The FedExCup Playoffs will come to a conclusion this week with a new FedExCup Champion crowned at the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club. Scottie Scheffler ($13,900) will look to become the first back-to-back FedExCup Champion after winning last year, but there are 29 other golfers in the field for this no-cut event, and this year, he doesn’t get any starting strokes, since all 30 golfers start at even par. If you’re looking to build your bankroll as the playoffs wind down, one option to consider is playing cash games or double-up contests on DraftKings. If that’s the format you’re looking to attack this week, my top fantasy golf cash game picks for the BMW Championship are Russell Henley ($9,600), Ben Griffin ($7,700) and Harris English ($6,900).
Make sure to also check out my top-three pivot plays for tournament lineups at the BMW Championship in a companion piece to this post. Pivot plays for tournament lineups are usually more aggressive, while fantasy golf cash game picks are safer with higher floors and lower risk. The picks in this post generally have higher ownership than my pivot plays, but they are good selections for contests where the uniqueness of your lineup is less important. Think of cash game picks as laying back and playing a par 5 as it was designed, taking three shots before reaching the green in search of a solid birdie. Tournament picks are like going driver off the deck to try to reach the green in two — more reward if it works, but much more risk as well.
These fantasy golf cash game picks are best used in “cash games,” which are contests that pay out to about the top half of entries. Typically, they are in the 50/50s & Double Ups or Head-to-Head sections of the DraftKings lobby.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR Single Entry $25 Double Up!
Russell Henley ($9,700)
Like I did last week, I’m skipping past the obvious names at the top of the salary structure since you’re probably already decided on Scottie Scheffler ($13,900) and Rory McIlroy ($11,300) at their salary. Whether you’re building a more balanced lineup or looking for a high-priced partner for one of those two centerpieces, Henley’s steady production remains ideal for fantasy golf cash game picks.
He proved he can win against an elite field by taking the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard this spring, and he went on to post nine top-10 finishes in his 17 events this season. Three of those top-10 finishes came at Signature Events at the RBC Heritage, the Memorial and the Travelers, where he finished runner-up to Keegan Bradley.
Henley is a Georgia native, so East Lake should be a good place for him to step up again this week. He has four top-15 finishes at this event in his career, including a T4 from last year, when he finished with a scorching 62 on Sunday.
He ranks third in the field in Total Strokes Gained and second in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green over his last 14 rounds, and he comes in off of six straight top-20 finishes after missing the cut at the PGA Championship.
His consistent ball striking and excellent accuracy from tee-to-green make him a threat any week if he can get his putter going. It also gives him the kind of high floor that makes him a regular in my fantasy golf cash game picks.
Ben Griffin ($7,700)
Griffin is another recurring character in my fantasy golf cash game picks, since he has also been very steady down the stretch and has a Henley-like balance across all the clubs in his bag. He’ll be making his debut at this track, but he does come in hot after finishing ninth and 12th in the first two weeks of the playoffs.
He could have been even better last week if it wasn’t for a weird start to the Final Round, in which he dropped six shots in three holes due to issues with his creatine supplements. Griffin has proven that the has the internal strength needed to contend in top events, and he comes to his debut at East Lake playing very well.
He ranks third in the field in Total Strokes Gained per round in all rounds played in the last six months. Zooming in on more recent form, he ranks second in Total Strokes Gained, fifth in Strokes Gained: Approach and Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green over his last 36 rounds.
His two wins this year came at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and the Charles Schwab Challenge, and he finished the year with a total of 10 top-15 finishes in his last 14 tournaments
The 29-year-old from North Carolina has been a breakthrough player this year on the PGA TOUR and has the kind of game to remain in contention on this track and many other courses for years to come.
Harris English ($6,900)
English tied with Griffin last week at the BMW Championship and ended up 11th in the FedExCup standings after 11 top-25 finishes in 20 events. He finished runner-up at The Open Championship in the final major of the season, and also finished runner-up at the PGA Championship in May.
Throughout the year, the 36-year-old also added top-15 finishes at the Truist, the Memorial, and the Travelers, which were each Signature Events with a strong field.
He has been consistent with his iron play for most of the year and can usually rely on his putter as well. Over the last 30 rounds, he ranks fifth in Strokes Gained: Putting and 15th in Total Strokes Gained. He ranked fourth in Strokes Gained: Putting and seventh in total feet of putts made at Caves Valley Golf Club, and he’ll look to keep it rolling at East Lake.
Like Henley, English is a Georgia native, but he’ll be making his first appearance at East Lake since 2021. He finished T18 that week after posting a personal-best T12 in 2020. In each of those events, starting strokes were used.
Without starting strokes, English will take aim at claiming the career-defining win at the TOUR Championship this week, and if he stays so dialed in on the greens, he should be able to outproduce his affordable salary under $7,000.
