PGA DFS Picks This Week: Expert Predictions, Values & Golf Projections
Published: Aug 28, 2024
This week, the PGA TOUR heads to East Lake Golf Club for the TOUR Championship, where the season’s top 30 players will compete for the FedEx Cup and a massive $18 million bonus. East Lake, a 7,490-yard par 71 with Bermuda greens, will host this unique event.
In response to fan dissatisfaction in 2018 when Tiger Woods won the Tour Championship but didn’t clinch the FedEx Cup, the PGA TOUR revamped the format. Now, the winner of the TOUR Championship also takes home the FedEx Cup. They introduced the "Starting Strokes" format, where each player begins with a score based on their FedEx Cup standings.
Tour Championship 2024: Daily Fantasy Golf Picks & Projections
Scottie Scheffler, leading the standings, will start at 10-under par, while Xander Schauffele, in second place, begins at 8-under. The rest of the field's starting positions range from 4-under to even par, depending on their rank.
This format makes for an exciting finale as the top players battle it out with staggered starting positions. Expect fierce competition during this week's PGA DFS picks and PGA DFS predictions as everyone vies for the FedEx Cup title and the huge payout that comes with it.
East Lake: Course Breakdown This Week
East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta’s oldest course, has been around since 1904 and is steeped in history. Originally designed by Tom Bendelow, it got a major makeover by the legendary Donald Ross in 1913. Ross's redesign brought in classic elements that make this course a real test for top golfers.
Bobby Jones, one of the game's greats, grew up playing here, and his legacy is celebrated throughout the clubhouse. After the neighborhood declined, businessman Tom Cousins stepped in, revamped the area, and secured East Lake as the permanent home of the PGA Tour Championship.
Last year, Andrew Green and his team restored East Lake to honor Ross’s original vision. They used old photos to bring back the course’s classic look. One big change for 2024 is the par adjustment, going from 70 to 71, and adding nearly 150 yards to the course. With two par 5s in the final stretch, players will face some serious challenges.
Green also overhauled the greens, fairways, and bunkers, and added more fairway space, less rough, and extra water hazards. The greens have been re-grassed with TifEagle Bermuda, making them tougher to handle, something to take into consideration when making PGA DFS picks.
East Lake will still demand precision tee-to-green, and driving accuracy will be crucial with tricky Bermuda rough. Expect a more engaging and challenging course for the season finale, with some golfers even providing exceptional PGA DFS values.
2024 Tour Championship Field: Golf DFS
Scottie Scheffler is heading into East Lake as the top dog in the FedExCup standings after a stellar 2024 season, where he racked up six TOUR wins and an Olympic gold medal. This is the third year in a row he's entered the season finale ranked No. 1.
Right on his heels is Xander Schauffele, who’s had a fantastic year with two major wins under his belt. Schauffele and Scheffler have really pulled away from the pack, with Schauffele comfortably sitting ahead of Hideki Matsuyama, who’s in third place.
Matsuyama is back in action at East Lake after pulling out of the BMW Championship due to a back injury. He recently locked in his spot as the top qualifier for the Presidents Cup International Team, joining fellow East Lake competitors Sungjae Im, Adam Scott, and Byeong Hun An.
On the U.S. side, all six automatic qualifiers, including Scheffler, Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, and Rory McIlroy, are in the field. McIlroy, sitting at No. 6, is eyeing a record fourth FedExCup title.
Keegan Bradley made a huge leap into the top 30 after winning the BMW, while Adam Scott and Tommy Fleetwood also secured their spots. Justin Thomas snagged the final spot at No. 30, just edging out guys like Brian Harman and Jason Day. Let's finally jump into this week's PGA DFS picks and PGA DFS predictions!
This Week’s PGA DFS Optimizer & Lineup Generator
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PGA Best Bets & Predictions: Tour Championship (43-85 Overall, -13.90 Units)
- Patrick Cantlay: Top 5 (+260)
- Viktor Hovland: Top 10 (+130)
- Aaron Rai: Top 10 (+360)
PGA DFS Picks: Tour Championship
Starting Score Positions
- 10 Under: Scottie Scheffler - Do I really need to tell you why to play Scottie? There’s no doubt that he’s the best player in the world.
- 8 Under: Xander Schauffele - The guy has a breakthrough season in a huge way. He won 2 major championships and put himself in the conversation for best player in the world.
- 7 Under: Hideki Matsuyama - He’s definitely a bit of a gamble this week. He’s got a solid track record at Donald Ross courses and has played well on Bermuda greens recently. He had to pull out of the BMW Championship due to back issues, but that break could actually be a good thing. He’ll be fresh while others are recovering from a grueling week. With East Lake’s new firm greens, Matsuyama could turn out to be a sneaky good pick. Plus, he might not be super popular in DFS, making him an intriguing option.
- 6 Under: Keegan Bradley - Coming off a big win at the BMW Championship. It was his first victory of the season, though he also had two runner-up finishes earlier. Before last weekend’s triumph, he hadn’t cracked the top 20 in his previous seven events, but clearly, he’s hit his stride now.
- 5 Under: Ludvig Aberg - Even though it's his first time at East Lake, the course changes put everyone on more equal footing. He’s been crushing it off the tee, similar to how McIlroy did a couple of years back. Plus, he’s fresh off an impressive runner-up finish at the BMW Championship.
