The Cheat Sheet provides DraftKings 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 $1M People’s Open Special [$200K to 1st]
The Field
With only one course in play and daylight hours still shorter than usual, this tournament has a slightly smaller field of just 123 golfers. This week’s event isn’t a signature-field tourney, but it still features a very strong field. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler headlines the event, and other top players like Xander Schauffele and Cam Young will also tee off this week.
Last week’s winner, Justin Rose, isn’t playing, but the field does include Hideki Matsuyama, Rickie Fowler, and Brooks Koepka. This event is a bit of a reprieve from the typical West Coast setups we typically get, with players now teeing off at a stadium-style course, away from the ocean, and no longer on full-fledged poa greens.
The Friday cut line also returns this week, with only the top 65 and ties getting to play the weekend.
The Course
TPC Scottsdale: Scottsdale, Arizona
Par 71, 7,261 yards
TPC Scottsdale underwent some minor renovations five years ago that were aimed at “toughening up” the golf course and resulted in a few holes being lengthened. Some bunkers were also moved to provide better protection for pins and to challenge players off the tee. Even with the changes, players have still managed to put up some low scores at this track, with the winners hitting between 16 and 19 under par most seasons — outside of last year, when Thomas Detry blitzed the place and finished at -24, winning by seven strokes.
One of the main features that makes this such a fun event is the setup of the course. TPC Scottsdale is a traditional par 71, made up of three par 5’s, four par 3’s, and 11 par 4’s. Still, it contains several scoring holes that encourage aggressiveness and reward great shots with chances at birdies and eagles. All of the par 5’s are reachable in two by most players (especially the longer hitters), and these holes are generally three of the easiest to score on. The par 4’s are mostly between 410 and 490 yards in length, usually where the big hitters gain their biggest advantage if they find the fairway off the tee.
There are also a couple of unique holes players encounter down the stretch, too. The 16th is a very easy par 3, except for the fact that it’s set in a stadium with thousands of cheering fans who rarely stay silent. The drivable par 4 (hole 17) is also a gem, as it presents players with a huge risk-versus-reward scenario coming home and can be a huge momentum shifter later in the round. In 2021, Brooks Koepka eagled this hole in the final round on his way to the win.
The desert setting of the course gives it a semi-links-like feel. But with tighter fairways and water in play on six of the final nine holes, it really sets up as more of a target golf environment, similar to TPC Sawgrass. The average driving distance here is 10 to 12 yards more than the PGA TOUR average, but we’ve seen shorter hitters compete here regularly (see Webb Simpson and Nick Taylor, who won in 2020 and 2024). Past winners have tended to gain mostly on approach and via the greens with the putter.
Five of the last eight winners at TPC Scottsdale gained +5.0 or more strokes on their approaches over the field. To overcome a disadvantage off the tee, players will need a great week with their irons. Dominant off-the-tee play and putting can carry a player, but for shorter hitters, the key to TPC Scottsdale is great mid-to-long iron play. The 150-175 yards distance is an important basket for proximity stats, with five par 4’s ranging between 450-500 yards.
Ultimately, Scottsdale is a stadium test similar to some of the other tougher TPC venues we see on the PGA TOUR. TPC Sawgrass is somewhat comparable in that elite ball-striking and solid scrambling/putting are primary to success at both venues, and players can’t necessarily bomb their way around either course. Since Scottsdale is such an all-around test, it also makes course history somewhat more important this week than in others (see the winning trends below). And it’s also a good week to lean on the course horses who have been dominant here throughout their careers.
2026 Weather Outlook: The weather again for this year looks ideal. While this venue can struggle with cooler desert temperatures and sometimes even a little rain or high winds, there appears to be clear skies in the forecast. Temperatures will top out around 75 to 80° F for all four days, and winds should be calm almost the whole way through. Thursday could potentially have a few gusts approaching 10 MPH, but nothing to write home about.
For DFS, there isn’t much reason to expect a huge wave split this season over the first two days. Although if the winds do get up a bit on Thursday afternoon, the PM/AM starters may see the worst of it over the first two days. Wave stacking in classic lineups isn’t recommended right now, but that said, these greens can still get crusty in the afternoon. Even if the wind difference is light, it’s wise to target early starters on Thursday if you need a tiebreaker for classic DFS builds.
