The PGA TOUR continues the West Coast swing this week, heading from the desert in La Quinta to the ocean in La Jolla. The San Diego suburb that houses Torrey Pines Golf Course has hosted this event every year since 1968 and sets up a beautiful and scenic weekend while much of the country is still stuck in the middle of winter. If you’re planning on enjoying the tournament with some DFS contests on DraftKings, check out my top three fantasy golf pivot plays for the week as you set your tournament and GPP lineups. This week, I’m backing Ludvig Aberg ($10,400), Will Zalatoris ($8,800) and Karl Vilips ($6,400) as my three players who I think come in relatively under the radar but have a strong chance to step up and exceed salary-based expectations as strong pivot plays.
Let’s be sure to define what we’re in search of in this post, to be sure we’re all hunting the same flagstick. A fantasy golf pivot play is a golfer with low expected ownership in tournament formats but very high upside. Typically, these selections come with major risk factors compared to more popular options that are available around the same DFS salary. Even though these plays are NOT the safest options in their price range, they have enough potential upside to be worth the extra sweat since they come with lower ownership. These are “grip it and rip it,” boom-or-bust style options that could go off or could flame out. Getting players at low ownership is critical to finding success in GPP tournament-style events with many entries, in which making yours stand out is critical. Be sure to check out my companion post to this one that highlights my picks for cash lineups if you’re looking for safer options that raise the overall floor of your lineup.
Getting players at low ownership is critical to finding success in GPP tournament-style events with many entries, where making yours stand out is critical. Be sure to check out my companion post to this one that highlights my picks for cash lineups if you’re looking for safer options that raise the overall floor of your lineup.
Let’s break down why I like each of my top three pivot plays this week!
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $700K Sand Trap [$200K to 1st]
Ludvig Aberg ($10,400)
Ludvig Aberg is one of the most expensive golfers in the field, but after withdrawing last week due to illness, he’s a high-risk play this week and many fantasy golf managers are penciling in safer big-money plays like Xander Schauffele ($10,500) and even Patrick Cantlay ($10,100), who has struggled at this course in the past. Aberg is a higher-risk play after his early withdrawal, but if he’s healthy, he brings incredibly high upside.
Last year, Aberg started this tournament hot, leading after Round 1 before fading to a T42 while battling an illness that forced him to withdraw from the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am the following week. He got his revenge a few weeks later though, coming back to Torrey Pines when the Genesis Invitational was relocated to this course due to the Los Angeles wildfires. Aberg won that event against an elite field, and his game seems to be perfect for this layout that demands length off the tee, long approach shots, scrambling, and plenty of mental resolve.
The 26-year-old from Sweden started last week in La Quinta strong with opening rounds of 68 and 67 before having to withdraw, so he should be in good form as long as he is over whatever illness took him out of action. The risk with his health keeps him out of cash game lineups, but his ceiling makes him a perfect pivot play for GPP roster builds this week.
Will Zalatoris ($8,800)
Much of the same strategy with Aberg applies to Will Zalatoris this week. Zalatoris has been sidelined on and off for the last three years with multiple back issues and has had multiple surgeries to try and get things right. If he’s healthy, his game can be elite, and he has a strong track record at Torrey Pines.
The $8,000s are stacked with strong options that will be very popular this week, and pivoting to Zalatoris could help your lineup stand out if he’s able to continue his most recent comeback and convert a high finish this week.
Around his price point, Maverick McNealy ($8,900), Ryan Gerard ($8,600), Jake Knapp ($8,200), and Brooks Koepka ($8,000) will all get plenty of attention, and most of it is very well-deserved. However, Zalatoris has the length and shotmaking that plays well at Torrey, plus he should come with a much lower ownership percentage.
Zalatoris made his most recent return in December, finishing 15th at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa, which is part of the DP World Tour. He returned to the PGA TOUR last week and finished T18 at The American Express. Even though he only made the cut on the number, he had a spectacular Sunday, logging nine birdies in the final round with three straight to close the day. He tied for the best final round on the board and finished the week ranked third in Total Strokes Gained on the two rounds at the Stadium Course.
Even after all his injuries and time off, Zalatoris is still only 29, so he has a bright future if he can put his back issues behind him. He didn’t play this event last year but posted a T13 in 2024 in his last visit. He also lost in a playoff to Luke List in 2022. His momentum and track record seem to be coming together perfectly for him to have a good week, which is why I’m willing to take the risk on Zalatoris in GPP builds.
Karl Vilips ($6,400)
The cheap options in the field this week offer a fascinating mix of players on the rise and players looking to hold on. I was torn on this pivot pick between going with a super-young play in Vilips or an established veteran in Brandt Snedeker ($6,500), who has shown some solid recent form and has a long track record of success here.
For GPP lineups, though, I’m ready to roll with Vilips as a swing for the fences at Torrey Pines, which should play to his strengths. The Stanford alumnus should feel at home at this venue and his close relationship with Tiger Woods and Tiger’s brand Sun Day Red won’t hurt. Tiger won at Torrey Pines eight times, so this seems like a great place for Vilips to continue his rise.
The 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Rookie of the Year got his first PGA TOUR victory in 2025 by triumphing at the Puerto Rico Open. He ended up making 12 of 21 cuts and added three more top-25 finishes to end up at No. 100 in the FedExCup Fall standings.
He finished the year with good momentum, making the cut in each of his last five events, and he started 2026 strong with a T18 last week at The American Express. Vilips has the right stuff to emerge as a true PGA TOUR star over the next few seasons, and he is a great bargain way to round out your GPP lineup with upside while also saving a ton of salary for a “Stars and Scrubs” build this week.
