The PGA TOUR’s fall schedule rolls on, and as with any PGA TOUR event, comes the ability to play in DraftKings Pick6 contests, a single-user daily fantasy game where users choose players to go for more or less than the totals.
This week, the PGA is headed to Jackson, MS, to take on the Country Club at Jackson, a 7,400+ yards Par 72 venue with Bermuda greens where players typically can wield a driver a ton on the tree-lined course. Winners at Jackson have often outperformed with the putter so that’s something to keep in mind for this week. However, with the four par 5s in play, we’ve also seen plenty of big hitters like Cameron Champ and Luke List have a lot of success at this venue as well. It’s a good week to mix and match certain styles of players, but those putting specialists who are hitting the ball well can certainly light things up on pure greens like the ones we generally see at Jackson.
I went over more stats and course dynamics in the Sanderson Farms Championship PGA Cheat Sheet and included some notes on the course below.
“The pros at Jackson only average about 54% in the Driving Accuracy department — which is six to eight percent lower than the PGA TOUR average — but you only have to look at the list of recent winners to realize that you don’t have to be arrow straight to win at Jackson (Champ, Burns, Munoz). The greens are a decent size and relatively easy to hit, with GIR percentages at Jackson tending to be 2-4% higher than the seasonal average for the pros. It’s also worth noting that the last five winners all ranked outside the top 30 in driving accuracy for the week of their win — but four of the last six winners have also gained +3.5 strokes or more off the tee for the week (Burns gained over +6.0 strokes OTT in 2021, while List gained 2.2 strokes off the tee in 2023).
The Bermuda greens at CC of Jackson almost always run pure this time of year, and that’s been reflected in the stats. Past winners have tended to putt the proverbial lights out, with five of the last nine winners here ranking fifth or better in SG: Putting for the week of their win. Sam Burns certainly bucked this trend three years ago when he shockingly got to 22-under par despite losing strokes putting, but Burns more than made up for it by gaining an ungodly 14.1 strokes ball-striking. In 2023, Luke List gained 6.0 strokes putting (7th best for the week), which more than made up for his average iron play (+0.1 strokes), and in 2024, Kevin Yu gained 8.6 strokes with his putter, ranking 2nd in SG: Putting for the week.”
For Pick6 play, though, my initial take on things this week is that some of the birdie totals are worth looking at. There are four short par 5s on the course (all good birdie opportunities), and as of writing, the weather this week looks perfect. Thursday should also give us receptive greens, so short birdie totals in Round 1 are something I’ll be looking to exploit.
With that in mind, I’ve focused on a couple of my favorite “more than” plays in the birdie or better department and also picked out a couple of totals from two other markets to focus on to round out your cards this week.
Matt Kuchar Less Than 69.5 Strokes
Kuchar is a player who is not only familiar with this venue, having played here multiple times in the past, but is also capable of taking advantage of these easier greens. He ranks 20th in strokes gained putting on the PGA coming into this week and has been in solid form overall, landing finishes of T13-T44-T6 over his last three starts.
Further, few are better starters than the 46-year-old. He’s a solid 41st in Round 1 scoring this season (69.57 average) and has shot 69 or better in each of his last four PGA starts. I’d not hesitate to be bullish on him for Round 1 and chase the Less Than 69.5 stroke total in your Pick6 PGA lineups on Thursday.
Rico Hoey More Than 4.5 Birdies or Better
Hoey is still bashing the cover off the ball. He’s second in strokes gained off the tee and 12th in strokes gained approach on the PGA. Sometimes the putter doesn’t cooperate as it should, but there are only a few on the PGA who give themselves more consistent birdie looks on a week-to-week basis than Hoey. The 30-year-old ranks a very solid 35th on the PGA in Birdie or Better % and for Round. He also has a very reasonable 4.5 Birdie or Better total for Pick6 lineups in Round 1, with no reduction in multiplier attached when you take his more than.
There will always be those rounds where Hoey just misses too many short putts to get us home, but with four par 5s in play and his exquisite ball-striking, I’d much rather be on the bullish side of this total for Round 1.
Garrick Higgo More Than 4.5 Birdies or Better
Much like Hoey, Higgo can be a very up-and-down player. He finished T7 his last time out but also had an MC, a T39, and a withdrawal in his three previous starts before the Procore. He’s not necessarily a player I’d want to ask to shoot sub-70 rounds every day, but he has finished inside the top 10 at Jackson CC before and is a player I’m generally bullish on this week, especially when it comes to birdie making.
Higgo opened with three straight sub-70 rounds at the Procore in his first fall start, getting to 5+ birdies or better in all three rounds, before faltering a bit on Sunday. Overall, he looks to be in superb form. He’s a player who can also get red hot with the putter at times, so even if the ball-striking is a little wild, we can still be saved here with a big round from his flatstick.
Emiliano Grillo More Than 11.5 Pars
Grillo stands out to me as a great play in the “More Than” category for Pars Round 1. He’s not someone who tends to make a ton of birdies (65th in BoB%), although he does go low from time to time. He has developed into a very consistent player, however, and that’s reflected in his Bogey Avoidance stats, where he’s 39th on the season. Coming in off a great week at the Procore, where he finished T4 and gained over 6.0 strokes on approach and over 1.2 strokes OTT, I can’t see him getting in too much trouble this week.
As long as he doesn’t fill the cup up too much with his putter in Round 1, 12 or more pars seems very doable for the Argentine, who has finished top 12 at this event in two of the last three seasons.
What is DraftKings Pick6?
Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy variant where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of 2+ 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
Create a Pick Set
Create a Pick Set by choosing 2+ 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.
