What a finish to the PGA Championship!  How can you not love seeing the best in the world doing best on Sunday at a major?  That 2-iron on 18 was just unreal but it still wasn’t enough for Jason Day to collect his second consecutive Wanamaker Trophy.  You also have to feel good for a player like Jimmy Walker earning his first major victory. 

After the high of such an awesome finish to the season’s last major, the reality is starting to set in that it was indeed the LAST major of the season.  We have to wait nine months to participate in another DFS PGA Millionaire Maker on DraftKings.  April can’t get here soon enough!

Let’s talk Travelers Championship which usually follows a major, just not the PGA Championship.  Since 2007, we have seen this tournament take place the week after the U.S. Open in June but the Olympics have messed everything up. 

TPC River Highlands gave itself a face-lift for the 2016 edition of the Travelers.  They removed 50 bunkers while upgrading the remaining 69.  Several trees were removed, fairways were narrowed, greens were redone and a whole lot more.  The course remained 35-35 for a Par of 70 and still measures out to just 6,841 yards.  They have added a lot of risk-reward opportunities for these golfers, which means the better course managers will have an added advantage this week.  There will be a learning curve but not for long with the best players in the world.

The course is not a long one which means more short hitters can throw their hats in the ring this week.  This theory does go out the window when you see how dominant Bubba Watson has been in this tournament.  The key to victory this weekend is getting on the green in two and giving yourself as many birdie opportunities as possible.  I have filled the playbook with strong SG:TG (Strokes Gained: Tee to Green) players, these are the best ball strikers in the world.  I’ve also targeted proximity as well because what’s getting on the green in two if you are 30 feet from the cup.  Putting is always important but these greens are not known to be incredible difficult which is why a player like Russell Knox makes the list despite his putting struggles.

I am going to continue to give my One-And-Done selection each week but damn I can’t believe the luck I have had when I’ve picked a top player.  Rory McIlory, Justin Rose, Phil Mickelson, and Hideki Matsuyama have all missed the cut when I’ve finally decided to play them.  Aaron in the comment section made the right call last week by fading my Rory pick.  I apologize, it has been a rough season.   

Oh sidenote, I mentioned in the playbook Jon Rahm’s girlfriend, who is an 11 … Well, judge for yourself …

And finally, we can’t go a playbook without mentioning our spiritual guide, Paige!  She is in a great mood after a terrific weekend at the PGA Championship.  There was a lot of good in the playbook last week from a value play like Tyrrell Hatton to a top tier play like Branden Grace.  I don’t know many people who had Jimmy Walker in their write ups, much less winning the darn thing, but we live to fight another day … 

GOOD LUCK THIS WEEK!

DFS PGA PLAYBOOK:

PLAYERACESDRAFTKINGSBREAKDOWN
Bubba Watson$6,100$12,300The Good: 2 Wins, a T2 & a 4th Here.  The Bad: 1 Top 15 in last 6 Starts. Making cuts but crapping out over the weekend
Branden Grace$5,900$11,500Love this guy's game. GREAT Ball Striker! T4 at the PGA Last Week (Led the field in Proximity). 6 Top 10s in 15 Starts.
Zach Johnson$5,500$10,2008/10 Cuts Made with 5 Top 25s (6th last year). He's finished in the Top 20 in 4 Straight Starts. He's better on shorter tracks
Webb Simpson$5,100$10,0006/6 Cuts Made at the Travalers (2 Top 15s). 4 Top 15 finishes since the end of May. T13 last week at Baltusrol. GPP ONLY
Jon Rahm$5,500$9,800Everyone is talking about the kid broke most all of Mickelson's records at ASU! T2 in Canada, 2 weeks ago.  Girlfriend is an 11. 
Gary Woodland$5,100$9,100T12 at the Byron Nelson woke him up. He's Made 5/7 Cuts since with 2 Top 5s, 2 Top 12s & 1 Top 25s. 28th in Greens Hit
Francesco Molinari$5,100$8,900T22 last week at the PGA & T25 at the Travelers last year.  He is 20th in SG:TG & 32nd in Scoring Average. Don't LOVE the price.
Russell Knox$4,900$8,6006 Top 25s in last 10 starts (2 Majors & the Players included).  4th in GIR & T9 in Proximity. Just hope the putter holds up!
Brendan Steele$4,900$8,500The Majors crushed him but move on. He has 4 Top 25s in 5 Trips to the Travelers (68 scoring avg). 5 Top 20s since Late April 
Marc Leishman$5,050$8,200Won the Travelers in 2012 & is 5/5 in Cuts Made. He has also cashed in his last 7 events. CASH or GPP Playable
Martin Laird$4,750$8,000T21, T7 & T2 in his last 4 Starts coming in. Finished T15 at the Travelers last year. He should make for a nice GPP play 
Ryan Moore$4,800$7,800Finished Top 15 in 5 of his last 6 Trips to the Travelers BUT no Top 30s in his last 7 Starts. Course History or Current Form?
Soren Kjeldsen$4,750$7,70016/19 Cuts Made (4 Top 10s - T9 at The Open). 12th in Driving Accuracy, 40th in SG:Putting, & 56th in Scrambling.
Tyrrell Hatton$4,750$7,700Hope you listened & used him last week (T10) & T5 at The Open. The Brit is on FIRE! 9 Top 20s Worldwide since February. 
Padraig Harrington$4,950$7,4005 Cuts Made in last 6 Weeks (3 Top 25s - T13 at Baltusrol). 5/6 Cuts Made at the Travelers with a T5 & T11.
Fredrik Jacobson$4,650$6,800Won the Travelers in 2011 & is 4/4 Cuts Made since (Par or Better in all 20 rounds). Quiet this season but reliable
Russell Henley$4,700$6,400No one expected a T22 at the PGA after Back-to-Back MCs. Travelers Debut but we like his 35th in GIR & 22nd in Proximity.
Michael Thompson$4,550$6,200Streaky player with a T4 & T14 in his last 2 starts. Finished 4th here in 2011. T13 in Proxomity & No One is Talking About Him
Brendon De Jonge$4,450$6,000TERRIBLE start but turning it around, T11 & T26 recently. 2 Top 10s at the Travelers (2010 & 2012). Nice under the radar play.
Si Woo Kim$4,500$5,700WAY too good of a player to be priced this low.  Throw him in a few GPPs w/out fear. Played well despite MC at the PGA

