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PGA DFS: Top Cash Game Picks for the Zurich Classic on DraftKings

By Alex Hunter @Hunta512
Apr 24, 2024

After watching Scottie Scheffler amazingly win his fourth event in his last five starts at the RBC Heritage, the PGA TOUR will next be hosting the Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana (par 72, 7,435 yards, POA Trivialis greens). This is a team-based event, with 80 teams of two competing, which has been the format since 2017. Before then, the Zurich Classic was a standard stroke play tournament. While the format has changed, TPC Louisiana has been the only home of the Zurich Classic since 2005. The first and third rounds this week will be best ball format, while the second and fourth rounds will be alternate shot stroke play. After the first 36 holes, there will be a cut and the top 33 and ties will advance. Finishing at -30 and two shots clear of the field, Davis Riley and Nick Hardy won last year’s Zurich Classic.

The PGA DFS Breakdown offers data-driven analysis for each week’s slate, using the FantasyLabs Tools and metrics to highlight notable golfers.

I’ll be highlighting the best cash game/single-entry plays on the DraftKings main slate, but these players are often great options in any contest.

My analysis will frequently reference Strokes Gained, a set of proprietary metrics generated by the PGA TOUR using millions of data points to calculate how many shots, on average, it takes a player to get the ball in the hole from every distance and situation.

Strokes Gained is now available in the FantasyLabs PGA Models.

There are a variety of Strokes Gained-related metrics, but the six main categories you need to know include:

Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (SG: Off-the-Tee)
Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: Approach)
Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green (SG: Around-the-Green)
Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: Putting)
Strokes Gained: Ball-Striking (SG: Ball-Striking), which is SG: Off-the-Tee + SG: Approach
Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (SG: Tee-to-Green), which is SG: Ball-Striking + SG: Around-the-Green

Don’t forget to check out two key metrics in our models — Perfect% and SimLeverage. You can find an explainer on those metrics here.

The cliff notes version is that you can use SimLeverage to quickly find leverage plays in tournaments, while Perfect% is great for finding the best price-considered plays for cash games.

And don’t forget to utilize our various PGA DFS tools like our Lineup Optimizer, Lineup Builder, PGA Correlation Dashboard, and our Trends tool.

The following players listed are based on DraftKings scoring and pricing.

PGA DFS Cash Game Thoughts

Note: FantasyLabs has partnered with Betsperts Golf and the Rabbit Hole! Sign up for the biggest database of golf stats available on the internet and get 25% off a yearly sub with our link!

Unless otherwise noted, all Strokes Gained metrics referenced in this article come via the Rabbit Hole.

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DraftKings $10,000+ Range

Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele ($11,200) – This is a very top-heavy field, and Cantlay and Schauffele are underpriced for their chances of winning this week despite the slate-high salary. With the pairing boasting +450 odds to win the Zurich Classic on the DraftKings Sportsbook, Cantlay and Schauffele should have been priced over $12,000, and building around this duo is a wise move this week. They competed as a team for the last three Zurich Classics, finishing T11th, 1st, and T4th over that span. Cantlay is coming off his best start of the season with a T3 at the RBC Heritage last week, and Schauffele has produced seven top-10 finishes in 10 starts this season, which ranks second only to Scheffler.

Plus, when we compare this field’s last 50 rounds on Dye-designed courses, Cantlay and Schauffele rank first and second respectively via the BetSperts Rabbit Hole Tool. In our PGA models, this pairing carries the highest Perfect% by a sizable gap.

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DraftKings $9,000 Range

Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy ($9,400) – If not paying up for Cantlay and Schauffele, building a more balanced lineup beginning with a few $9,000 options makes the most sense, with Hoge and McNealy being one of the best choices. Hoge has been incredible with his irons this season, ranking second on the PGA TOUR in SG: Approach, which is excellent news for a second-shot venue like TPC Louisiana. With the brilliant ball striking, the veteran has produced seven top-25 finishes in 12 starts his season. Additionally, while these results came with different partners, Hoge has made 3-of-5 cuts at the Zurich Classic since it became a team event, with two top-15 finishes. Combine his savvy for this event with McNealy’s also strong form – he has recorded three top-15s in his last six starts – and this squad should contend this week.

