This article is part of our DraftKings PGA DFS Picks series.
PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Purse: $10M
Winner's Share: $1,800,000
FedEx Cup Points: 600 to the Winner
Location: Springfield, N.J.
Course: Baltusrol Golf Club (Lower)
Yardage: 7,428
Par: 70
2015 champion: Jason Day
Tournament Preview
Just 11 days after one major tournament ended, another one will begin as the Olympic-induced schedule begins to wind down. This will be the 98th edition of the PGA Championship, and for the first time since 1971 it will not be contested in August. Back then, it was moved to February to avoid the searing summer heat and humidity of Florida. But, New Jersey in summertime can be every bit as brutal. Ninety-seven of the top 100 in the OWGR are entered as the final major of the season returns to Baltusrol, 11 years after Phil Mickelson won his second major there. Two dozen other golfers who played then will be back. This is a classic A.W. Tillinghast course -- straight forward, tree-lined fairways, five-inch rough, nothing tricked out. It has undergone modifications since the 2005 tournament. Rees Jones has overseen the changes, adding fairway bunkers and deepening existing bunkers. There are now 138 in all. Normally a par-72, the course has been converted to an enormous par-70 by making Nos. 1 and 7 two of the many long par-4s. There are only two par-5s in this setup and they are the final two holes on the course. No. 17 tops out at 649 yards and No. 18 measures 554. Back in 2005, there was just one eagle
PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Purse: $10M
Winner's Share: $1,800,000
FedEx Cup Points: 600 to the Winner
Location: Springfield, N.J.
Course: Baltusrol Golf Club (Lower)
Yardage: 7,428
Par: 70
2015 champion: Jason Day
Tournament Preview
Just 11 days after one major tournament ended, another one will begin as the Olympic-induced schedule begins to wind down. This will be the 98th edition of the PGA Championship, and for the first time since 1971 it will not be contested in August. Back then, it was moved to February to avoid the searing summer heat and humidity of Florida. But, New Jersey in summertime can be every bit as brutal. Ninety-seven of the top 100 in the OWGR are entered as the final major of the season returns to Baltusrol, 11 years after Phil Mickelson won his second major there. Two dozen other golfers who played then will be back. This is a classic A.W. Tillinghast course -- straight forward, tree-lined fairways, five-inch rough, nothing tricked out. It has undergone modifications since the 2005 tournament. Rees Jones has overseen the changes, adding fairway bunkers and deepening existing bunkers. There are now 138 in all. Normally a par-72, the course has been converted to an enormous par-70 by making Nos. 1 and 7 two of the many long par-4s. There are only two par-5s in this setup and they are the final two holes on the course. No. 17 tops out at 649 yards and No. 18 measures 554. Back in 2005, there was just one eagle at 17, and that was a hole-out. John Daly was the only golfer able to reach the green in two, but that was another era. The course's signature hole is called the Famous Fourth, a 195-yarder reminiscent of the 12th at Augusta, with water protecting the front of the green and bunkers to the rear.
Key Stats to Winning at Baltusrol
• Total driving
• Par-4 efficiency: 450-500 yards
• Approaches from 200-225 yards
• Proximity to the hole
Past Champions
2015 - Jason Day
2014 - Rory McIlroy
2013 - Jason Dufner
2012 - Rory McIlroy
2011 - Keegan Bradley
2010 - Martin Kaymer
2009 - Y.E. Yang
2008 - Padraig Harrington
2007 - Tiger Woods
2006 - Tiger Woods
Champion's Profile:
Baltusrol has played host to four U.S. Opens, two won by Jack Nicklaus, and thinking of golfers who perform well on U.S. Open tracks would serve you well this week. With seven par-4s between 450 and roughly 500 yards, plus the two par-5s, that means long iron play will be paramount, even for the biggest hitters. In 2005, Mickelson toned down his Phil the Thrill act, and was one of the shortest drivers (75th). It only marginally helped him keep the ball in the fairway (37th in accuracy). Still, he was eighth in greens in regulation and fifth in putts per GIR. Surprisingly, Mickelson was only 49th in scrambling, but it didn't hurt him. The winning score was a measly 4-under, but Mickelson had it to 8-under after 36 holes before shooting twin 2-over 72s on the weekend. That was good enough to best Thomas Bjorn and Steve Elkington by a stroke.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Jason Day - $11,700 (Winning odds at golfodds.com: 9-1)
Dustin Johnson - $11,600 (8-1)
Rory McIlroy - $11,400 (9-1)
Phil Mickelson - $10,200 (15-1)
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Adam Scott - $9,600 (30-1)
Sergio Garcia - $9,400 (25-1)
Matt Kuchar - $8,600 (40-1)
Patrick Reed - $8,100 (40-1)
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Jim Furyk - $7,600 (50-1)
Marc Leishman - $7,500 (100-1)
Scott Piercy - $7,400 (100-1)
Charl Schwartzel - $7,300 (50-1)
Justin Thomas - $7,200 (100-1)
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Emiliano Grillo - $6,900 (125-1)
Kevin Na - $6,700 (125-1)
Kevin Chappell - $6,700 (100-)
David Lingmerth - $6,300 (150-1)
Jason Kokrak - $5,900 (250-1)
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Cash Game Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Rory McIlroy - $11,400
Matt Kuchar - $8,600
Patrick Reed - $8,100
Jim Furyk - $7,600
Byeong-Hun An - $7,400
Emiliano Grillo - $6,900
To be honest, we're not sure which is a low-risk lineup and which is high risk. We decided that this is a little less risky because we don't dip below $6,900 here. When McIlroy is on, he could challenge Henrik Stenson for best long iron player in the game, and the Northern Irishman is better off the tee. If McIlroy is at the top of his game, he will be in the mix come Sunday, and that's why we picked him. But, we've also seen many back-door top-10s since his last major win at the 2014 PGA. Kuchar is Mr. Steady, likely to be highly owned, and a good-to-very-good golfer on almost any setup. Reed's weakness is putting and, as mentioned, this is the kind of track on which to be an okay putter. Furyk finished second at the U.S. Open, and Baltusrol certainly has been compared to some Open-type courses. An is a bit of a hunch pick, someone who surely will be lightly owned, but a youngster getting better all the time. The South Korean missed the cut in his debut PGA last year, but was top-25 at this year's U.S. Open and also made the cut at the Open Championship. Grillo, for a little guy, hits the ball pretty far off the tee, and is very accurate with his driver and long irons. Just don't ask him to make a big putt.
Higher-Risk Tournament Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Dustin Johnson - $11,600
Adam Scott - $9,600
Sergio Garcia - $9,400
Charl Schwartzel - $7,300
Brendan Steele - $6,000
Jason Kokrak - $5,900
To be able to get Johnson, Scott, and Garcia in one lineup gets us pretty excited (at least until our fifth pick). Johnson is playing a third week in a row, as is Jason Day. But, the world No. 2 is remarkably fit, as opposed to the world No. 1, who always seems to be dealing with some sort of ailment. Scott and Garcia are two of the best long iron players in the game, and we have loaded both lineups with that type of golfer. (Stenson may be the best in the world at that, but we'd be surprised if he's come down off his major high so soon after breaking through.) Schwartzel is a bargain at $7,300. Steele is another strong iron player, but also a bit unwieldy off the tee, and weekend play would be welcome for a $6,000 price point. Kokrak is a big, lumbering guy whose game gets shakier closer to the green. We're downplaying, but far from dismissing, scrambling and putting this week. Of course, as we've said countless times, a hot putter will cure a lot of ails, but par will be a very good score on almost every hole.
