five-straight top-25s in the first five post-layoff tournaments and nearly grabbed a win at the Workday Open. He ranks first in this elite field in SG: Ball Striking and second in SG: T2G over 24 round measurements and has only been held back by putting that's been comically bad at times. His short game is a work in progress, but he's made some strides recently (though there's still the occasional hosel rocket). Some will point to his youth and inexperience in major championships, but Hovland played extremely well in two major starts as an amateur last year (T32 Masters & T12 U.S. Open). If we think tee-to-green ball striking is important this week - and I certainly do - then we have to give this young man very serious consideration.

Gary Woodland ($9,800)

I'm never over-the-moon-in-love with Gary Woodland because he has proven himself to be inconsistent over the years, but this still feels like a great value on a player that has elite ball-striking skills. We all know that Woody is uber-talented, we just never really know when it's all gonna come together. It certainly did at Pebble Beach in last year's U.S. Open, when the Jayhawk took down the first major championship of his career. There was an understandable "hangover" for Woodland after that victory, but he's put together some nice outings this season, with a top-10 at the Schwab and a top-five at the Workday being the most recent. Length and ball-striking ability will be paramount this week and - while there's some inherent volatility that comes with rostering him - Woodland has proven himself to be elite in those areas.

Daniel Berger ($9,700)

When I first scrolled through FanDuel pricing this week, I honestly thought I had missed Daniel Berger my first time through the salary scale. I rechecked the $10k price range...no Berger. I was basically shocked to eventually find him at $9.7k, as you can make the argument that Berger has been the most consistent player in the world this year.

After almost two years of battling a wrist injury, we saw signs that the former rising star was beginning to get fully healthy during the Swing Season. Any doubts were completely erased as we rolled into 2020, as solid performances in January led to a T9 in Phoenix and back-to-back top-fives at the AT&T Pro-Am and the Honda. Berger then came out of the restart firing with a win against an elite field at the Charles Schwab and top-three finishes at the Heritage and last week in Memphis.

He's been dazzling tee-to-green and shown mental toughness, as well as grit around the greens. The only knock I can level against Berger is his lack of success in major championships to this point.

Low-Priced FanDuel DFS Players

Abraham Ancer ($9,400)

After an interesting experience (and beatdown at the hands of Tiger Woods) in last year's President's Cup, Ancer has appeared ready to insert himself into the conversation as one of the best players in the world. The pint-sized Mexican logged runner-up finishes both pre-layoff (The AmEx) and post-layoff (RBC Heritage) on the strength of his world-class iron play. He's also proven himself to be accurate off the tee, as he ranks ninth in this week's field in Fairways Gained over short-term measurements. He only has four career starts in major championships, but this could be a nice breakout spot for Ancer.

Matthew Fitzpatrick ($9,300)

Matthew Fitzpatrick is too cheap. Yes, I have concerns about his lack of length off the tee...but he's still too cheap.

Fitz has been an extremely consistent performer since the restart, missing just one cut in six post-layoff starts with no finishes worse than T32. The Englishman has also proven himself to be solid in major-championship settings, as he made the cut in all four majors last year with three top-25s. I don't know that this is terrific course fit for Fitz, but he's used to being one of the shorter players on Tour and plays long Par-4s surprisingly well (ranks 23rd in the field on Par-4s: 450-500 yards) thanks to his solid long-iron play.

Shane Lowry ($9,100)

More of a "gut" play for me than anything, I'm intrigued with the defending Open champion this week as a sneaky dark-horse. I think Lowry was basically lost in a maze of pubs for about six months after his win at Royal Portrush, but the Irishman appears to finally be coming out of the fog as we head into major season. He had logged four career top-10s in major championships before taking down the Open last year and I think that ability to navigate tough courses will translate well to TPC Harding Park this week. Lowry gained 7.2 strokes T2G in Memphis last week - his best numbers T2G in a tournament since the Open - and he just might be rounding into form at the right time.

Chez Reavie ($8,500)

Am I taking crazy pills or something? How is Chez Reavie only $8.5k this week? Yes it's an extremely deep field, but our boy Chez is striping it right now. He was a favorite value play in this article last week and paid huge dividends with a T6 in Memphis against...an extremely deep field. Last week's finish was his third-straight top-25 result and he stands third in this ultra-elite field in SG: T2G over the last 12 measured rounds. Reavie might not have a major championship "pedigree", but his record in majors is surprisingly good...he's went T12-T14 in the last two PGA Championships and scored a T3 in last year's U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. His putting could undoubtedly derail him this week, but I'm more than willing to take that chance at this price.

Tom Lewis ($7,600)

We're closing out the week with an intriguing punt option. At $7.6k, Tom Lewis is an intriguing value option in GPPs, as the Englishman heads to TPC Harding Park with some impressive recent form. A former phenom, Lewis won in Europe shortly after turning pro, but basically lost his game for a few years. He earned his PGA Tour card for this season by qualifying through the KFT Finals and has played very well since the restart with solid outings at the Rocket Mortgage (T12) and 3M Open (T32). That run of good play culminated with a T2 at last week's WGC event. Lewis gained over five strokes T2G in Memphis - his second straight start bettering five SG: T2G - and looked especially sharp with his irons.

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