The PGA TOUR is hosting the Truist Championship this week, which is the PGA TOUR’s sixth of eight Signature Events this season. This tournament is formerly known as the Wells Fargo Championship, and as a Signature Event, the Truist Championship will feature 72 of the PGA TOUR’s best players competing for a $20 million purse with no cut. This tournament is usually played at Quail Hollow Golf Club, but with the famous venue hosting next week’s PGA Championship, the Truist Championship will be played at the Wissahickon Course (par 70, 7,119 yards, bentgrass greens) of the Philadelphia Cricket Club in Flourtown, Pennsylvania. This marks the first time ever that this venue hosts a PGA TOUR event.
The Wissahickon Course is a short par 70 that features narrow fairways, thick rough, small greens, 118 bunkers and only one water hazard. No course on the PGA TOUR schedule this season presents more bunkers than the Wissahickon Course and these strategically placed hazards are the track’s biggest defense. With the Wissahickon Course including these bunkers and thick rough to worry about off-the-tee, this is a venue where being accurate is more important than being long. Clubbing down to find the fairway more often should be a common strategy this week and any length of player can be rostered. With the bentgrass putting surfaces at the Wissahickon Course on the smaller side, being in great form will be essential for contending at this track and targeting players who are efficient putters on bentgrass is wise. As a standard par 70, the Wissahickon Course features 12 par fours and only two par fives. As always at this type of design, being efficient on the par fours is most crucial, especially on par fours that range from 400-450 yards, as seven of 12 par fours at the Wissahickon Course fall in this range.
Below, I have featured four of my favorite DraftKings bargain plays for the Truist Championship, all priced under $7.5K.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here:
PGA TOUR $750K Sand Trap [$200K to 1st]
Keith Mitchell ($7,400): Mitchell has been outstanding this season, making 10-of-11 cuts with eight finishes of T33rd or better. The veteran has finished inside the top-20 in each of his last three solo starts, most notably with a runner-up finish at the Corales Puntacana Championship.
Mitchell ranks 26th in total strokes gained this season and brings great upside relative to his cheap salary.
J.T. Poston ($7,200): Poston is having a great season and he is a steal this low salary. The 31-year-old has only missed one cut in 13 starts and has carded six top-30 finishes, including a T11 at the RBC Heritage in his last solo start, which like the Truist Championship, is a Signature Event that features the PGA TOUR’s best players. Poston is a terrific match for the Wissahickon Course as he is at his best on bentgrass greens.
When we compare this field’s last 50 rounds at track with this type of putting surface, Poston ranks 11th in strokes gained per round. Additionally, Poston ranks second in 400-450-yard par four efficiency when we compare this field’s last 50 rounds, which bodes extremely well for the Wissahickon Course, where seven of the 12 par fours land in this range. Poston brings top-20 upside this week and is one of the best values available.
Tom Hoge ($6,700): Hoge is severely underpriced for his current form. In his last four solo starts, the veteran has finished T3rd, T5th, T14th and T18th. Notably, that T3 came at THE PLAYERS Championship and the final two finishes of this run were at the Masters and RBC Heritage, all of which featured world-class fields like the Truist Championship. Hoge gained strokes on approach with his putter in each of these last four starts, and he shot under par in eight of these 12 rounds.
Hoge clearly has the tools to contend with the best players in the world right now and he is a value play that simply can’t be ignored at $6,700 this week.
Garrick Higgo ($6,100): Priced $100 off the bare minimum, Higgo is a very appealing punt for the Truist Championship. The 25-year-old missed the cut at the Zurich Classic with Ryan Fox as his partner in his last start, but before the team-based event, Higgo picked up his first PGA TOUR win at the Corales Puntacana Championship three weeks ago. Prior to this, Higgo finished T12th at the Puerto Rico Open in his previous start.
Overall, the South African is three-for-three in made cuts as an individual on the PGA TOUR this season and he has impressively shot under par in 11 of these 12 rounds. Higgo is an excellent ball striker and with no cut to worry about this week, he is an awesome flier to take in GPPs that will allow you to fit more lucrative players in your lineup.