- 4 Under: McIlory / Morikawa / Clark / Burns / Cantlay - My pick in this range is CANTLAY: He's just a few tweaks away from really contending. He gained strokes in all key areas at the BMW Championship, showing his form is sharp. Plus, East Lake is a place where he’s had plenty of success in the past.
- 3 Under: Im / Theegala / Lowry / Scott / Finau - My pick in this range is IM: He’s already nabbed a runner-up finish here and just had a strong 11th place at the BMW Championship, showing he’s on form. Plus, he’s comfortable on Southeastern Bermuda greens, making him a solid pick for the Tour Championship.
- 2 Under: Hun An / Hovland / Henley / Bhatia / MacIntyre - My pick in this range is HOVLAND: He gained five strokes on approach at the BMW Championship and finally improved his short game. Plus, he’s coming off a win at East Lake last year, so he knows how to get it done here. Expect him to come out swinging and make a strong showing again.
- 1 Under: Horschel / Fleetwood / Straka / Pavon / Pendrith - My pick in this range is PENDRITH: He’s been on fire since his win at the Byron Nelson, racking up eight top-25 finishes in his last 11 starts. While top-25s won’t cut it this week, he’s also had three top-10s and just tied for 13th. With his strong putting game, Pendrith has the skills to make a serious move up the leaderboard.
- Even: Kirk / Hoge / Rai / Bezuidenhout / Thomas - My pick in this range is RAI: He might be starting from the bottom at even par, but he’s a name to watch. He’s the best on Tour at hitting fairways and ranks top-10 in Strokes Gained: Approach and Tee-to-Green. Plus, his putting has never been better.
Player Pool
Player News
Justin Thomas arrived at the Travelers Championship amidst a bit of a slump but left with 25 birdies to manage a T9 finish, his first top 10 since March.
Thomas is known for his stellar rate of big finishes over the course of his career but that changed recently with six straight finishes landing outside of the top 10. A cold putter has been the culprit for much of the downturn but he managed to fight through the flat-stick woes this week. Thomas lost 1.9 strokes putting at TPC River Highlands but ranked 3rd in strokes gained tee-to-green. It was a promising result to rebuild some confidence but he still has some work to do in the putting department. Despite the nice finish this week, Thomas is just 66th in the FedExCup race.
Brian Harman tossed together a 6-under 64 on Sunday at the Travelers Championship, posting a piece of second place on the final leaderboard (-20).
Harman entered the week with just one top 25 in his last 14 stroke-play events. It's been a slump for the straight shooter but TPC River Highlands was the perfect cure. The Georgia Bulldog gained 4.4 strokes on approach, 3.5 strokes around-the-green, and 4.9 strokes putting. All three ranked 13th or better for the week. This was far from his first taste of success at the course, going in the books as his sixth career top 10 at TPC River Highlands.
Chez Reavie started the day just one shot off the pace but stumbled with a 1-over 71 to drop back to a share of fourth place on the final leaderboard.
Reavie and overnight leader Keegan Bradley were in a tier of their own to begin the day. Reavie dropped a rung with seven pars and two bogeys before the turn. His driver remained steady (12-of-14 fairways) but lost strokes in each of the other three categories of strokes gained today. It was a day to forget but a week to remember for Reavie who still managed a T4 finish, vaulting him from 114th to 95th in the FedExCup race.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler steadied a 5-under 65 on Sunday at the Travelers Championship, ending the week on 19-under 261, good for a slice of fourth place.
The Texan piled up 21 birdies and a pair of eagles this week at TPC River Highlands. He ended the week ranked second in strokes gained tee-to-green (+11.08). He's now gained at least 10.6 strokes in that department in six straight events. Scheffler carded three sub-66 rounds this week but a two-birdie 70 on Friday is what held him back from truly contending. The World No. 1 now has six straight top-5 finishes and you have to go back to October to find the last time he finished worse than 12th. It's safe to say he's been the most consistent golfer on the planet over the last nine months.
Rory McIlroy raced out of the gate on Sunday at the Travelers Championship before slowing his pace to record a 6-under 64, ending his week in a share of seventh place (18-under 262).
McIlroy circled birdies on five of the first seven holes today. He couldn't maintain that pace but still bettered the field average by more than three shots today. McIlroy tossed together four sub-69 rounds this week at TPC River Highlands but didn't even sniff contention over the weekend. "I don't particularly like when a tournament is like this. Unfortunately technology has passed this course by, right? It sort of has made it obsolete, especially as soft as it has been with a little bit of rain that we had." The Northern Irishman now has five straight top-10 finishes and has his game trending back toward the winner's circle just in time for the season's final major and the FedExCup Playoffs.
Patrick Cantlay gave the leader a small scare down the stretch was swallowed two late bogeys to finish on 19-under this week at the Travelers Championship, four shots off the winning tally of Keegan Bradley.
Cantlay was slow out of the gate with eight pars and a birdie before the turn. He applied some pressure with four birdies on the next six holes, all while Keegan Bradley was starting to leak with three straight bogeys. That shrunk the lead to just three shots be Cantlay stumbled home with two bogeys and a par. "I thought I struck the ball very solid all day. Played smart. Not the finish I wanted obviously, but my game is in a good spot and a lot of big tournaments left this summer." The UCLA alum carded four sub-69 rounds this week and led the field in strokes gained tee-to-green. Cantlay now has six straight top 15s at TPC River Highlands. He collected two victories last season but still searching for his first win of the 2022-23 campaign.