PGA DFS: TOUR Championship Stud, Mid-Tier, and Value Picks

The PGA Tour's season comes to a close with the TOUR Championship's modified format. Of the final 30 golfers remaining in the playoff, 25 of them start at least one stroke under par, and that's factored into how well they finish the actual TOUR Championship.

Therefore, that impacts our daily fantasy golf scores.

Here is how the strokes work out this season.

To help with your prep for this week, you can also check out my course notes, key stats, and course history rundown, and my golf win simulation model for the week.

TOUR Championship DFS Picks

These picks stand out relative to their FanDuel daily fantasy golf salary based on my stats model, which accounts for the most important stats for this week's event. All stats cited below originate at datagolf and reference ranks relative to the field over the past 50 rounds. References to my combo model refer to a combination of long-term, field-adjusted form, key stat performance, and hole-by-hole-level strokes gained data.

TOUR Championship Studs

Scottie Scheffler ($13,000 | +135)

There's no way around it this week: Scheffler is the best process play (again). Rory McIlroy is starting within shouting distance at -7, but it's Scheffler at -10 this season. Two of the four starters at -10 have won the TOUR Championship, and each of those two made the optimal lineup. That doesn't mean that Scheffler must win to make the optimal, but it'll sure help. And his win simulation odds for me are nearly 50.0% because he has both played astonishingly well for the full season but is still in great form now.

Viktor Hovland ($12,000 | +550)

Despite starting in second place at -8 and coming off of a win last week, Hovland is ranked fifth in salary. He figures to be a popular pick. And yes, it'll be hard to combine Scheffler with Hovland. Hard but not impossible. We've seen some guys starting in the bottom 10 make the optimal (there have been five golfers starting at even par or -1 to make the optimal lineup over the past four seasons).

Hovland ranks fourth in the field in strokes gained: tee to green over the past 50 rounds and starts two shots off the lead. That's hard to gloss over.

Others to Consider:

• Rory McIlroy ($12,800 | +330) - It's a real risk to start your lineups without Scheffler, Hovland, and McIlroy due to how the win equity lands.
• Xander Schauffele ($11,600 | +3500) - Great pivot away from the top three; plays East Lake really well.

TOUR Championship Mid-Range Plays

Russell Henley ($9,600 | +10000)

Henley is second in the field in driving accuracy over the past 50 rounds and is also sixth in strokes gained: approach, which is a great start for East Lake. Henley's starting score is also a respectable -3, so he checks a lot of boxes. He hasn't played East Lake since 2017 but has finished well (12th and T3) in two starts here.

Wyndham Clark ($9,800 | +5500)

Clark starts at -4 and while not a great course fit because of the accuracy angle, he's actually fifth in combined short game because he's a great putter. Clark's game can translate because of the distance, and with past winners here being names such as McIlroy and Dustin Johnson, accuracy isn't a complete must.

Others to Consider:

• Rickie Fowler ($10,000 | +9000) - Still hitting the irons well but putter cooled off temporarily.
• Sungjae Im ($9,400 | +15000) - Starting at -2; irons are cold right now but great short game.

TOUR Championship Value Plays

Brian Harman ($8,800 | +6000)

Harman is starting this week at -4, thanks to a stellar season, and he's 7th in the field in accuracy and 13th in total strokes gained average. The setup should work well for him, and his result last year (19th in gross scoring) was tied to awful putting but great iron play.

Lucas Glover ($9,000 | +5500)

This is more than just a take-the-strokes situation. Yes, Glover is starting at -5, but he's also fifth in strokes gained: approach and is the best course fit in the field, according to datagolf. The irons are still there even though he finished T22 last week at the BMW Championship. If the putter gets warm again, then we could see his name in the perfect lineup.

Others to Consider:

• Tom Kim ($8,600 | +17000) - Accurate with better-than-average irons; starting at -2.
• Keegan Bradley ($8,000 | +17000) - Starting at -3 but trending down lately due to short game cooling off.
• Si Woo Kim ($7,700 | +30000) - Begins at -2 and is field average in SG:T2G with field-best accuracy.

Looking to use your knowledge to build some daily fantasy golf lineups? Check out all of this week's contests over at FanDuel and all golf betting odds and markets at FanDuel Sportsbook.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.