The Cheat Sheet provides DraftKings fantasy golf 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 $750K Sand Trap [$200K to 1st]
The Field
There are 144 players in the field at what is officially the last tournament on the PGA TOUR schedule before the Masters. With the match playoff off the schedule, more top players have decided to tee it up at the Valero as a late warm-up for Augusta, which is great for this tournament’s long-term profile. At the top of the betting board this week is Tommy Fleetwood at +1425, followed by Ludvig Aberg at +1600, and Russell Henley at +1800. In terms of other players to watch, both Hideki Matsuyama and Jordan Spieth (two former Masters winners) are in the field alongside Rickie Fowler, who needs a win to secure a spot in next week’s field.
The rest of the field will be competing for FedEx Cup points or a breakthrough win that could earn them a spot in the first major of 2026. The cut will happen after Friday, as usual, with the top 65 players and ties advancing to the weekend.
The Course
TPC San Antonio (Oaks Course)
Par 72 | 7,435 yards | Bermuda Greens
TPC San Antonio is a long, par-72 course that plays over 7,400 yards but is often ranked among the toughest par-72s on TOUR. The conditions often play a part, as they can be extremely volatile thanks to the Texas wind and the course’s open nature. When the wind has stayed down, we’ve seen record scoring. Corey Conners hit 20-under par here in 2019, and both Denny McCarthy and eventual champion Akshay Bhatia have reached 20-under in 2024. Despite their great performances, the course still played tough for the field; third place was 11-under par.
Last season, abnormally tough winds allowed Brian Harman to get a huge lead and win by three strokes despite shooting 74 in Round 4 and reaching just -9 for the week.
In 2022, birdies were also much tougher to come by as J.J. Spaun ended up winning by multiple strokes at just 13-under par. Spaun gained multiple strokes on approach and off the tee but relied more on his around-the-green game than several recent winners. Conners in 2023 reached 15-under par but relied heavily on ball-striking.
TPC San Antonio, designed by Greg Norman, has hosted this event since 2010. The course is set up longer than average (for the PGA TOUR) at 7,435 yards and features a mix of tree-lined fairways and some open, almost links-style driving areas where the Texas brush comes into play. There are four par 5s, but three of them come in right around 600 yards, and none guarantee a great shot at birdie. Fairways are narrow, and driving accuracy stats are always well below the TOUR average, making accuracy almost as important as length off the tee. However, going a bit off the fairway generally won’t crush a golfer, since the course plays wide open in many spots and has almost no water.
It should be noted that two of the past seven winners ranked 66th (Andrew Landry in 2018) and 78th (Spieth in 2021) in driving accuracy for the week of their win. 2024 runner-up Denny McCarthy also gained less than 1.0 strokes OTT last year. 2025 winner Brian Harman also ranked only T44 in strokes gained off the tee and T34 in driving accuracy. He made up for that with a great week with his irons (+6.1 strokes) and on the greens (+5.1 strokes putting).
The overseeded greens here are known to be tough, too — players have to navigate lots of sharp falloffs and contours — making them a good warm-up for Augusta. Greens in Regulation percentages tend to be 5-to-10% lower than at the average TOUR stop. This plays into the hands of the best ball-strikers in the game — Conners led the field in GIR stats here in 2019 and 2023, and Spieth gained +7.4 Strokes on Approach for the week in 2021. Harman was also T11 in GIR% last season.
Scrambling tends to be a more neutral stat, as top finishers gain the most from ball-striking and timely putting. Getting hot from the 5-to-15-foot range with the putter at Valero has been a hallmark of past winners.
The course features four par 3s — two of which come in well over 200 yards in length — and an additional five par 4s that will measure over 440 yards each, so good iron play throughout the bag is essential. Targeting players on the uptick in long-iron play and putting is where your focus should be in the stat department.
2026 Weather Outlook: We are once again facing a full range of Texas weather for this week’s event. Thursday starts off okay with highs in the 80s, but some rain is expected, and with rain can come thunderstorms since it’s Texas. Wind is also expected to pick up in the afternoon to over 10 mph. Friday will be windier, with gusts between 10 and 15 mph most of the day, and the afternoon likely bringing the worst of it. The weekend forecast calls for thunderstorms on Saturday, and temperatures will drop sharply on Sunday into the mid-60s, with intermittent rain possible. Guessing wave splits may be difficult, but as of now, it seems the Thursday morning crowd might get the best conditions of the week.
Last Five Winners
2025–Brian Harman -9 (over Ryan Gerard -6)
2024–Akshay Bhatia -20 (over Denny McCarthy -20)
2023—Corey Conners -15 (over Sam Stevens -14)
2022—J.J. Spaun -13 (over Matt Jones and Matt Kuchar -11)
2021—Jordan Spieth -18 (over Charley Hoffman -16)
Winning Trends
- Of the past 13 Valero Texas Open winners, only seven had recorded a top-10 or better in a PGA TOUR event in the same year before their win.