Last 5 Winners
2025—Thomas Detry -24 (over Daniel Berger and Michael Kim -17)
2024—Nick Taylor -21 (over Charley Hoffman playoff)
2023—Scottie Scheffler -19 (over Nick Taylor -17)
2022—Scottie Scheffler -16 (over Patrick Cantlay playoff)
2021—Brooks Koepka -19 (over Kyoung-Hoon Lee -18)
Winning Trends
- Of the last 15 winners, 14 have had a T7 or better finish in one of their last five starts before their win at the WMPO.
- Nine of the past 10 winners of WMPO had posted a top-10 finish at this event in a season before their win. Detry was the one winner who had not posted a top 10 but did finish T28 the year prior.
Winners Stats and Course Detail
2025: Thomas Detry (24-under par)
2025 lead-in form (T48-T15-T53-T5)
SG: Off the Tee—+3.4
SG: Approach—+7.0
SG: Total—+19.7
SG: ATG—+0.7
SG: Putting—+8.4
Phoenix might be one of the best all-around tests of the season, as players who can spike in multiple different categories often do well here.
- Scheffler dominated off the tee on his first win, but he has putted well at this venue in both of his wins. It’s also worth noting that five of the top-10 finishers at this event in 2022 gained over 5.0 strokes putting.
- 2024 winner Nick Taylor led the field in SG Putting stats, and last season, Thomas Detry gained over 8.0 strokes putting for the week
- Four of the last five winners ranked in the top three for the week in strokes gained approach stats, with 2020 winner Webb Simpson gaining 7.5 strokes on approach for the week and 2023 winner (Scheffler) gaining +9.5 strokes on approach.
- 2025 winner Detry also gained over 7.0 strokes on approach.
- Driving Distance also tends to get emphasized here more than it does at other venues, and only three of the past nine winners ranked outside the top 30 for the week in driving distance (Matsuyama 2016, Webb Simpson 2020).
- Winners have still gained most of their strokes via Putting and Approach so while good OTT play is important, a disadvantage OTT can still be overcome (much like Taylor did in 2024 by gaining 8.9 strokes putting).
- As for approaches, the most popular range tends to be between 150 and 175 yards. Still, there are also plenty of > 200-yard shots in play, with three par 5’s and five par 4’s in the 450-500 range.
Finding Values on 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.
Daniel Berger $7,500 and +6200
Comparable:
Chris Gotterup $8,300 and +3600
Comparable:
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook are subject to change.
HORSES FOR COURSES
(These players have had a lot of success at this event over their carees.)
1. Scottie Scheffler ($14,500; best finishes: win – 2022, 2023): It’s hard to argue with the success that Scheffler has had at TPC Scottsdale. Between 2022 and 2024, he shot a combined 53-under par and has dominated on these greens, gaining 4.2 and 6.5 strokes putting in both of his wins.
2. Hideki Matsuyama ($9,600; best finishes: win – 2016, 2017): Matsuyama has won this event twice and has finished T4 or better in four of the nine instances where he’s started and finished the event (WD-2018). The Japanese superstar’s impressive tee-to-green game works wonders in this tougher desert environment, and he is coming off a decent start at last week’s Farmers Insurance Open.
3. Rickie Fowler ($8,900; best finishes: win – 2019, second – 2010, 2016): Fowler won this event in 2019 and has finished T11 or better in five of the past 10 seasons, a run that also includes a playoff loss to Matsuyama in 2016. He withdrew last year due to illness, but started his season well with a T18.
4. Sahith Theegala ($8,400; best finishes: T3-2022, T5-2024): Theegala has impressed at this venue in limited starts. He nearly won on his debut back in 2022 and posted another strong finish in 2024 with a T5. His price this year is also $1,100 cheaper than it was last year, so he’s a much better value proposition in 2025.
Recent Form
1. Scottie Scheffler ($14,500, Recent finishes: win, win): Scheffler is at an unprecedented price this week after winning in his first official start of 2026. The four-time major winner looks primed for another huge week.
2. Si Woo Kim ($9,900, Recent finishes: T2, T6): Kim is playing well across the board right now. While he’s never finished inside the top 10 at Scottsdale, his history says this course is suitable for him.
