This article is part of our FanDuel PGA DFS Picks series.
Texas Open – San Antonio, Texas
TPC San Antonio (7,435 yards, par 72)
$6.2M Purse
$1,116,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points to the winner
Tournament Preview
TPC San Antonio will host its eighth iteration as the PGA Tour pitstops in the Lone Star State for the third of five visits this season. The course itself was designed by Greg Norman with assistance from Sergio Garcia, who is making a return to TPC San Antonio for the first time since 2010. Other top names in the field include Matt Kuchar, Adam Scott, Charley Hoffman, and defending champion Kevin Chappell. The weather forecast looks to be quite windy all week with likely showers Friday and Saturday. At an already tough track, players will have no choice but to grind out pars with solid ballstriking, great scrambling, and thoughtful course management.
Recent Past Champions
2017 – Kevin Chappell
2016 – Charley Hoffman
2015 – Jimmy Walker
2014 – Steven Bowditch
2013 – Martin Laird
2012 – Ben Curtis
2011 – Brendan Steele
2010 – Adam Scott
2009 – Zach Johnson
2008 – Zach Johnson
Key Stats to Winning this Week
• Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green
• GIR percentage
• Scrambling percentage
Champion's Profile
Many players along the talent spectrum have succeed at TPC San Antonio – from Ben Curtis to Adam Scott – but the one thing that is required is driving the ball well. Power is important, but accuracy is the real key. In fact, many players play less than driver on even the longer holes just to keep it in the fairway. With longer par-3s and commonly windy conditions, players have hit just 55-60% of their greens in regulation and made bogey or worse on 50% of those missed greens in recent years. That said, players can really separate themselves from the field if they drive the ball well and hit more greens in regulation. If they don't, they will need to out-scramble their peers to have any shot at contending.
FanDuel Value Picks
The Chalk
Sergio Garcia, $12400 – Sergio returns to the course he helped build and enters as the favorite despite his most recent debacle of posting a 13 on a hole at the Masters as defending champion. We'll give Sergio a pass as he was just a foot or two away from making birdie on that hole, plus he's an elite ball striker who should handle the fierce Texas winds well.
Matt Kuchar, $12100 – A short game artist with four top-25s the past six years in San Antonio, Kuchar should again rise to the occasion for another nice finish. His experience and consistency should tame any bad weather conditions the players experience.
Charley Hoffman, $11200 – Easily with the best record at TPC San Antonio, Hoffman's history says it all: eight top-15s in the last nine years including a win in 2016. Don't overthink this one, just know that Charley is quite fond of this week's venue and put him in your lineup.
Luke List, $10900 – As a great fit on paper and great momentum coming into this week, List is ready to earn his first top-10 at TPC San Antonio. He's made two of three career cuts, but he should easily overcome last year's missed cut with a rewarding finish this week.
Longer Shots Worth a Risk
Jimmy Walker, $9400 – Walker is a bit of an enigma at this event, collecting three top-25s but also three missed cuts since 2011. He's a great driver of the ball with a strong putter, plus his Texas ties help him familiarize with the typically windy conditions. He's a solid lineup filler this week, but does come with some risk.
Kevin Streelman, $9100 – Not only is Streelman 18th in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, he's fourth on TOUR in scrambling. This proves to be a deadly combination for TPC San Antonio, making Streelman a diamond in the rough for this week's event.
Billy Horschel, $9100 – Ripe off a top-5 at last week's RBC Heritage, Horschel is clearly playing well and has a strong history in San Antonio. Three top-4 finishes in the past five tries mean his potential is high this week, especially at just $9100.
Kevin Na, $8600 – As one of the TOUR's best scramblers year in and year out, Na should find his niche this week. Despite infamously making a 16 on the par-4 ninth hole in 2011, he's actually a solid fit for the course with his great accuracy and ability to scramble well in windy conditions.
Strategy Tips for this week (based on 60k standard salary cap)
Perennially one of the toughest tracks on the PGA Tour, TPC San Antonio should bare its teeth again this week with a windy and rainy forecast. Course history at this venue appears to be more important than most other events, so lean on favorites like Matt Kuchar, Charley Hoffman, and Brendan Steele who have great records here. Beyond that, seek bargain options who are playing well and have good Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green in recent events.
