The PGA TOUR is making its annual stop in the Quad Cities for the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run. The full-field event with a typical cut doesn’t usually draw a strong field, but it is a great chance for some other players to step into the spotlight and produce good finishes to improve their positioning before the push to the FedExCup Playoffs, which are just around the corner. For each week’s tournament, DraftKings has a wide range of contests available, including some excellent cash game opportunities. In this post, I’ll focus on three solid cash game plays for conservative lineups that are designed to produce in cash games. My three top fantasy golf cash plays to consider are Ben Griffin ($10,500), Tom Kim ($8,700) and Emiliano Grillo ($7,300).
Make sure to also check out my top-three pivot plays for tournament lineups for the Travelers Championship if you’re looking for some less popular, under-the-radar picks. 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 lying back and playing a par 5 as it was designed, taking three shots before reaching the green, searching for 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.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR Single Entry $25 Double Up
Ben Griffin ($10,500)
Without as many big names in the field, Griffin is a great option that brings good form and the ability to go low in birdie fests. He wouldn’t fit the mold of a breakthrough winner like many of the winners here over the years, but he has both a high floor and high ceiling as the top pay-up option for cach game picks this week.
Griffin struggled earlier in the year, but he leads the field in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green over the last 30 days and ranks second in Total Strokes Gained over that span. He is also in the top five in Total Strokes Gained over the last six months, while also ranking third in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green and Strokes Gained: Putting.
That sharp short game gives him lots of upside, and the three-time PGA TOUR winner has poted six top-20 finishes in his last eight events as a result of his momentum.
Last week, Griffin finished T10 at the Travelers Championship, gaining strokes across all major categories. He got off to a fast start with a bogey-free, six-under 64 in Round 1 and was consistent with a 66-67-67 to finish out the tournament in the top 10. His accuracy and ability to pile up par-breakers was on display at that event and should serve him well again at TPC Deere Run this week.
Last year, Griffin missed the cut at the John Deere Classic, which was in the middle of his big three-win season. He finished T5 in 2024 at this event, though, so he should be able to continue his strong form this week if he can avoid losing so many strokes on the green.
He comes back to TPC Deere Run with good momentum with his flat stick and could get back into the win column this week. Even if he doesn’t, he seems poised for another high finish based on his form and the course fit.
Tom Kim ($8,700)
Tom Kim was another multiple-time winner on the PGA TOUR who has started to find some form lately. He only had one top-25 finish in his first 10 events this season, and missed a pair ofcuts. He has stepped up lately, though with three top-25 finishes in his last five events since then, including a solo-third at the U.S. Open. two weeks ago.
Kim is still only 24 years old, which is easy to forget since he’s been on the PGA TOUR for a while. He got his first PGA TOUR win at the Wyndham Championship back in 2022 and then won the Shriners Children’s Open in back-to-back seasons in 2022 and 2023. In each of those three wins, Kim finished -20 or better, proving he can go low to get the win when he’s in top form.
Over the last three months, as he’s found his groove, Kim ranks fourth in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach and ninth in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. He also ranks fifth in Total Strokes Gained over the last 30 days.
Last year was his first career appearance at the event, and he missed the cut even though he looked good on approach. Ultimately, he lost too many strokes off the tee to overcome. Now that he’s trending in the right direction, he is a solid fantasy play with a very high ceiling, and he’s a nice mid-range piece to include on your roster.
Emiliano Grillo ($7,300)
Last year, Grillo had a great shot to get the win at TPC Deere Run, but he stumbled down the stretch, and he and Brian Campbell ended up in a playoff, which Campbell won with a par on the first hole. Grillo missed the cut in 2023 during his only other career trip to this event.
If he had won, it would have been his third PGA TOUR career victory, and since then, he has had five top-25 finishes with a T4 at the Procore Championship last fall as his best result.
The 33-year-old from Argentina has flashed some trending form in his last few events, though, with a T20 at the RBC Canadian Open and a T23 at the U.S. Open in his last two events. He is a solid fit for the course based on his accuracy off the tee and excellent short game. Over the last 30 days, Grillo ranks third in the field in Driving Accuracy and also ranks in the top 20 in Total Strokes Gained.
Grillo’s two wins were at the 2015 Frys.com Open and the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge, both of which he needed extra holes to win. Even if he can’t quite duplicate last year’s production, he should be able to put together a high enough finish to be worth this low salary at the John Deere Classic.