3. Chris Gotterup ($8,300, Recent finishes: T18, win): Gotterup followed up his big win with a T18 last week. This course does require some accuracy, so it will be interesting to see if he can dial it down a bit off the tee and post another big week.
4. Sahith Theegala ($8,400, Recent finishes: T7, T8, T31): Theegala has really started to get hot, posting top-10 finishes in his last two starts. This has arguably been his best venue since he started on the PGA, so another big finish is possible.
5. Pierceson Coody ($8,000, Recent finishes: T2, T18, T13): Coody is starting to show off some of his potential. He had a great weekend at Torrey Pines and has posted three top 20s to start the season. Phoenix is a different challenge, but Coody looks like he’s upped his game in 2026.
DRAFTKINGS DFS STRATEGY
Big Field Punt plays:
Adam Schenk ($6,200): Schenk had a very solid week at Torrey Pines and has been gaining well on approach. His putter can dip at any time, but if you are looking to squeeze in Scheffler, his $6,200 salary offers tremendous flexibility.
Alex Smalley ($6,800): See below.
S.H. Kim ($6,800): Kim has started the season very strongly. He’s a solid putter whose irons have been steady to start the year. He also has a solid record at this week’s course, having finished inside the top 30 multiple times.
Core plays:
Jake Knapp ($8,800): Knapp has had a very solid start to the season. He finished T11 at the tighter Sony Open venue and followed that up with a great week at Torrey Pines. This hasn’t been his best track, but he’s certainly playing well, and he’s a player I’m keen on backing until he shows regression.
Daniel Berger ($7,500): Berger has a solid record at this event. While he took last week off and didn’t play great at the American Express, he’s still a player who looks undervalued based on course history alone.
Tony Finau ($7,100): For the second week in a row, we are getting a phenomenal price on Finau, who finished runner-up at this event back in 2020. Even if he’s still not back to 100% after some off-season injury issues, this is a great price and worth taking advantage of for this week and the near future.
Contrarian Click: Min Woo Lee ($7,400): Lee started fast at the American Express but didn’t finish well, so it will be interesting to see what his ownership pans out at. He played well over the fall-winter and finished T12 at this event last year. His upside at this price is well worth taking advantage of.
MY PICK: Matt Fitzpatrick ($9,300)
Fitzpatrick had a poor finish to his only PGA start this season, closing with a 74 on the Stadium Course in Palm Springs. But the Englishman looked in fine form before that poor day. He carded rounds of 65 and 67 in Rounds 2 and 3, and he’s coming into this year off a great winter season that saw him win the DP World Tour finale. Overall, Fitzpatrick has been trending up for a while now and looks primed for a big year. He posted three other top-six finishes in Europe last fall before his big win. He also had a string of four top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour last summer, which included a T4 at the Open.
Fitzpatrick also has a nice record on these target-style courses. He won at the Pete Dye-designed Hilton Head back in 2023 and has a career-best T5 finish at Sawgrass from back in 2024. He’s also performed well at Scottsdale, placing T15 in 2024 and T10 in 2022. His iron play can be up and down, but the upside he brings with his putter on a course that is so putter-centric is a huge plus. Given the slow start he had two weeks ago, he’s also a player who feels like he could be drastically overlooked this week in DFS, which makes him a great tournament target in my eyes at his current price.
For betting, his +4900 outright price on the DraftKings Sportsbook also puts him above a lot of other current players who don’t have his long resume of accomplishments. Overall, I’d rate him as a good value in both areas this week and a player I’m bullish on overall at Scottsdale and the next few events.
MY SLEEPER: Alex Smalley ($6,800)
Smalley is an up-and-down grinder, but he has flashed plenty of upside on these sorts of target-style tracks. He was in contention for big portions of the PLAYERS back in 2025, finishing T14, and also managed a T21 at this event last season.
His 2026 start hasn’t been ideal, but going back to the fall, he was again showing signs of breaking out. He posted two top-five finishes over the PGA’s fall swing, and his missed cut last week can be attributed to a big change in scenario at the much longer and tougher Torrey Pines. Smalley is by no means a player you need to bet the house on, but for DFS, he’s also a great GPP option. He’s the sort of player under 7k who could put up a top-20 or better at less than 2% ownership.
On top of being a great GPP target for DFS, I’d also rate him as a solid placing bet at +830 in the top 10 (including ties) market on DraftKings Sportsbook.
