The Cheat Sheet provides DraftKings fantasy golf players with course info, player history and the most noteworthy trends of the week to help them with their roster selections.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $500K Pitch + Putt [$100K to 1st]
The Field
The field this week will again be set at around 156 golfers. The cut line will move back to Friday (top 65 and ties play the weekend), but we do have a two-course rotation in play. Players will tee it up once on Torrey South and once on Torrey North between Thursday and Friday, then switch over strictly to the South Course this weekend. The North Course always plays significantly easier than the South, so scores between the two will differ drastically on most days.
The setup this week will vary dramatically from the first three events as well. While Torrey North is slightly easier, Torrey Pines South is one of the toughest courses the players see all season and there will be far fewer birdie opportunities for the players. The change from Bermuda to Poa greens is also significant. As for which of the top players are attending, the top three in betting odds this week are Hideki Matsuyama (+1000), Ludvig Aberg (+1000), and Tony Finau/SungJae Im (+2000, via DraftKings Sportsbook). Last week’s winner Sepp Straka is not in the field.
As a reminder, the event this year will once again feature a Wednesday (Jan. 22nd) start. The idea is to finish on Saturday to avoid Conference Championship Sunday in the NFL.
The Courses
Torrey Pines—San Diego, California
South (home course) 7600-7700 yards, par 72
North 7200-7300 yards, par 72
As mentioned above, two courses are in play over the first two days of the event. As for how the venues are set up, Torrey Pines South is a completely different challenge than what the players will have been exposed to so far this year. It’s consistently ranked as one of the hardest courses on the PGA TOUR and yields one of the lowest birdie-or-better percentages every season. In 2022, despite relatively calm conditions, it played as the seventh-toughest on the PGA TOUR and +.534 above par. In 2023 and 2024, the winner came home at just 13-under par, the lowest winning score in over four years. Players may be getting bigger and stronger but Torrey Pines South is still a challenge for the modern pro.
Torrey North will play much easier than the South. It plays 400 yards shorter and also uses newly renovated bentgrass greens, which are easier to putt on. The greens at Torrey South are some of the toughest on the PGA TOUR, so don’t be shocked when you see some players struggle on the South but light it up on the greens at the North Course. It should be noted that last seasons winner, Matthieu Pavon, actually went four strokes better (65) on the South in Round 2 than he did on the North in Round 1 (69), but that’s a split you will rarely see from winners.
The North course features four reachable par 5s, and you’ll almost certainly need a good under-par round from your players there if they are going to advance to the weekend. On the South course, scoring well on the par 5s is also important as the venue features seven par 4s over 450 yards, which are all very difficult to play.
As a result of the longer par 4s — and lengthy par 5s — we’ll see far more approaches from 175-200 yards and >200 yards, putting a large emphasis on good mid-to-long iron play. Setting yourself up well off the tee then is also paramount and players with good strokes gained off the tee metrics often thrive at Torrey Pines. In 2022, seven of the top-10 players gained over one stroke OTT for the week and in 2021 every single player in the top 10 for the event gained strokes OTT. In 2023, four of the top-10 finishers gained over 2.0 strokes OTT.
The players will also be putting on poa annua greens (on the South course anyway, the North is now Bentgrass), which can be very difficult to maneuver. Three-putt percentages often spike this week and three-putt avoidance will be crucial to success, along with good efficiency from putts 15 feet and in. A few of the other courses on the West Coast swing also feature poa on the greens (Pebble Beach and Riviera) and many of the players this week will be more comfortable than others on this surface.
While you don’t need to use putting splits exclusively to make picks this week, using strong Poa putting history as a tiebreaker when making 1v1 or 2v2 decisions often pays dividends this week.
2025 Weather: The weather takes a bit of a turn this week. The temperatures will still be decent with highs between 65-75F on all four days, and the event starts off nice on Wednesday with slightly cool temperatures and wind that will stay under 10 MPH for the most part. However, Thursday (the second day) has the gusts getting higher in the afternoon, which could make the play more difficult. Both the North and South Course are beside the sea and exposed to the wind, so it’s likely that both will play a little tougher that day. I’d probably prefer to have my player start on the North Course and be able to shoot a low round on Wednesday, but it remains to be seen just how tough Thursday will be. If there is a big gap in difficulty between the two days I suspect the North starters on Wednesday will have an advantage. Saturday will also feature rain in the forecast, which could impact final round proceedings. Either way, it’s projecting to be another tough year at Torrey Pines, which is already one of the toughest venues on the schedule.
Last 5 winners
2024–Matthieu Pavon -13 (over Nicolai Højgaard -12)
2023—Max Homa -13 (over Keegan Bradley -11)
2022—Luke List -15 (over Will Zalatoris playoff)
2021—Patrick Reed -14 (over Xander Schauffele -9)
2020—Marc Leishman -15 (over Jon Rahm -14)
Winning Trends
– Recent form does not seem to be a huge deal at this event (at least for the winners), as only four of the last 11 winners had recorded a top-10 performance in the new year before winning here (Pavon in 2024, Homa in 2023, Jason Day in 2015 and Brandt Snedeker in 2016).
