This week on the PGA Tour, we get the single largest purse of the season. The Players Championship takes place this week at TPC Sawgrass on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. 144 players will compete in one of the most important non-major events of the season. Will back-to-back winner Scottie Scheffler find his form and complete the three-peat? Will a different previous winner take the title from him, or will a younger, new champion emerge? Let’s dive in!

 

 

THE PLAYERS Championship 2025: Daily Fantasy Golf Picks & Projections

TPC Sawgrass has been the home for many memorable moments. Since becoming the course for this tournament in 1982, we've seen many highlights. From Jerry Pate winning here in it's first season and throwing Pete Dye and Deane Beman into the water, to Scottie Scheffler coming back from a 5 shot deficit on Sunday to be come the first ever back-to-back winner in tournament history, many a historic moment have happened on this course. This year projects to be no different!

 

 

TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course: Course Breakdown This Week

As many Pete Dye courses are, TPC Sawgrass’s Stadium Course is a tough test. With its fair share of water hazards, green-side bunkers, undulating greens, and designed landing spots, players must be on top of all aspects of their game to compete here. While it’s tough, it certainly can be scored on. The lowest winning score in the last 10 years was Si Woo Kim’s win in 2016-17, where -10 was enough to get it done, but as we saw last year with Scottie, -20 is in the cards here as well. As with all Florida courses, weather is something we need to watch. At the time of writing, there is not much rain in the forecast, but we are expecting heavier winds for afternoon tee times. 

While TPC Sawgrass has seen multiple repeat winners and top finishers here, this course is far less predictive than most. Last year, for example, Scottie Scheffler was the only player in the top 5 who had a finish better than T19th, with 3 of the 5 having missed cuts in the two years prior. As we go further down the leaderboard, we see even more of this: only three players who finished T16th through T26th (12 total players) had made the cut the previous year. This can be any player's course during any year if their game is on point.


Breaking down the holes, we see our standard 4/10/4 array that is common on all par 72 courses. The Par 3s, save for the iconic 17th hole’s island green, which plays 141 yards, will play between 180 and 236 yards. The Par 4s all fall between 365 and 485 yards, with our 4 Par 5s playing between 535 and 601 yards, respectively. As we’ve commonly seen in the Florida swing, the course features Tifsport Bermudagrass throughout. Tifsport Bermuda is different than traditional Bermuda in that it is a more dense form of Bermudagrass, which will be factored in this week, though putting on Bermuda will remain an important part of our model. 


When looking at courses that play similarly to TPC Sawgrass, it’s no surprise that many of the other shorter Pete Dye courses play very similarly. Harbour Town, The Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale, and TPC River Highlands are the most similar courses. They possess many of the same features, and their leaderboards often overlap with players who are strong ball strikers, who can keep it in play off the tee and scramble well around the greens. As a result, some of the key statistics that will be in this play this week will be Driving Accuracy, SG: Around-the-Green and Scrambling, Par-5 scoring, and Comp Course History.

 

 

THE PLAYERS Championship 2025 Field: Golf DFS

This week at TPC Sawgrass, we will see 144 players teeing it up. All of the top 10 players in the OWGR will be in attendance, meaning this will officially be the strongest field we’ve seen in 2025. Back-to-Back Champion Scottie Scheffler leads the way here and is joined by many previous winners, including Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Si-Woo Kim, Jason Day, Rickie Fowler, and Matt Kuchar. 

While the field does have most of the top talent on tour, there are quite a few lower-ranked players who can still offer some excitement this week. As previously mentioned, relative unknowns and low-ranked players can score here if their stats line up. Lineups this week will need to be diverse, as many of the high-end players will likely see 15 percent or higher rostership. 

When looking at some of our key stats this week, we do see a handful of names that we expect, but we also see quite a few surprising names. The top 5 in the field in terms of Par 4 Birdie or Better are Harry Hall, Karl Vilips, Justin Thomas, Erik Van Rooyen, and Cam Davis. Our top 5 in Driving Accuracy are Ben Kohles, Brice Garnett, Collin Morikawa, Lucas Glover, and Aaron Rai. Our leaders Around The Green are Peter Malnati, Brian Campbell, Hideki Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee, and Alex Smalley. Off that, with scrambling, our leaders are Hideki Matsuyama, Keith Mitchell, Michael Kim, Scottie Scheffler, and Collin Morikawa. Lastly, our Par 5 scoring leaders are Nicolai Hojgaard, C.T. Pan, Taylor Moore, Taylor Pendrith, and Patrick Cantlay.

 

 

This Week’s PGA DFS Optimizer & Lineup Generator

To enhance your daily fantasy golf selections and secure optimal PGA DFS values, it's advisable to utilize our PGA DFS optimizer and lineup generator. This optimizer serves as a valuable resource for daily fantasy golf enthusiasts aiming to develop effective lineups!

It provides projections, updates on player injuries, and a range of analytical insights to facilitate the lineup-building process. Essentially, it functions as a strategic advantage for participants in daily fantasy golf and makes their own PGA DFS picks!

PGA Best Bets & Predictions: 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational (9-11 Overall, +4.75 Units)

  • Joel Dahmen: Top 30 (+260)
  • Collin Morikawa: Round 1 Score Under 69.5 Strokes (-105) 
  • THE PLAYERS Championship One-and-Done Picks:
    • Hideki Matsuyama 
    • Collin Morikawa

 

 

 

GOLF DFS PICKS THIS WEEK: Top Tier


Scottie Scheffler ($13,000 FanDuel/$12,800 DraftKings)

Scottie will probably see exceedingly high rostership this week, given his status as back-to-back champion here, but there is a chance his lack of success of late will impact this back down to a reasonable level. While he has yet to capture a win in 2025, he still has 4 straight T25th or better finishes. His driving was the last club to fully come back after his injury, but this past weekend at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, he led the field in SG: OTT. The rest of his game is in order, and if the driver continues to perform, it would not be surprising to see Scottie end up completing the three-peat this weekend.