- Each of the past 11 winners had played this event at least once prior and made the cut at TPC San Antonio in at least one of those past visits.
- Six of the past 14 winners of the Valero Texas Open were first-time winners on TOUR, and four of the past eight winners were first-timers.
Winners Stats
2025 Winner: Brian Harman (9-under par)
2025 lead-in form (MC-T40-T32-T17-T25)
SG: OTT— –0.2
SG: APP— +6.1
SG: TOTAL— +12.9
SG: ATG— +1.7
SG: PUTT— +5.3
Prior to J.J. Spaun, the past four winners had gained big tee to green for the week: +12.9, +13.3, +12.5, and +14.4 strokes. Corey Conners continued that trend, gaining 14.6 in 2023, and Akshay Bhatia destroyed this venue last season, gaining an incredible 18.8 strokes TTG.
This course is mostly about gaining on approach with longer-to-mid irons and being as consistent as possible off the tee and around the greens. Spaun gained 5.4 strokes ball-striking in his win, but the four winners before him gained well in excess of 7.0 strokes in that combined stat (APP + OTT), with most of the strokes being gained on approach. Bhatia gained 12.5 strokes in ball-striking alone.
Conners ranked only 51st in driving distance in 2023, but third in driving accuracy. Spaun also had a solid week off the tee (accuracy-wise) in 2022, the year he won.
Since 2011, when the course moved to TPC San Antonio, the worst a winner has finished for the week in terms of Strokes Gained: Tee to Green is 11th — that was a quite unlikely winner in Ben Curtis in 2012.
In terms of lead-up form, Conners came in with zero recent form in 2019, although he had been striking the ball well in his recent starts. Spaun was much of the same as he was gaining strokes with his irons, but hadn’t produced any high finishes.
Both Jordan Spieth (2021) and Kevin Chappell (2017) had posted recent top-10 finishes. Brian Harman missed the cut in his previous start and only had one top 20 in his last five starts.
One last note: While this course tends to play a bit long, driving distance has become less of a factor in recent years. Harman, Andrew Landry, and Conners all ranked outside the top 50 in Driving Distance in the years of their respective TOUR wins.
Finding Values on DraftKings Sportsbook
Odds to win are one factor to consider when picking players, but not the only one, so be careful not to put 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.
Marco Penge $7,800 and +5100
Comparables:
- Thorbjorn Olesen $7,800 and +5900
- Brian Harman $7,900 and +7000
- Denny McCarthy $8,200 and +5800
Jordan Smith $7,700 and +5800
Comparables:
- Ricky Castillo $7,700 and +6300
- Denny McCarthy $8,200 and +5800
- Thorbjorn Olesen $7,800 and +5900
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook are subject to change.
Horses For Courses
1. Denny McCarthy ($8,200; best finishes: 2nd-2024, T18-2023): McCarthy had an insane run at TPC San Antonio in 2024 when he blitzed the back-nine to force a playoff and just fell short of the win. The putting specialist has a couple of very solid finishes at this week’s course, overall, and certainly ranks among the best with experience at this event this week.
2. Matt Kuchar ($6,800; best finishes: T2-2022, T7-2019): Despite this being a longer course, Kuchar has found plenty of success at TPC San Antonio. He’s made the cut in all but one year since 2012 and has posted a T12 or better in four of the past six seasons. His form has dipped since his best finishes here, but a decent week wouldn’t be shocking.
3. Jordan Spieth ($9,500; best finishes: win-2021, T2-2015): Spieth doesn’t always play at the Valero, but he’s had success at this course regardless. He scored his signature comeback win at TPC San Antonio in 2021 and was runner-up to Jimmy Walker here in 2015. His form has been inconsistent in 2025, but a strong finish isn’t out of the question this week, especially considering he finished T11 at Valspar last time out.
4. Chris Kirk ($7,200; best finishes: T8-2018, T6-2021): Kirk has a very consistent record at this event, which is a good sign considering how unpredictable this course can be. He’s also coming off a decent performance at the PLAYERS, where he finished T27. In the low-7k range, he’s a reliable target based on his course history.
5. Charley Hoffman ($6,200; best finishes: win-2016, second 2011, 2019, 2021): Hoffman has a strong record at the Valero Texas Open. Since the event moved to TPC San Antonio, he has finished 13th or better nine times, including three runner-ups and a win in 2016. He missed the cut here last season (on the number) and has been playing poorly, but as a low-cost option, his course history makes him a viable DFS choice this week.
Recent Form
1. Sepp Straka ($9,200; T8-T13): Straka has been close to putting it all together in his last two events. He finished T13 at Bay Hill despite a poor final round, and then managed to hold things together for a T8 at the PLAYERS, where he was in contention going into Sunday. The Austrian also posted a T2 at Pebble Beach in February and has made five cuts in a row overall.