– Nine of the last 14 winners had a South/North draw — meaning they played the South course on Thursday and the North on Friday. HOWEVER, five of the last six winners (2019-2023) have started on the North course.
– Ten of the past 11 winners (the exception being Jason Day in 2018) had made at least one professional start in the calendar year before winning.
Winners Stats and Course Highlights
Matthieu Pavon – 13 under par (started on North Course)
2023 lead-in form (T39-T7-MC-MC-T36) – played Sony (T7) and Amex (T39).
SG: OTT—+0.6
SG: APP—+5.4
SG: TTG—+5.7
SG: ATG—-0.3
SG: PUTT—+6.0
- Three of the last five winners now (Pavon, Reed and Leishman) have rode insanely hot putters to win. Reed gained less than +2.0 ball-striking for the week but was +8.4 ATG/Putting for the week combined. Leishman did gain over 3.0 strokes on approach in 2020, which is very typical for winners at Torrey. Pavon last season gained over 6.0 strokes putting (but also gained over 5.0 strokes on approach)
- List (2022) also had a terrific week putting and was one of the top players from 15 feet and closer in strokes gained putting.
- He also gained 5.4 strokes on approach, which was the fourth-best mark in that category for the week. List also ranked top 10 in proximity gained from 150-175 yards and 175-200 yards.
- Homa was also fantastic on approach in 2023 and was able to win by multiple strokes thanks to a hot putter as well.
- This is still a venue where you want to emphasize distance and consistency off the tee, however, of late, approach play and putting have been more vital, suggesting that perhaps the rough and length of the course is no longer as big of a factor (or the greens are getting easier to hold).
Finding Values (DraftKings Sportsbook)
Odds to win are one factor to think about when picking players (but not the only thing, so be careful putting too much weight on them). This section is going to detail a few of the players who have the best fantasy value compared to their DraftKings Sportsbook odds of winning this week.
Max Homa $8,600 and +3000
Comparable
Justin Rose $7,600 and +6000
Comparable
- Stephan Jaeger $7,800 and +6000
- Thomas Detry $7,900 and +6000
- Doug Ghim $7,700 and +6500
- All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
HORSES FOR COURSES
1. Jason Day ($9,300; best finish: win – 2018, 2015): Despite being marred by perpetual poor form and injuries the last few years, Day has maintained a solid record at Torrey Pines. He’s posted two wins and seven top-10 finishes at Torrey over his career. He’s finished top 10 here in two of the last three seasons and has started 2025 looking healthy with a top-five finish in Palm Springs last week.
2. Tony Finau ($10,200; best finish: T4-2017, T6-2018): Finau ranks second this week in Strokes Gained: Total stats at Torrey Pines the last five years. He’s now landed finishes of T-9 or better at this event in six of his last eight trips to Torrey as well. Finau’s a great iron player and his improved putting over the last few seasons makes him a leading contender once again in 2023.
3. Luke List ($6,800; best finish: 2022-win, T12-2018): List has played well at Torrey Pines, even before winning the event in 2022. The veteran has now made the cut in each of his last six appearances at this event. He’s an elite ball striker with plenty of distance but has been in terrible form of late, making him a complete boom-or-bust pick for DFS.
4. Max Homa ($8,600; best finish: win-2023): Homa dominated at this event during his win in 2022 and has been a horse to back on this portion of the PGA calendar every year. Even before his win he’d landed two top-20 finishes at Torrey and leads the field in SG: Total stats at this event the past five seasons. He’s due for a decent start.
5. Taylor Montgomery ($6,500; best finish: T9-2022, T13-2024): Montgomery sets up as a decent dark horse name to watch this week. The American missed the cut last week but did gain over 3.0 strokes on approach at the Sony. He’s also played well at Torrey Pines having finished top 15 at this event in two of his three career starts.
Top Recent Form
1. Maverick McNealy ($8,900, Recent finishes: T45-T8): Leads the field in strokes gained total stats over the last six weeks. He’s from the West Coast and is generally one of the TOUR’s best putters, so another strong performance wouldn’t be shocking.
2. Max Greyserman ($9,700, Recent finishes: T7-T24): Finished T-7 last week in Palm Springs with a big final round and now has three top-10 finishes over his last four starts. Has never made the cut at Torrey Pines though.
3. Harry Hall ($8,000, Recent finishes: T14-T10): Hall’s impressive run continued last week after he posted a strong T-14 in Palm Springs. He now has five straight top-15 finishes and continues to gain a ton of strokes putting every week.