Adam Hadwin/Nick Taylor ($9,200) – Hadwin and Taylor finished runner up at last year’s Zurich Classic in their first attempt as a team, and they are a safe target at this price point. Both of these players have multiple top 10s on their resume this season, most notably with a win at the Phoenix Open for Taylor. While both players have been inconsistent as of late, Hadwin and Taylor are both extremely talented players, and they are underpriced for the upside they bring as a unit in this weak field.

Now in beta testing: our PGA DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.

DraftKings $8,000 Range

Thomas Detry/Robert MacIntyre ($8,500) – Detry finished T13th at last year’s Zurich Classic with Victor Perez as his partner and brings great upside again this time around with MacIntyre as his teammate. Detry is a much more polished player now and is currently playing some of the best golf of his career, with four top-25 finishes this season, including a runner up at the Houston Open last month. Detry’s putting has been elite – he ranks 18th in SG: Putting this season – and while MacIntyre has had an up-down season, he is still the No.82 ranked golfer in the world. This duo is just too cheap for their talent, and they should complement each other well in their debut as a team this week.

David Lipsky/Aaron Rai ($8,400) – This will be the third straight year this pairing has competed together at the Zurich Classic and they have been excellent as a duo, finishing T4th in 2022 and then T13th last year. Lipsky and Rai clearly love competing at TPC Louisiana, and with Rai in strong form, this team is a standout target in this price range. Rai has carded three top-25 finishes in his last seven starts – including a T7 at the Valero Texas Open – and he ranks 11th in SG: Approach when we compare this field’s last 50 rounds, via the Rabbit Hole.

DraftKings $7,000 Range

Taylor Moore/Matthew NeSmith ($7,700) – At this sub-$8,000 salary, Moore and NeSmith are without a doubt one of the best values on the board. These two have been tremendous as a unit at the Zurich Classic, finishing T4th at each of the past two editions of this event. While NeSmith has been subpar this season, making 5-of-11 cuts, Moore is having arguably his best season on the PGA TOUR, with no missed cuts in 11 starts and four top-25 finishes. In this stellar form, Moore should lead this duo to another quality finish at TPC Louisiana.

K.H. Lee/Michael Kim ($7,600) – Both Lee and Kim have been successful at the team-based Zurich Classic, and they should thrive in their debut as a pairing this week. While with different teammates, Lee has finished T3rd and T23rd in his two appearances at this team tournament, while Kim has made 4-of-6 cuts with two top-20 finishes. As for their form, both Lee and Kim have made four of their past five cuts and have carded two top-25 finishes during this time. Combine their experience at the Zurich Classic with their strong forms, and Lee and Kim bring top-20 upside this week.

DraftKings $6,000 and Below Range

Parker Coody/Pierceson Coody ($6,600) – The Coody brothers travel to TPC Louisiana in compelling form and are an awesome bargain at this low salary despite this being their debut at the par 72. Parker has been rock solid in his first full-time season on the PGA TOUR this year, making 7-of-10 cuts with top-25 finishes, including a season-best T6 at the Corales Puntacana Championship last week. Pierceson hasn’t been as consistent as his brother, making 4-of-8 cuts this season, but he also thrived at the Corales Puntacana Championship last week, posting his best finish of the season with a T18. Parker ranks 34th in SG: Approach this season, while Pierceson ranks 18th in SG: Putting, and the combination of these two skills should translate into success for the Coody brothers at TPC Louisiana. Before the Zurich Classic was converted to a team event in 2017, two of the previous four solo winners at TPC Louisiana finished the week top-10 in both SG: Approach and SG: Putting.

Charley Hoffman/Nick Watney ($6,200) – Hoffman and Watney bring more experience as a team than any other squad competing this week and must be considered at this near-minimum salary. This duo has advanced to the weekend at five-of-the-six team-formatted Zurich Classics, with four of these finishes impressively being top-20 results. Watney has had an ugly season, but Hoffman is in encouraging form and should lead this team to another made cut at TPC Louisiana.

The veteran has made two straight cuts, with the latter finish being a T4 at the Corales Puntacana Championship last week, which is Hoffman’s best finish of the season.