The TOUR Championship begins this week, the final leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs and the last event of the PGA TOUR’s regular season. We’ll be back in the fall with more events and more chances to cash in on some Pick6 lineups but for now, the 30-man field at the TOUR Championship is our main focus.
Each player will start this week with a specific handicap as the starting strokes format sees players seeded from -10 down to even par as they begin their first round. The nice thing about our DraftKings Pick6 lineups is that we don’t need to worry about any of that stuff, as the round-by-round format in the Pick6 contests means we are making lineups based solely on the player’s ability to go for more than or less than their totals, for a specific round of play (strokes, birdies, pars, etc).
This week, the field is taking on East Lake Golf Club, which is a Donald Ross-designed venue that has been extensively renovated for this year’s version of the TOUR Championship. It will play as a Par 71 that extends past 7,400 yards and features plenty of water (in play on seven holes) and wider fairways which should benefit some of the bigger hitters in the field. It’s hard to say exactly how this new venue will play but I don’t expect scoring to be super low just due to the newer greens which will likely play firmer than an average set of PGA greens.
With that in mind, there are a few player totals that stick out in our first-round offerings. Generally, I’m expecting this to be a volatile venue, so players who have been having trouble controlling their ball flight or are just not entering this week in great form may be worth fading in the first round.
Ludvig Aberg Less Than 10.5 Pars
Aberg is essentially the anti-par machine. Last week in Denver, he managed to go under 12 total pars in all four rounds and was under 10 total pars in Rounds 1, 2, and 3. The Swede is talented but seems to be having trouble controlling his ball flight at the moment, as he’s not gaining as many strokes on approach as he normally does — and was either knocking it within 2 feet or into the water on every second hole at Castle Pines. That’s not a strategy that is going to produce a lot of pars anywhere, but especially around East Lake and its newly renovated greens and water hazards. This isn’t to say that Aberg couldn’t turn it around this week, but his ball striking has suffered of late and that’s made him a more volatile player than normal. It’s not a great signal if you are expecting him to win, but for DraftKings Pick6, it does make his less than 10.5 pars a nice core play to use for the first round in Pick6 lineups.
Robert MacIntyre Less Than 4.5 Birdies
I’m honestly a little surprised we are getting MacIntyre props at all this week. The Scotsman shot rounds of 71-72 at Castle Pines in the BMW and then withdrew, citing back pain as the culprit. MacIntyre is slated to start this week, but anyone who has qualified for East Lake, even if they are not 100%, is going to try and give it a go simply because of the money up for grabs. Even a 30th-place finish would provide MacIntyre with $555,000, so it behooves him to try and get in four rounds. MacIntyre’s putter has been keeping him afloat of late but his ball-striking hasn’t been great, as he’s ranked just 27th in SG: Approach stats over the last 24 rounds. That’s not a recipe for creating a lot of birdie chances, a trend that will be made even tougher to turn around due to his back issue. As long as he stays in the field and makes his Thursday start, MacIntyre is likely a nice fade in Round 1 and potentially beyond. Going with the less than on his 4.5 birdie total is one way to get exposure to that thesis in Round 1.
Sungjae Im Less Than 68.5 Strokes
Im put together a decent performance last week in Denver, finishing T11 and putting the ugly St. Jude start he made the week prior, behind him. Now, this week, he’ll be taking on East Lake, a venue where he shot 16 under par, through four rounds of play, back in 2022, when he finished T2 at this event. It’s really hard to say how different the course will play this season, given the new green structures, but Im’s prowess on these tougher venues has shone through in his time on the PGA as he’s grabbed a win at PGA National already and competed well at venues like TPC Twin Cities and Bay Hill in the past. His starting strokes total in DraftKings Pick6 sits at 68.5 currently, but with his form turning a bit of a corner in Denver (T11) and his overall experience and solid past play on this course, I do like backing him to go for less than 68.5 starting strokes this Thursday. Im may be too far back to actually win this event, outright, but for Round by Round play, he’s a good player to remain bullish on for Pick6 lineups.
What is DraftKings Pick6?
Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy variant where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of 2 to 6 players and select whether or not you believe each will outperform their listed stat projection. Enter your Pick Set in Pick6 contests to compete against other users. Get enough picks correct and win a share of cash prizes.
How to Play DraftKings Pick6
Create a Pick Set
Create a Pick Set by choosing between 2-6 players from the same sport and Pick Group (a set of picks available from a group of set competitions). For each player, simply select if you think they’ll have more or less than their listed stat projection. In each Pick Set, you can not pick the same player twice and you must pick players from at least two different teams.
Enter an Amount
Once you finalize your Pick Set, choose your entry fee amount. Your entries will be automatically distributed into available contests, subject to your confirmation.
Sweat Your Picks
When the games go live, use the My Picks tab to follow your picks in real time to track how your players are performing against their projections and how they stack up against other users.
Compete for Prizes
Make enough correct picks and win a share of the contests’ guaranteed prizes. Any prizes won will be credited to your DraftKings account after contests are finalized.
Play at DraftKings Pick6 or by downloading the DraftKings Pick6 app on Apple or Google!
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is wavegoodbye) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