DRAFT KINGS OPTIMAL LINEUPS:

DRAFT KINGS CASHPRICE
Zach Johnson$10,200
Gary Woodland $9,100
Brendan Steele$8,500
Marc Leishman$8,200
Ryan Moore$7,800
Si Woo Kim$5,700

 

DRAFT KINGS GPPPRICE
Bubba Watson$12,300
Webb Simpson$10,000
Marc Leishman$8,200
Tyrrell Hatton$7,700
Brendon De Jonge$6,000
Si Woo Kim$5,700

FANTASY ACES OPTIMAL LINEUPS:

ACES CASHPRICE
Zach Johnson$5,550
Gary Woodland$5,100
Marc Leishman$5,050
Branden Steele$4,900
Fredrik Jacobson$4,650
Si Woo Kim$4,500

 

ACES GPP PRICE
Bubba Watson$6,100
Webb Simpson$5,100
Marc Leishman$5,050
Tyrrell Hatton$4,750
Si Woo Kim$4,500
Brendon De Jonge$4,450

ONE-AND-DONE OPTIMAL SELECTION:

ONE AND DONE PLAYFINISH
Hyaundai: Patrick Reed2nd - $688,000
Sony: Harris EnglishT56 - $12,818
CareerBuilder: Bill HaasT9 - $162,400
Farmers: Nick WatneyMissed Cut
Phoenix: Ryan MooreT11 - $149,500
Pebble: J.B. HolmesT11 - $143,500
Northern Trust: K.J. ChoiT5 - $258,400
Honda: Luke DonaldT61 - $13,115
WGC-Cadillac: Dustin Johnson T14 - $120,000
Valspar: Kevin Na  T22 - $52,959.09
Arnold Palmer: Francisco Molinari   T9 - $170,100
Puerto Rico: Scott Brown   T5 - $109,500
Shell Open: Charley HoffmanT33 - $36,720.00
The Masters: Phil MickelsonMissed Cut
RBC Heritage: Matt KucharT9 - $147,500
Valero: Billy HorschelT4 - $233,740
Zurich: Justin RoseMissed Cut
Wells Fargo: Gary WoodlandT24 - $62,232.50
Players: Sergio GarciaT54 - $24,150
Byron Nelson: Ryan PalmerMissed Cut
Colonial: Chris KirkT15 - $117,250
Memorial: Hideki MatsuyamaMissed Cut
St. Jude: Retief GoosenT12 - $125,550
U.S. Open: Adam ScottT18 - $120,978
Quicken Loans: Jim FurykT21 - $64,773.75
Bridgestone: Zach JohnsonT10 - $167,750
British Open: Martin KaymerT36 - $42,900
RBC: William McGirtT59 - $13,039
PGA Champ: Rory McIloryMissed Cut
Travelers: Bubba Watson???