Hideki Matsuyama ($10,900 FanDuel/$9,900 DraftKings)

While Scottie is the favorite in most people’s minds, Hideki is my favorite to win this week. Much like Scottie, his driver has been his worst club this season, as he ranks 175th in Total Driving, but the rest of his game is pristine. As previously mentioned, he’s top 5 in the field around the green, scrambling, and out of the sand, is top 35 in putting, and top 20 in SG: Approach. He lines up nearly perfectly for this course, and I expect him to be a much more reasonable play this week than Scottie.

Collin Morikawa ($11,100 FanDuel/$10,500 DraftKings)

Though he couldn’t finish last week, Collin showed his game is as good as it has ever been. He’s in the top 5 in driving accuracy, proximity, putting average, and one putt percentage. He’s top 10 in Putts Per Round, Approach to Green, Scrambling inside 10 yards, and proximity to the hole from the sand. He leads the entire PGA TOUR in Birdie Average, par breakers, Birdie or Better percentage, and Par 3 Birdies or Better. Collin lines up as well or better than anyone in the field, and him winning this week should be no shock.

 

 

GOLF DFS PICKS THIS WEEK: MID-TIER

Tommy Fleetwood ($10,700 FanDuel/$9,800 DraftKings)

Fleetwood represents a great value at these prices. Statistically, he lines up very similarly to the top players in the budget pool, as he’s in the top half of the tour in Driving Accuracy, top 35 in SG: OTT, 10th in SG: Total, and 4th in SG: Approach. Where he has struggled this year has been the short game, as he ranks just inside the top 100 in SG: Putting and outside of the top 140 in Scrambling. With his accuracy, I still think Fleetwood is in a great spot this week.

Sepp Straka ($10,000 FanDuel/$8,600 DraftKings)

Straka continued to stay hot this past week with a T5th finish at the Arnold Palmer. I’m expecting that to continue this week at THE PLAYERS. He’s done very well in 2025 with only one missed cut and 6 top 15 finishes, including his win at the AmEx in January. He’s been one of the 10 most accurate drivers this year, has been a top 10 player on approach, and his weakness this year has been his putter. However, calling that a weakness is a bit hard when you consider he’s top 50 in SG: Putting thus far. He continues to avoid bogeys well and is top 5 in Birdie or Better Percentage, and is top 10 in Par 4 and 5 scoring. He’s playing the best golf of his career, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

Keegan Bradley ($9,900 FanDuel/$7,700 DraftKings)

We’re sticking with Captain America this week. Keegan set a record on Sunday at Bay Hill with the lowest opening nine-hole score in course history. All parts of his game were clicking, and his T5th finish was his best since his win at the BMW Championship in August. Statistically, he’s in the top half of the field in Driving Accuracy, top 20 in Tee to Green Shots Gained, and top 30 or better in every one of our major statistical categories. At a sub-10k price this week on FanDuel and sub-8k on DraftKings, he’s one of the best values.

Jason Day ($9,800 FanDuel/$8,100 DraftKings)

Jason Day has returned to form in a major way. After a disappointing start to 2024, where he recorded only 5 Top 10 or better finishes throughout the year, he bounced back following his missed cut at the U.S. Open. From the John Deere Classic to today, not only has he not missed a single cut, but he’s finished outside the top 25 in only 5 of his 13 starts and has 4 top 10s in the same span. He has not been perfect, struggling off the tee and outside the top 100 in SG: Putting overall, but this past weekend was his best putting performance since the Olympics and his best on tour since the Farmers Open in 2023. If the putter can stay hot, Day will shock

 

 

 

GOLF DFS PICKS THIS WEEK: VALUE TIER

Aaron Rai ($8,800 FanDuel/$7,100 DraftKings)

Rai is playing some great golf as of late, with a T11th at the Arnold Palmer and a T4th at the Mexico Open. While no parts of his game have been spectacular, he ranks inside the top 50 in Strokes Gained Total, Off The Tee, Approach to Green, Birdie or Better Percentage, and Par 4 scoring. He’s one of the most accurate drivers in 2025, currently ranking 6th amongst all Tour pros, and has had success both at this course and at our comparison courses. He’s a great low-cost option this week.

Michael Kim ($7,700 FanDuel/$5,900 DraftKings)

Will Michael Kim hurt me again? Maybe. That’s a risk I’m willing to take though. They always say “you’re never wrong, you’re just early” and that was the case for me with Kim. He’s found his form in a major way since I stopped writing about him after his missed cut at the Farmers. Since then, he’s finished T13th or better in all 5 tournaments he’s played, including top 5’s at the Phoenix Open and Arnold Palmer. Sure, he could putt better and be more accurate with the driver, but his all-around game is in a great spot right now, and I won’t be passing on him at this majorly discounted price.

Robert MacIntyre ($9,100 FanDuel/$8,300 DraftKings)

MacIntyre, like Michael Kim, is playing some great golf. Outside of his missed cut at the Genesis Invitational, he’s finished T11th and T6th over the last 3 events played. His game off the tee has remained a consistent strength, as he has not lost shots off the tee since the Wyndham Championship in August, and his putter, when on, has been great for him as well. He’s not a perfect player, as most players in this price range aren’t, but he presents a great option to shock people this week.

 

 

PGA DFS Picks This Week (Cheat Sheet)

Player Pool

$ Tier {{pos.alias}}

Stacks

{{stack.team.name}} {{player.name}}
DraftKings {{player.fantasy.price.value[8]}}-
Fanduel {{player.fantasy.price.value[6]}}-