2. Sudarshan Yellamaraju ($8,100; T6-T5): Yellamaraju continued his hot run last week in Houston. After a huge PLAYERS where he finished T5 out of nowhere, the Canadian posted a T6 in Houston, where he shot rounds of 65-67 over the weekend. He’s now made six cuts in a row and looks primed for bigger things this season.
3. Daniel Berger ($8,400; T66-2nd): Berger had a great week at Bay Hill, finishing second to Bhatia, whom he lost to in a playoff. The Floridian led for most of that event but couldn’t put things together despite striking the ball well all week. He’s coming off a down week at Sawgrass, but certainly could rebound after a couple of weeks off. His iron play has been great in two of his last three starts.
4. Jordan Smith ($7,700; T44-T3): Fell back a bit last week, but the Englishman has now made four of his last five cuts and finished T3 just two starts ago in Florida at the Valspar. He’s a great ball-striker who should find this week’s venue appealing.
5. Stephan Jaeger ($7,400; T28-T7): Jaeger has started to put together some solid results of late. He finished T7 at Valspar two weeks ago and also had a T5 earlier at Farmers. The German is the sort of player who can play almost anywhere, so his improvement is worth noting ahead of this weaker field event.
DRAFTKINGS DFS STRATEGY
Big Field Punt plays:
Bronson Burgoon ($6,600) – Burgoon has played some very solid golf of late. The veteran is a Texas native and finished T10 last week. He also finished in the top 20 in three straight Korn Ferry Tour events. He’s more than worth a shot at these levels for bigger field lineups.
Jhonattan Vegas ($6,600) – Vegas is starting to heat up a bit. The veteran is a great ball-striker who gained over 5.0 strokes on approach last week and +4.0 strokes on the putting green. He finished T18 at the Valero in 2023, as well.
Andrew Putnam ($6,800) – see below
Core Plays:
Maverick McNealy ($9,000) – McNealy has played solid golf all year, does well at windy venues, and finished T3 at this event last season. At just 9k, I’d have no issues building around him for DFS this week in balanced lineup builds.
Denny McCarthy ($8,200) – McCarthy has been so close to grabbing a win multiple times in his career now, with his most recent brush being at this event back in 2024. He’s coming off a couple of solid weeks and, at $8,200, is still very cheap given his course history and recent form.
Contrarian Click:
Davis Thompson ($7,500) – Thompson hasn’t shown much this season outside of a T5 at the Puerto Rico Open last month. Still, his approach stats are solid, and if his putter ever wakes up, his long game looks good enough to get in contention again soon. With his price this low, I’d have no issues working him in as a potential GPP play this week.
MY PICK: Si Woo Kim ($9,600)
This event has seen its fair share of longshots win, but it’s also hosted some clear favorites who, in hindsight, were coming in with obvious form and ready to claim a title. Corey Conners in 2023 is a perfect example of someone striking the ball well and prepared to take on a tough course like TPC San Antonio, as is Jordan Spieth in 2022, who was playing excellent golf before his comeback victory.
Kim definitely looks like a player who can repeat those wins this week, at a course where he’s performed well in the past. He finished T13 in 2022 and was in contention in 2019, finishing T4 that week. Kim has proven himself at other open venues like Sawgrass and PGA Stadium, where wind can cause chaos, and precise iron play and tee shots are crucial. Even after a subpar week at the PLAYERS, he ranks 2nd in tee-to-green stats for the season and clearly appears ready to win.
For DFS, his price under $10,000 makes him a strong core target, and there’s still plenty of upside with him at +2000 on DraftKings Sportsbook for outright bets. Currently, his price is higher than players like Jordan Spieth and Russell Henley, whom he has generally outperformed this season.
MY SLEEPER: Andrew Putnam ($6,800)
I’m planning to continue targeting Putnam both as a longshot bet and as a low-cost DFS play in these weaker field events. The veteran’s ball-striking dipped last week at the ultra-long Memorial Park course, but he still managed a T44 finish on a course that’s not ideal for shorter hitters, marking his fourth straight cut made.
His putting and short game looked strong last week, as he ranked third overall in SG: Around the Green and gained 2.9 strokes with the flatstick. This week’s course favors accuracy-driven players, as Brian Harman and JJ Spaun have shown in recent years, and Putnam arrives with some solid results at TPC San Antonio in seasons past, posting a T14 here in 2024 and a T28 in 2023.
I’m not necessarily expecting him to win, but if his iron play improves just a bit, we could see him push for a top-20 finish, which would make him a great fantasy value play. For betting, he’s the kind of long-shot I also like to ladder bet in these weaker fields through the top 20 and ties (+380) to top 10 and ties (+920) markets.
