The countdown to the U.S. Open continues this week with the final stop on the PGA Tour before the second major tournament of the season. Some of the world’s best will make the trip to TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee for the FedEx St. Jude Classic where they will compete for $6.2 million in prize money. You can compete for prize money as well on DraftKings with a full slate of challenges this week. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for this week’s DraftKings PGA tournaments.
Dustin Johnson, $12,800
The 2012 FedEx St. Jude Classic winner is the outright betting favorite to win this event for a reason and we like him as our best bet to build a DraftKings lineup around this weekend. Johnson is the most expensive play on the board but he has a strong history at this course and he is in excellent form heading into this week following a third-place finish at the Memorial after a 12th-place finish at the AT&T Byron Nelson. For this event, we’re looking at stats like driving distance being an important factor and he’s one of the best in the business in that realm. D.J. is an excellent choice to pull out the victory this weekend so make sure you roll with him as a lock for this week.
David Hearn, $8,400
DraftKings finally raised Hearn’s price in tournament play but it still isn’t enough to scare us away from taking him as our perfect compliment to D.J. in our 1-2 for this week. Hearn has placed in the top-30 in five of his last six events including a 17th place finish at the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational a couple of weeks ago. The Canadian is playing what might be his best stretch of golf ever on the PGA Tour. His consistency makes him a great pick to deliver another strong start at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.
Retief Goosen, $7,600
Goosen has made 10 of 11 cuts and he has recorded four top-25 finishes already this year so he should be a strong value play at just $7.6K. He is rounding in to form with a 12th place finish at The Players Championship after a 14th place finish at the Wells Fargo Championship in his last two starts so he should be a trustworthy DraftKings pick at under $8K for this week’s tournaments.
Fabian Gomez, $7,200
It only makes sense to take a shot at last year’s tournament winner even if he has struggled of late and is considered a long shot to repeat this year. Gomez has registered three top-10 finishes this season but he has put up solid numbers at this event in the past including last year’s win and he is overdue for a strong performance after a missed cut at the Memorial.
Ben Crane, $7,000
Our continued search for strong value plays that have the potential to thrive at this tournament led us to another past tournament winner in Crane. The 2014 winner has been somewhat inconsistent this year but he is coming off a couple of top-29 finishes in his last two tournaments and his numbers are proof that he is horse for the course this week. Crane has made the cut in nine of his 10 career starts at TPC Southwind and the fact that he is the tournament’s all-time money leader should make him an obvious choice at such a low price.
Camilo Villegas, $6,900
Villegas has struggled with consistency throughout this season but he has thrived at this tournament throughout his career with made cuts at each of his nine starts here. That includes six top-20 finishes. If you’re looking at current form, you’re probably a bit nervous adding him to your lineup. He finished 65th at the Memorial Tournament last week, was cut at the DEAN & DELUCA, placed 70th in the PLAYERS Championship, finished 28th in the Wells Fargo – his best result since last October – and prior to that, missed the cut in six of his last 11 events. But we’re banking on course history here as well as the price tag. The fact that he is available at just under $7K makes him a smart sleeper play this week as he should deliver a strong performance at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.