4. Justin Lower ($7,300, Recent finishes: T3-T37): Lower finished T-3 last week in the desert, his third top-five finish over his last five events. The American continues to eat up easier courses but may find the going tougher at Torrey Pines.
5. J.J. Spaun ($7,900, Recent finishes: T21-T3): Spaun followed up his top-five finish at the Sony Open with a T-21 last week in the desert. He’s been gaining a ton of strokes on approach every week and does have a top 10 at Torrey Pines from back in 2017.
DRAFTKINGS DFS STRATEGY
Cash Games: Get McNealy and Homa on the cheap
Both Maverick McNealy ($8,900) and Max Homa ($8,600) are good West Coast specialists who look available on the cheap this week at under 9k. McNealy has played great for over four months now and at this venue is someone you should be able to trust. He’s got just one missed cut at Torrey in six career starts. Homa is a buy low play on pedigree. He almost always comes alive during this portion of the season and struck the ball well in his lone start in Maui this season. Other value-oriented names to consider include Aaron Rai ($8,300), Daniel Berger ($7,600) and Patrick Fishburn ($7,500).
Tournaments: Kitayama a solid pivot
Despite missing the cut at Torrey Pines in his two appearances, I’m of the opinion this is a great spot for Kurt Kitayama ($8,700) over the long term. He’s from the West Coast, is a fantastic ball striker (ninth OTT; fourth APP over the last 24 rounds) and should get overlooked by many DFS players for more popular options in his range, many of whom have better course histories. Further down, I’m also not against taking a shot with Michael Thorbjornsen ($7,400), who had to skip the Sony (Illness) but did make the cut last week. He’s shown some heady stats in limited play and is the kind of young, elite player we’ve seen excel at this venue before. Some other potentially GPP names to consider in this spot include Jesper Svensson ($7,100), Sam Ryder ($6,800) and Taylor Montgomery ($6,500).
MY PICK: Sahith Theegala ($9,100)
Theegala has started a little slow this season but I like this spot for him this week. The American has become a solid West Coast performer already during his short career, nabbing his first win at the Procore Championship in the fall of 2023 out in Napa Valley. He’s also done well at several other stops along this swing including Phoenix (T-3 in 2022), The Genesis at Riviera in Los Angeles (T-6 in 2023), and of course at this week’s stop, Torrey Pines, where he finished T-25 in 2022 and T-4 in 2023.
Theegala’s not what you’d call a bomber off the tee but he’s undoubtedly handled long, tough courses very well throughout his career. On top of excelling at Torrey Pines, he also placed T-9 at Augusta on his first go-around there in 2023, placed T-7 at Copperhead in 2022, and also nabbed a T-5 at the always-tough Muirfield Village in 2022. A sometimes-crooked hitter off the tee, Theegala’s off-the-tee has been going well of late too, as he comes in having gained strokes off the tee in four of his last five starts. He also has the kind of short game needed to get around a tough track like Torrey Pines (where missed greens and fairways will be plentiful for everyone).
From a greens perspective, the switch to Poa also looks to be positive as he’s got wildly positive Poa putting splits, having gained +10.5 strokes over his last 24 rounds putting on Poa Greens, vs -1.27 strokes on Bermuda.
Ultimately, with Theegala priced below players like Zalatoris and Greyserman, I think he warrants being targeted heavily in DFS. For betting, he’s also someone I’d feel comfortable taking in the outright market as his +3000 price on DraftKings Sportsbook is far better than some of his peers whom he’s outperformed over the past year or so.
MY SLEEPER: Gary Woodland ($7,200)
The now 40-year-old Woodland comes into this season off a year that saw him get back on the course after having to endure a scary surgery to remove a benign lesion from his brain. While his form was up-and-down (at best) for most of last season, the fall saw him get back on track.
The American recorded a T-16 at the Sanderson Farms and a T-9 at the Shriners in October and displayed the same kind of elite ball-striking that helped him win his first and only major in 2019 at the West Coast-based Pebble Beach in 2019, gaining 7.5 strokes on approach at the Sanderson and 5.0 strokes on approach at the Shriners. Woodland has only made one start this season at the Sony Open, but he produced another solid effort there grabbing another T-16 while gaining 4.3 strokes off the tee.
Torrey Pines is a tough, US Open-style track, but it’s also a course where we have seen veterans excel. Justin Rose and Marc Leishman nabbed wins at this venue in their mid-to-late 30’s, as did Brandt Snedeker in 2016. Those names all had a ton of experience playing Torrey Pines and rode in some decent form to bag a late-career win. This season will mark Woodland’s 15th appearance at this event and at Torrey Pines, with him having recorded two top 10s over that span. With his form starting to percolate, there is a decent chance he could follow the path of those prior veteran golfers and produce a big week.
In any event, he rates out as a nice upside play in bigger field GPPs and a player I’d be fine speculating on in the outright market at his current +9000 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.
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