THE PLAYERS Championship PGA DFS Stats Preview: Course Fits, GPP Picks, and Values

The PGA TOUR heads to TPC Sawgrass to play in one of the most prestigious and important events of the season: THE PLAYERS Championship. Often referred to as the fifth major, the importance of a PLAYERS victory to the legacy of a golfer can’t be overlooked.

TPC Sawgrass is a par 72 measuring 7,245 yards and features Bermuda-grass greens. As a Pete Dye design, golfers must be patient in attacking the course.

With trouble lurking at every turn, the strokes can add up quickly. With a par-5 16th that is a true risk-reward hole, and with the famous par-3 17th island green, the only safe bet at TPC Sawgrass is a bet on an exciting finish.

THE PLAYERS Championship field is often referred to as the strongest field of the year — and with good reason. There are 144 in the field, including 43 of the world’s top 50 players in the OWGR. Tiger Woods will not be playing in the event.

THE PLAYERS is an exceptionally volatile event that has never seen a back-to-back winner. There will most definitely not be a repeat winner this season, as last year’s champion Cameron Smith has taken his talents to LIV Golf.

For GPP contests on DraftKings, I will be breaking down the key stats (past 24 rounds) and selecting golfers from different price tiers to provide flexibility for a DFS lineup.

For large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 150 lineups, or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.

Don’t forget about the other tools that FantasyLabs has to offer, such as the Trends tool and PGA Correlation Dashboard.

This analysis may 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.

Use Underdog Fantasy promo code LABS to get a $100 sign-up bonus on any Underdog pick’em contests for THE PLAYERS Championship.

Strokes Gained: Approach

Strokes Gained: Approach has historically been far and away the most important and predictive stat at THE PLAYERS Championship. With water everywhere, golfers can’t afford to be wild with their iron shots. Not only is it essential to avoid the water, but it will also be as essential to go after pins and make birdies since scores can get relatively low.

High-end target: Xander Schauffele — $10,000 (4th SG: Approach)
Mid-range target: Rickie Fowler— $7,500 (6th SG: Approach)
Value target: David Lipsky — $6,700 (15th SG: Approach)

Good Drives Gained

This statistic is perfect for TPC Sawgrass. Historically, driving distance hasn’t been a significant factor, but it’s a bit more of a factor since the date switch to March. During this time of year, the ball won’t carry as far, and the run-out will also be shortened.

Driving accuracy is also crucial due to all of the trouble golfers can get into off of the tee. Therefore, players gaining on the field with good drives will put themselves in an ideal spot this week.

High-end target: Collin Morikawa — $9,500 (2nd Good Drives Gained)
Mid-range target: Jason Day — $8,000 (7th Good Drives Gained)
Value target: Justin Suh — $6,600 (1st Good Drives Gained)

Strokes Gained: Total at Pete Dye Designs

TPC Sawgrass may be Pete Dye’s most famous design, featuring Dye’s typical shaved run-off areas and tricky green complexes. Pete Dye specialists love TPC Sawgrass and should have a significant advantage this week.

High-end target: Jon Rahm — $11,400 (6th SG: Total at Pete Dye designs
Mid-range target: Shane Lowry — $8,200 (1st Total at Pete Dye designs)
Value target: Webb Simpson — $6,800 (9th Total at Pete Dye designs)

Strokes Gained: Ball-Striking

Prototypical ball-strikers have dominated TPC Sawgrass. With past winners like Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Webb Simpson, Rory McIlroy, and Justin Thomas, it is evident that golfers must be striking it pure to contend at THE PLAYERS.

High-end target: Scottie Scheffler — $10,600 (1st SG: Ball Striking)
Mid-range target: Viktor Hovland — $8,900 (14th SG: Ball Striking)
Value target: Jhonnatan Vegas — $6,800 (15th SG: Ball Striking)

Strokes Gained: Par 5

Par 5 efficiency is extremely important at TPC Sawgrass. With all four of the par 5s under 575 yards and three of them under 540 yards, a good amount of the scoring needs to come from these holes collectively.

Last year’s winner, Cameron Smith, was third in par-5 scoring in his past 24 rounds leading into the event.

High-end target: Jon Rahm— $11,800 (1st SG: Par 5)
Mid-range target: Tommy Fleetwood— $7,900 (11th SG: Par 5)
Value target: Jhonnatan Vegas — $6,800 (22nd SG: Par 5)

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TPC Sawgrass is a par 72 measuring 7,245 yards and features Bermuda-grass greens. As a Pete Dye design, golfers must be patient in attacking the course.

For GPP contests on DraftKings, I will be breaking down the key stats (past 24 rounds) and selecting golfers from different price tiers to provide flexibility for a DFS lineup.

For large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 150 lineups, or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.

Don’t forget about the other tools that FantasyLabs has to offer, such as the Trends tool and PGA Correlation Dashboard.

Use Underdog Fantasy promo code LABS to get a $100 sign-up bonus on any Underdog pick’em contests for THE PLAYERS Championship.