PGA DFS: Zurich Classic DraftKings Picks

The PGA TOUR heads to New Orleans to play the 2023 Zurich Classic. In a welcome change from the usual stroke play, the Zurich Classic will be a team event. On Thursday and Saturday, the teams will play best ball, and on Friday and Sunday, the teams will play a alternate shot.

TPC Louisiana is a par 72 measuring 7,425 yards. The course features some short par 4s and plenty of water and bunkers, making for a lot of exciting risk/reward scenarios for the competitors. Pete Dye designed the course in 2004 specifically for the Zurich Classic, although the event didn’t make its debut until 2007 because of Hurricane Katrina.

The field this week leaves a lot to be desired, with many of the world’s top players using this time to rest after a busy stretch. Some of the notable teams include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Billy Horschel and Sam Burns, Max Homa and Collin Morikawa, and Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim.

DraftKings $10,000+ Picks

Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele ($11,100 DraftKings)

The defending champions are extremely pricey this week and for good reason. The pair demolished the field last year and shot a tournament record of -29. Amazingly, the Californians reached that score over the first three rounds and still won fairly easily with a final-round score of even par.

Cantlay and Schauffele will be very popular despite their price, but they’re worth playing regardless. It’s difficult to envision them finishing outside of the top three with the form they’re currently in.

DraftKings $9,000+ Picks

Billy Horschel and Sam Burns ($9,500 DraftKings)

This team is my pick to win the tournament. They also represent the best value on the DraftKings board this week. I believe they have the second-best chance to win the tournament, yet they’re priced as the 10th most expensive team. The concerns around Horschel’s form are what is driving the discount on them, but I don’t feel his poor play of late will hold back the team as much as people may think.

Billy has won this event twice (both as an individual and as part of a team), and he’s shown in the past that he can show up to courses that he loves and compete despite not being at his best.

Both of these players are elite putters on Bermudagrass. In this format, that could be enough to carry them deep into contention.

DraftKings $8,000+ Picks

Davis Riley and Nick Hardy ($8,600 DraftKings)

According to Data Golf, Riley and Hardy are the team that has the most similarity to their games and should complement each other perfectly. Riley finished in a tie for fourth last year playing alongside Will Zalatoris, and while Hardy isn’t the player Zal is, he is an above-average birdie maker, which is important to consider in this format.

Riley has been playing decent golf despite his up-and-down results recently. He missed the cut at the RBC Heritage but did so, gaining 5.2 strokes on approach, which was the most he’s gained since May of 2022 (Charles Schwab).

I think a top-10 finish for this duo is likely.

DraftKings $7,000+ Picks

Thorbjorn Olesen and Nicolai Hojgaard ($7,900 DraftKings)

I am very high on the Danes chances to play well this week. Both Olesen and Hojgaard are in pretty good form and have a similar game that should complement each other well in this unique format. In Olesen’s past five starts, he hasn’t finished worse than 20th and also has a win at the Thailand Classic and a T4 at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship to his name.

Nicolai has been excellent as well. He finished secpmd at the Corales Puntacana Championship and followed it up with a 28th at the Valero Texas Open, an event in which he gained 5.2 strokes on approach.

This is the one team below 8K that wouldn’t surprise me if they won the event.

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DraftKings $6,000+ Picks

Seung-yul Noh and Michael Kim ($6,800 DraftKings)

The 6K range is somewhat bleak, but I like taking a shot at Noh and Kim here. Noh won the Zurich Classic in 2014 when it was an individual event, so clearly likes the course. He’s also playing decent at the moment, having made the cut in four of his past five starts.

Michael Kim is playing some sneaky good golf. He’s gained strokes on approach in four of his past five starts and has finishes of 5th, 45th, 26th, and 46th in that span.

This South Korean duo certainly doesn’t have the accolades of Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim, but they should have strong comradery and may be able to surprise some people this week.