This article is part of our FanDuel PGA DFS Picks series.
A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier – White Sulphur Springs, WV
The Old White TPC (7,287 yards, par 70)
$7.3M Purse
$1,314,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points to the winner
Tournament Preview
After floods drove tournament organizers to cancel the 2016 version of this event, The Greenbrier Classic returned to the schedule last season, with rookie Xander Schauffele hoisting the trophy. Now named "A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier", this year's field is headlined by local property owners Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson, the latter whom enters off an impressive six-stroke comeback win at the Travelers Championship two weeks ago. Joining those two are five other players ranked inside the top 35 in the world and all seven champions since the event started in 2010. The Old White TPC course was established in 1914 and fittingly named after the Old White Hotel that once stood on its property for six decades. The par-70 layout features an atypical par-3 finishing hole that challenges traditionalist views but invokes plenty of nail-biting drama as the tournament concludes.
Recent Past Champions
2017 – Xander Schauffele
2016 – Cancelled due to flooding
2015 – Danny Lee
2014 – Angel Cabrera
2013 – Jonas Blixt
2012 – Ted Potter, Jr.
2011 – Scott Stallings
2010 – Stuart Appleby
Key Stats to Victory
• Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green
• Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee
• Par-4 Scoring
• Birdie-or-better percentage
Champion's Profile
The 2016 floods initiated a 2017 rebuild of the greens, which introduced new grass varietals and subtle differences, so for all intents and purposes there's just one year of data on the course players will face this week. Utilizing 2017 as our best comparison tilts the odds toward tee-to-green ball strikers, especially those excelling off the tee. The course does have some wider links-inspired fairways, but both length and accuracy are important at The Old White TPC. The importance of par-4 scoring is obvious as there exists just two par-5s, meaning two-thirds of the holes are played on the 12 par-4s holes. In a weaker field, don't be surprised to see some lesser-known names to push for their first victory, as four of the seven champions earned their first PGA Tour win here.
FanDuel Value Picks
The Chalk
Phil Mickelson, $12400 – Mickelson has earned six top-10s, including a win, this season, his best year since 2013. In a field where he's a top-3 talent, Mickelson should at least make the cut and at best contend for win No. 2 on the season.
Bubba Watson, $11800 – No other player on Tour has three wins this season, and coming off a comeback victory two weeks ago should only bring further momentum for the one-of-a-kind Bubba. His considerable length off the tee should bode well for him if he can keep it in the fairway or first cut most of the tournament.
Webb Simpson, $11500 – Simpson has enjoyed four top-15s at Old White TPC in seven career starts, and he checks all the statistical boxes for par-4 scoring (17th), Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (39th), and birdie-or-better percentage (71st). Simpson is primed to make the cut and perform well in a diluted field. The only risk with Webb is he's missed two cuts recently, but when he's made the cut he has posted a top-25 a vast majority of the time this season.
Russell Henley, $10500 – Henley's course history speaks for itself: a pair of top-5s and a T30 in three career starts. Though his season has been somewhat underwhelming to date, that could easily change with a great finish this week. He enters on the heels of a top-25 at the U.S. Open and top-10 at the Travelers the week after. There's reason to believe his combination of straight driving, great irons and solid putting will net him his third top-10 of the year.
Longer Shots Worth a Risk
Xander Schauffele, $10200 – The defending champion returns with an improved resume that includes a win at last season's TOUR Championship and a runner-up at THE PLAYERS this season. Schauffele has proven his win here last year was no fluke, so consider him a solid play, even if it's unlikely he'll go back-to-back.
Danny Lee, $8500 – The champion from 2015 brings with him a head-scratching recent trend of three top-15s and three missed cuts his last six events, a bit bipolar by most standards. However, Lee can make birdies, as evidenced by a near 21 percent birdie-or-better percentage this season. At just $8500, his upside does come with risk, but he's better than most options in this price range.
David Lingmerth, $8000 – For a middling Tour player, Lingmerth's strong history of three top-16s and a perfect 4-of-4 made cuts can't be ignored. Neither can his price at just $8000. With seven of his last 14 rounds in the 60s, Lingmerth appears to be in decent form and represents a good value option this week.
Robert Streb, $7400 – Though his trend is futile and his stats atrocious, the one thing that hard to grasp is Streb's incredible track record at Old White TPC: two runner-up finishes and 4-of-4 made cuts at this venue must mean something, and I'm willing to slot Streb in for his upside knowing I can free up salary in order to get some bigger names in my lineup. Most players in his salary range have no chance of a top-10 finish, but Streb has proven he can do it in West Virginia.
Strategy Tips for this week (based on 60k standard salary cap)
This week's course falls into the same mold as last week at TPC Potomac. Pack your lineup with plenty of trending ball strikers and maybe a few hot hands. A sound strategy is to secure two of the top five salaried players and backfill with some bargain options.
